Mapping rumors of Nat Turner's Rebellion
Introduction to a series of primary sources about Nat Turner's Rebellion and the responses to it in North Carolina, including rumors of further slave insurrections and retaliation against African Americans allegedly involved. This page provides maps showing the locations of key events, the distribution of slaves in North Carolina, and the location of roads along which news would have traveled.
A for grades 8 and 11 Social Studies
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- North Carolina History: A Sampler
- A sample of the more than 800 pages of our digital textbook for North Carolina history, including background readings, various kinds of primary sources, and multimedia. Also includes an overview of the textbook and how to use it.
- Page 6.2
- North Carolina in the New Nation
- Primary sources and readings explore North Carolina in the early national period (1790–1836). Topics include the development of state government and political parties, agriculture, the Great Revival, education, the gold rush, the growth of slavery, Cherokee Removal, and battles over internal improvements and reform.
- Page 9.2
Learn more
- Perpetual calendar Primary sources such as newspaper articles often mention events as ocurring on a given day of the week without giving a date ("last Wednesday"). A "perpetual calendar" like this one lets you see the calendar for any historical month to match up dates and days of the week.
- Lesson plan: Nat Turner's Rebellion: Searching for the facts In this lesson plan, students analyze and compare four contemporary newspaper accounts of Nat Turner's Rebellion to identify bias and to try to determine the facts of the event.
Related pages
- James Curry's childhood in slavery: Excerpt from the "Narrative of James Curry, A Fugitive Slave," in which the author recalls his childhood and the experiences of his mother. Includes historical commentary.
- Nat Turner's Rebellion: In 1831, Nat Turner, an enslaved man in Southampton, Virginia, led an insurrection in which a small band of slaves and free African Americans killed fifty-five whites. After the revolt, white militias and mobs hunted down blacks suspected of taking part in this or other insurrections, and southern states passed harsh new laws restricting the freedoms of both slaves and free blacks.
- Jonkonnu celebrations in North Carolina and beyond: In this lesson plan, students read two articles about Jonkonnu, an African American and Afro-Caribbean celebration among slave populations with origins in West Africa. Students complete a graphic organizer comparing Jonkonnu in North Carolina, Belize, and Jamaica.
Related topics
- Learn more about African Americans, North Carolina, antebellum, communication, history, slave insurrection, slaveholders, and slavery.
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On the following pages, you’ll read about how North Carolinians responded to Nat Turner’s Rebellion. You’ll read, first, the memories of an enslaved woman named Harriet Jacobs. Then, you’ll read a series of newspaper reports about the uprising and the events that followed. White North Carolinians feared that insurrections would spread into their state, and many believed that they had done so.
How, and why, did those rumors spread? To understand that, it helps to look at a few maps.
Locating the events
First, let’s locate the major events of Turner’s Rebellion and others discussed in this chapter. You can use this map for reference as you read further.
The major events of Nat Turner’s Rebellion and others discussed in this chapter are marked on this map. For reference, the map shows major towns and roads as they exist today — but be warned that some of them did not exist in 1831. (See the contemporary map below.)
Concentration of slavery
Next, consider where slavery was most common in North Carolina. Slavery was not spread evenly throughout the state, or even throughout the eastern part of the state. Considering this map, why was white hysteria highest where it was? (Click the map for a closer look.)
Percent of population enslaved by county, 1830.
Where were the roads?
It also helps to see how news traveled in 1831. Although rumors might spread from farm to farm, news would have traveled quickest along major roads. Unfortunately, the roads on this map aren’t shown extending into Virginia; you’ll have to compare it with the Google map, above, and click the “zoom in” link for a closer view. Can you trace the path of “news” from Southampton, Virginia, into northeastern North Carolina and to Raleigh?
This contemporary map shows North Carolina as it was in 1821, including the major roads.
Options: Zoom in (new window) or download full size
