Anne,
I over-stated his education. The fact that he had visions is not so
much of a concern as the fact that he carried out an irrational attack
and vicious murders of innocent women and children. I think that in
order to be judged "temporarily insane" it is necessary that the
perpetrator be unable to tell right from wrong at the time he committed
the crimes (psychotic) - so your thought regarding his "snapping" is
probably close to the truth.
It is sad that he became unhinged, and no doubt his circumstances
contributed to it. However, the savage murders committed by someone who
has "snapped" does not qualify them as a patriot, hero, leader, or
role-model - regardless of their stated reasons for doing what they did.
Regarding SOLs: Nat Turner was a character of historical importance.
His actions had serious effects on the institution of slavery. His
story can paint a picture of the injustices of slavery. But it's
important to keep in mind that he wasn't a hero, or patriot, only
someone whose actions were of some import.
Elizabeth
-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Pemberton <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:57 am
Subject: Re: And Now Nat Turner
Elizabeth,
On quick correction. There is no statement anywhere in my resources
that
indicate that Nat Turner was "well-educated". It merely states that he
was
extremely intelligent, and that he was taught to read and write.
You may recall back some days ago that it was pointed to me that Nat
Turner
should be on my Famous Americans because the purpose of the website is
first
and foremost to provide information on the people that Virginia
students are
to learn about on the SOLs. He had been overlooked because I was
working
with a less detailed listing of the SOLs, so I remedied the situation.
To answer Tony Lister's concern that I put more information on the page
for
Nat Turner than on the pages studied by the younger children, there are
netlinks on all of the pages, to provide older children with more
information.
I cannot help it that the man lived a religious life for more than
thirty
years, apparently content with his lot in life, and then snapped.
Whether or
not one believes he had a "psychosis" is probably dependent on whether
one
believes that people can have "visions" or not. Personally, I'm
inclined to
believe that when he was sent to his third master, his patience with
being a
slave snapped. In the parlance of today's courts, he was "temporarily
insane"
Anne
Anne Pemberton
[log in to unmask]
http://www.erols.com/apembert
http://www.educationalsynthesis.org
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2008 1:01 PM
Subject: Re: And Now Nat Turner
> Anne,
>
> I understand your desire to convey the fact that the desire for
freedom
> burned in the hearts of the slave. Also, that slaves
> were deprived of the opportunity to use their talents and
intelligence.
>
> Also, I realize the need to demonstrate the abuses that occurred in
> slavery, the failure of society to recognize its fault and abolish
> slavery.
>
> However, Nat Turner was a well-educated, intelligent preacher with a
> serious psychosis, which led him to enlist others and murder more
than 50
> people - of whom, more than 30 were women and small children.
>
> He was not a hero. He was crazy. Chasing toddlers around the school
yard
> and beheading them is not a fight for liberation - it's mass murder.
>
> It's also unnecessary to use this villain as an example of anything
> virtuous in the make-up of those of African descent, in the past,
> enslaved, or otherwise. There are many noble examples of slaves and
free
> blacks who are far more illustrative of the injustice, waste of
talent,
> and slave-owner stupidity. It is repulsive, and even insulting to
hold up
> Nat Turner as an example of
> slave leadership, or the human desire for freedom.
>
> Portray him as he was: obviously intelligent, obviously spiritual,
> well-educated, respected in the community --- but ultimately a victim
of
> his own psychosis.
>
> Elizabeth
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Anne Pemberton <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 3:49 am
> Subject: Re: And Now Nat Turner
>
> Tony,
>
> I appreciate your comments and the quote from my sources that
emphasized
> the
> heinousness of the crime. Yet, his crimes pales somewhat in the light
of
> the
> crimes committed against slaves on a routine basis and considered
part of
> the "rights" of ownership. I did not mention in the piece, for the
sake of
> brevity, that the owners of the slave executed for the rebellion were
> financially compensated by the state for the loss of their "property".
>
> What I wanted to make apparent was that slaves were not complacent
with
> their destiny as property, and in some instances, such a Nat Turner,
made
> very loud statements that indicated they wanted their freedom.
Instead of
> listening and learning from this rebellion, the proponants of slavery
> merely
> instituted harsher laws to prevent further "uprisings". This was an
> opportunity for the good people of Virginia to overturn slavery as an
> unjust
> system that so burdened the victims that they would rise to the point
of
> heinous crime in order to attain their freedom. Instead, the took a
note
> from the pharaoh of yore, and hardened their hearts against their
> oppressed
> servants.
>
> One thing that I hope children will gain from this story is that
freedom
> burns in the hearts of all who are oppressed, and that suppressing the
> expression of that freedom leads to gruesome consequences. Freedom is
> precious, and not just to our forefathers, but also to those who were
> enslaved by those same forefathers.
>
> Anne
>
> Anne Pemberton
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.erols.com/apembert
> http://www.educationalsynthesis.org
>
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