4 As to Nat Turner's rebellion occurring at the wrong time, William Lloyd Garrison, the quintessential abolitionist who firmly believed that moral persuasion would convince slaveholders in Virginia to recognize their sinful ways regarding slavery, flat out condemned Nat Turner and his rebel followers. Garrison also warned the South that "if slavery were not abolished peacefully, more insurrections like Turner's rebellion would be inevitable." 5 Also, some historians have argued that in 1831 the state of Virginia was on the verge of abolishing slavery and that Turner's actions destroyed any and all chances of this happening. In reality, this was not true, for it could be said that Turner's rebellion opened the way for debate in Virginia on the issue of slavery. In fact, the Governor Floyd of Virginia, "was convinced by Turner's rebellion that something had to be done to remove slavery gradually from the state." 6 Thus, it is clear that if...

Nat Turner and the Southampton Revolt of 1831. New York: Franklin Watts, 1992, 178.
Goldman, 181.

Works Cited

Goldman, Martin S. Nat Turner…