Thomas Paine and Nat Turner Essay

Therefore, he approached the issue from the point-of-view of the common man, and was able to inspire people to the idea of revolution.

Nat Turner is the historical person of which I most disapprove. Turner led the largest antebellum slave rebellion in the United States, which included the slaughter of white civilians. It is not that I disapprove of Turner's actions. As a man wrongfully deprived of his natural right to liberty, who, from descriptions in his wanted posters, bore the scars of routine abuse, and who had undoubtedly witnessed countless atrocities against his friends and family because of slavery, it is clear that Turner had the right to use any means necessary to attain his freedom. The fact that his rebellion led to the slaughter of white civilians would not be morally troubling, given that all of those civilians benefitted from the system of slavery, whether directly or indirectly, if it had had a chance at success.However, Turner was reportedly a very intelligent person with an education surpassing that of the average slave. He was undoubtedly aware of the probably consequences to his fellow slaves if the rebellion failed, and he was also aware that his rebellion was unlikely to be successful. Rather than engaging in more methodical planning to ensure the success of his rebellion, Turner relied on signs to dictate the timing of the rebellion. Moreover, he spared some whites, which virtually ensured that the authorities and other whites would be notified about the uprising. Because the rebellion failed, approximately 200 slaves were killed, even some who were not involved in the uprising. In addition, the uprising actually helped polarize pro-slavery whites, and led to the institution of policies aimed at further restricting the freedoms of both slaves and free blacks. Since his actions contributed to an increase in anti-black sentiment, I disapprove of Nat….....