Nat Turner?

Question

Do you think he was a good or bad guy? I mean, he killed a bunch of white people (I'm white by the way) but he did it for his own people. People wern't entirely nice to him either though.

Answer 1

Well I am not sure.  Was he good or bad?  He did kill innocent children... but then he came from a race that routinely had their children sold away from them often to go to their death or to a fate worse than death...

I think that his story is a tragedy all around.  I can't judge if he should be seen as good or bad, but he was to a certain extent a victim of the society he lived in.  The entire thing is sad and tragic and should never have happened because people should never have been treating other people like cattle.

Answer 2

That's a tough one. To be oppressed and then to respond like that. I'd have to say that he was a bad guy, though he was definitely provoked. However, that still does not serve as a reasonable enough excuse for his actions. Murder can never be excused.

But, then, there is another way of looking at it. Is he a hero? Did he bring even further attention to the problems of slavery?

And, then again, another point is: did he enforce the stereotype of blacks? Dangerous people who did abominable deeds.

It's not just cut and dry.

Answer 3

I guess it is how you look at it I really can't say

Answer 4

he did it for freedom...I think killing is never to be praised

I told my son....That what Nat Turner did was horrible but he did it because he desperately wanted freedom