Elizabeth,
The name of the site is Famous Americans. It does include heroes and
patriot, but it also includes other skunks like Jefferson Davis and Harry
Byrd. If Virginia students are to learn about Nat Turner, then he belongs on
the page. In addition to the folks specified on the SOLs, I also include
other Famous Americans that seem to be of interest to students not only in
Virginia and the US, but around the world.
If you're curious about the numbers who visit/use the site, you can go to
http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/stats and look around at the various
excel files.
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 5:03 PM
Subject: Re: And Now Nat Turner
> 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
>>
>> ______________________________________
>> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the
> instructions
>> at
>> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>>
>> ______________________________________
>> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the
> instructions
>> at
>> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>
> ______________________________________
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions
> at
> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>
> ______________________________________
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions
> at
> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
|
