The Confessions of Nat Turner

Nat Turner, enslaved preacher and prophet, marshaled dozens of his followers for a violent revolt that left fifty-five white people dead in Southampton County, Virginia. As the myth of the contented slave dissolved, the South panicked. Captured, tried, and convicted, Turner dictated his confessions to a local lawyer.

Though some questions endure around the reliability of the narrative, as well as the place that such a complex figure should occupy in our historical consciousness, what is inarguable is that this 1831 rebellion marked an inflection point in America’s racial conflict. To this day, The Confessions of Nat Turner inspires profound and provocative questions as the United States still wrestles with its own troubled past.

Revised edition: Previously published as The Confessions of Nat Turner, this edition of The Confessions of Nat Turner (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.

Nat Turner (1800–1831) was born enslaved in Southampton County, Virginia. Learning to read and write at a young age, Turner immersed himself in the stories of the Bible. As a deeply religious adult, he began preaching and became known as the Prophet. In August 1831, Turner orchestrated a rebellion against the enslavers. He enlisted armed supporters to the cause and carried out one of the most significant insurrections in the history of the South. Turner was tried, convicted, and hanged in Jerusalem, Virginia. The Confessions of Nat Turner was published shortly after his execution.