Lives of three Runaways: Nat Turner, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglas

Lives of three Runaways: Nat Turner, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglas

Introduction

In a broad sense, slavery is the socio economic system in which individuals are considered as property of others to be sold, bought and forced to work. In United States Slavery existed in 18th and 19 century. Slavery specifically was practiced in British North America from early colonial days. Slaves were used as domestic servants and in the agricultural sector, particularly in the plantations of tobacco and then cotton. In U.S slaved were held against their will. Slavery in the United States began shortly after the first settlers British in Virginia and ended with the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. However before this establishment of law states and colonies generally denied to give opportunity to slaves to read, write, and learn so in order to protect themselves against their forming aspirations that started to escape and be rebellious. Out of many rebellions Nat Turner, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglas are some main rebellions which shall be discussed in this paper. This paper will mainly correlate the lives of these three runaways (Nat Turner, 2) Sojourner Truth, and 3) Frederick Douglas) from enslavement to end of their journey. The purpose of this paper is to let readers know about the brutality and trauma experienced by each of them while enslaved.

Nat Turner

An American Slave Nat Turner who became a slave rebellion after so many difficulties. Nat Turner was born on 1837; he was an African preacher who has played a very important role in slave uprising in history of America (Terry, 2005). Turner was capable, highly intelligent and learned quickly. Nat Turner was a slave and known as revolutionary prophet. Nat was sold out three times in his childhood finally in 1820 he was hire by John Travis. He claimed that God has chosen him to lead slaves from bondage (Kenneth, 2003). In early 1828, Turner was convinced that he was ordered to carry out a great mission by the Almighty, he said: "I have to start and fight against the devil (white man), because in the coming days, the first will be last and the last will be first, God gave me the task to kill my enemies with their own weapons.” In early February 1831, Turner began to take certain atmospheric conditions as signs telling him he should prepare the rebellion against slave owners.

In order to change the situation of slaves at that time he caused the death of 56 white and fifty black, it is the greatest number of deaths occur in an uprising before the Civil War in the southern United States. The revolt in which he played a key role is a milestone in the long and checkered history of American slavery. At the time he led his battle, slavery was still legalized. This battle was played out in the blood, on both sides there were ...