Thomas Ruffin Gray (1800 - unknown) was an American attorney who represented several enslaved people during the trials in the wake of Nat Turner's slave rebellion. He was the youngest of six children born to Thomas and Anne Cocke Brewer Gray. Solved Document A: The Confessions of Nat Turner (Original) - Chegg An eclipse of the sun in February 1831 inspired Turner to confide in four fellow enslaved men: Henry, Hark, Nelson, and Sam. Nat Turners Revolt, which had taken place just five days earlier, had left more than 50 whites dead; by the time the trials finished, a similar number of suspected rebels were either killed extra legally or condemned and executed. Efforts to canonize the original Confessions of Nat Turneras a great work of American literature in the 1990s reflected its rising stature within the academy. Turners reported answer: Was not Christ crucified?, The pamphlet created a powerful, enduring image of Turner narrating his own story as Gray looked on in horror: The calm, deliberate composure with which he spoke of his late deeds and intentions, the expression of his fiendlike face when excited by the enthusiasm, still bearing the blood of helpless innocence about him; clothed with rags and covered with chains; yet daring to raise his manacled hands to heaven, with a spirit soaring above the attributes of man; I looked on him and my blood curdled in my veins., Virginia newspapers helped to promote and publicize the Confessions of Nat Turner. Compare And Consequences Of Nat Turner - 2338 Words | Bartleby Kenneth S. Greenberg, professor, and Chair of the History Department at Suffolk University explains in his book why Gray's pamphlet is not as reliable as one may think, cautioning readers to analyze the source with great care. He asked Willwho would become the most enthusiastic of the rebelswhy he joined the revolt. Nat Turner on His Battle against Slavery. Both Gabriel and Nat Turner were expected to confess their guilt, provide information on means and motive, and, if necessary, help put idle rumors to rest. Indeed, Sundquist wrote, given its formative role in the course of African American cultural history and both anti- and proslavery argument, it is hard to imagine why Turners Confessions should not be accorded the same attention granted, say, Emersons Self-Reliance or Thoreaus Civil Disobedience.'. Although the pamphlet is a primary source, some historians and literary scholars have found bias in Gray's writing indicating that Gray may not have portrayed Turner's voice as accurately as he claimed to have done. With the help of his father, Gray acquired extensive holdings in land and enslaved people. without attempting to make this slightest resistance" (p. 3). Open Document. Nat Turner Students looking for free, top-notch essay and term paper samples on various topics. Not everyone, however, loved the novelwhich inspired a backlash that culminated in the 1968 publication of William Styrons Nat Turner: Ten Black Writer Respond, in which Styron was called out for minimizing the degree to which Turner was just one of many slaves who rightfully harbored rebellious desires, among other critiques. Gray was born in 1800, the same year as Turner. Privacy Statement Thomas Gray | Encyclopedia.com PDF Nat Turner Timeline - St. Louis Public Schools Company Profile; Mission Statement; Vision Statement; Quality Policy; Testimonial; Valued Customers; News; Events; Career; Contact Us; Solutions. Even when Nat Turner was captured, on October 30, 1831, the Compilers question had remained unanswered. Most slaves could not read. PDF Nat Turner Timeline: 1831 Gray served as Turner's amanuensis, interviewing him over the course of three days, writing down what he said, cross-examining him, and then structuring the narrative as he saw fit. Like many 19th-century American Protestants, Turner drew his inspiration and much of his vocabulary from the Bible. E-Texts in American Studies Although it is not surprising that whites rejected Turners religious views, they were also suspect in the black community. "Nat Turner: A Slave Rebellion in History and Memory", "Looking for Law in 'The Confessions of Nat Turner', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Ruffin_Gray&oldid=1152309636, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 13:02. He was asked, if he knew of any extensive or concerted plan. Styron fictionalized a historic character, Nat Turner, but nevertheless remained faithful to the known facts, most of which came from the 1831 Confessions of Nat Turner. Faulkner who, in speaking of the differences between the North and the South, was particularly prescient: You must adopt some plan of emancipation, he declared, or worse will follow., Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter, During the mid-20th century, the Nat Turner story was revisited by many, in the course of the movement for the study of black history in schools, an attempt to remedy the fact that many mainstream textbooks glossed over or omitted major turning points in the history of the U.S. if the people involved were black. Thomas Gray, (born Dec. 26, 1716, Londondied July 30, 1771, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Eng. He is a complete fanatic, or plays his part most admirably., Turners narrativepresented, Gray insisted, with little or no variation, from his own wordsgave an autobiographical history of the late insurrection and the motives behind it. A white southerner, steeped in the history of his region .
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