I agree with your statement regarding Turner. He did not have the power to commit genocide, because of his limited knowledge of the world outside of where he lived. He was out numbered, and out gunned, and the act he planned was one born of desperation. Your statement brings to mind some of the incidents I have found in researching my ancestors.
While looking over some court records from Fredericksburg I found several instances where my ancestors, where given lashes with a whip. They were Free, but in many cases were whipped (in one case), for talking back to a white woman. In another case, one of my female ancestors (who must have been in her 50's), was beaten because she was accused of stealing. The same ancestor was jailed, when someone accused her of participating in an affray. I found several cases of my ancestors, being assaulted on the streets of Fredericksburg, and the perpetrator was let go by the courts. I can only imagine the torment they felt living from day to day in that situation.
Maybe Nat Turner felt like Patrick Henry, who stated, "Give Me Liberty or Give me Death!"
Anita
the word genocide is not politically correct for the slave revolts. > Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:28:20 -0500> From: [log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Understanding Historic Concepts> To: [log in to unmask]> > The term "massacre" in this case is not a judgment of history. It was selected as a part of a careful propaganda effort to suggest the British military presence was not simply unwelcome by the Bostonians, but abusive of their liberty and their lives. Mr. Lister's labeling of Turner's murders as "genocide," presumably because people of one race were bent on killing those of another, is a judgment of history. I don't happen to agree with it though, in part because of the scope -- like the term massacre, genocide suggests a large number of victims -- but more because of the definition of genocide itself: there is no evidence that Turner wanted to kill whites per se. His targets were slaveholders, those who profited unjustly off the labor of those they held as property. That Southampton County slveholders were white was merely circumstantial to turner's understanding of his mission.> > David Kiracofe> > David Kiracofe> History> Tidewater Community College> Chesapeake Campus> 1428 Cedar Road> Chesapeake, Virginia 23322> 757-822-5136> >>> Anne Pemberton <[log in to unmask]> 11/12/08 1:06 PM >>>> Folks,> > The following is meat of the description of the "massacre" that led to the > beginning of the Revolutionary War:> > "A tense situation because of a heavy British military presence in Boston > boiled over to incite brawls between soldiers and civilians and eventually > led to troops discharging their muskets after being attacked by a rioting > crowd. Three civilians were killed at the scene of the shooting, and two > died after the incident."> > It is historically correct to refer to the above incident as "The Boston > Massacre", yet the word "Massacre" seems as out of place here as the term > "genocide" was in the post by Tony Lister in regard to Nat Turner. It is > perhaps true that the victor write history, but it seems to me that the > victor also bears some responsibility to provide accuracy and to show more > than one side of an issue.> Anne> > ______________________________________> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
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