The Civil War

Lesson 3 



Massacre in Virginia


Several events in the middle 1800's showed how unhappy slaves were. Two famous slaves who decided to fight their masters were Denmark Vesey and Nat Turner. Vesey planned a major slave rebellion near Charleston, South Carolina in 1822. This plan was discovered and the slave owners stopped the rebellion.

Nat Turner's rebellion in 1831 turned out differently. Over 100 blacks and 60 whites were killed in the rebellion. Turner hid for six weeks after the uprising. He was eventually tracked down by dogs. Turner was tried and found guilty. He was then hanged.

Rebellions worried slave owners. In 1790 a good field hand was worth about $300. In 1860 they were worth $2000. Guards rode the roads in the South each night looking for runaway slaves.

Nat Turner

Read the Confessions of Nat Turner.

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