Nat Turner leads the most consequential slave uprising in U.S. history in Southampton County, Virginia.
At a Glance
- Date
- 21 August 1831
- Location
- Southampton County, Virginia
- Key people
- Nat Turner
- Category
- Abolition & Slavery
- Source
- The Confessions of Nat Turner (1831) · Library of Congress
What It Meant Then
It terrified the slaveholding South and triggered harsh new restrictions on enslaved and free Black people.
What It Means Now
Turner remains a contested symbol of violent resistance to bondage.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Nat Turner's Rebellion Begins.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/nat-turners-rebellion-begins/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Nat Turner's Rebellion Begins. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/nat-turners-rebellion-begins/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Nat Turner's Rebellion Begins.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/nat-turners-rebellion-begins/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.