The Nat Turner slave uprising of 1831 - “Band of rebels on a killing spree” (dramatization) – (August 21, 1831)

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A 31-year-old enslaved man named Nathanial “Nat” Turner, who was both literate and a preacher in the Virginia slave community, led a bloody two-day uprising in Southampton, Virginia. Known as both “preacher Nat” and “general Nat” to his followers, Turner and six other hatchet-wielding disciples began their rebellion by killing Turner’s own master, Joseph Travis, along with his wife, nine-year-old son, and a hired hand -- all as they slept in their beds. They secured guns and horses and set off across the countryside in a murderous rampage. His initial group, along with an estimated 75 followers, murdered at least 55 citizens in the area. After the insurrection, Nat Turner was on the run for over 6-weeks, a fugitive from the authorities. While they were searching for him and his accomplices, the terrible details of the insurrection came to light through news reports and witness statements.

Cast:

Nyah Pierson, reporter for the Liberator News Network (LNN) is played by Nyah Pierson

William Lloyd Garrison, Founder & Publisher of the The Liberator (newspaper) is played by Wally Wingert

Johnny Dixon, news reporter from One Virginia News (OVN) is played by Beau Bridgland

Mary Blackford is played by Jillian Lee Garner

Nathaniel "Nat" Turner is played by Gregory Eagles

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