Introduction
Slavery in the United States has always been a controversial issue and the books which explore it help people to better understand the topic. At the same time, there are books which cover less popular themes but have a considerable significance today, and the work by Stephen B. Oates is one of them. Fires of Jubilee, which has a genre of historic account, is dedicated to the rarely discussed rebellion of Nat Turner, who, with a group of enslaved African Americans, revolted against the masters in Virginia. The rebellion became one of the most notable ones in the history of the United States since it claimed the lives of more than 50 slave owners. Stephen B. Oates provides a thorough account of the event and offers an insightful perspective on the origins and the aftermath of the revolt. The goal of the current paper is to analyze how Fires of Jubilee explores the issue of slavery and serves as a reminder of how injustice in society can lead to suffering and bloodshed.
Overview
Before sharing my impressions of the book, it is important to provide a summary of the key points of the book and its main topics. Southampton was the place where the rebellion took place, and, it was an average town in Virginia. The basic view of the local slave owners of the notion of slavery was that they did not oppress their slaves but rather cared for them, unlike in the Southern part of the country. Oates writes, “Virginians liked to boast that slavery was not so harsh in the Old Dominion” (3). Essentially, the masters provided their slaves with certain rights and freedoms, such as allowing them to conduct praise meetings and attend white churches.
At the same time, slavery still existed in Virginia, which did not satisfy many people, including Nat Turner, who, throughout his life, had been against it. Nat was considered, to a certain extent, a unique child due to many reasons. For instance, Nat had congenital bumps, and, according to the African beliefs, “that a male with markings like these was destined to become a leader” (Oates 12). Nat received special treatment from the slave owners, compared to other enslaved people, which strengthened his view that he was destined for more than simply being a slave. As a result, Nat experienced considerable trauma when he realized that it was time to become a slave for the master.
The abolishment of slavery was not introduced in Virginia because it brought many economic benefits to the local farmers. Moreover, there were also Christian leaders who promoted it as the righteous suffering for slaves and that the better life awaited them after the death. Additionally, slavery was also a convenient tool for controlling the African Americans, who, by engaging in hard labor, were guaranteed not to revolt against the local slave owners.
As mentioned above, Nat was one of those people who were not satisfied with slavery in Virginia. Moreover, Nat, due to his reading of the Bible and practicing Christian rites, began to communicate with the spirits who encouraged him to challenge the existing status quo. Nat also preached about his visions to the local congregation of slaves. Oates describes some of Nat’s visions, “the Holy Ghost revealed itself and Nat at last understood the meaning of these miracles” (37). Eventually, the spirits with which Nat communicated told him to make the final move and fight for his freedom.
Nat managed to form a small group of several men who conducted the attack, which later became known as Nat Turner’s Rebellion. As a result of the actions of Nat and his accomplices, dozens of white people, including the slave owners and their children, were murdered in Southampton. While the accomplices of Nat were captured almost two days later, he managed to avoid being arrested for several weeks. At the same time, the rebellion led to many negative results, such as killings of African Americans in the area and overall stricter treatment of slaves. Nevertheless, Turner’s Rebellion became a significant event which once again drew the attention of the public to the problem of slavery. The rebellion also gave rise to many prominent anti-slavery activists, such as William Lloyd Garrison (Oates 129). Finally, the uprising became the symbol of the enslaved African-Americans’ struggle against the oppression of the white people.
Review
Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates made a considerable impression on me due to its detailed and thorough account of the entire story of Nat Turner. The reading provided me with an insight not only into the rebellion itself and how it took place but also the pretext and the reasons why it occurred in the first place. I liked the book’s style and agree with Jonathan Steplyk, who noted in his review that the style of Oates’ prose was rather literary, which helped him to paint a vivid picture of life in Virginia. The most interesting part of the story was the description of Nat’s life, especially his childhood period. Although I had heard about Turner’s Rebellion before I read the book, I had no idea about the unique personality of Nat. The book also presented information on the view of slavery of the Virginians during the 19th century, which was thought-provoking. It was interesting to learn that due to the Christian influence, the locals considered slavery a normal phenomenon which constituted the necessary suffering for Black people.
The book considerably affected my perception of the concept of rebellions and how many risks they entail if they fail to produce the required outcome. The story of Nat Turner taught me that when trying to effect a radical change in society, it is important to assess how much suffering for innocent people it will cause. Nat did not kill only slave owners since he and his accomplices also murdered children and women who did not have any impact on slavery. Similarly, Nat’s rebellion caused the local white people to kill innocent African Americans in retaliation. Nevertheless, it is important that Oates did not leave out any information about the killings of Nat of innocent individuals and avoided making him a hero. As a result, the main idea which I formulated after reading the book was that injustice in society always causes suffering for people living in the society.
At the same time, Fires of Jubilee also enabled me to ponder the question of whether the actions of Nat Turner could be justified when considered from the long-term perspective. It is clear that Nat and his group committed a crime by killing innocent people, yet their rebellion gave rise to a discussion in society about the condition of slaves. It is possible that the attack of Nat became the event which made more people realize that slavery was unacceptable and eventually affected the decision of the U.S. government to abolish it.
Therefore, I would recommend the book to every person with strong beliefs about the current political and social conditions to help them understand that radical actions may not lead to positive outcomes. The book itself is extremely readable, and I agree with Scott Cowin, who stated in his review that it was fit for “undergraduate, graduate or even popular readers.” The book relates to different topics of the course, including slavery and the legal system of the early 19th century. While the course explored the issue of slavery on a larger scale and concerned the social movements and government’s decisions, Fires of Jubilee provided an insight into the perception of slavery among people. Specifically, Oates managed to show that the people in Virginia were generally accustomed to the idea of using people as property and did not want to change it. In terms of the topics of the 19th-century legal system, the book presented evidence on how ordinary African Americans were affected by the discriminatory laws of the period.
Conclusion
The Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates serves as a reminder to the readers of how social injustices can lead to unnecessary deaths and suffering. The author presents a high-quality account of Nat Turner’s life prior to his rebellion and the culture of rural Virginia in the 19th century. The book contains many notable historical details which can expand the understanding about the period of the audience. The story shows that slavery was a tragic and traumatizing practice for African Americans, which forced people such as Nat Turner to oppose it in radical ways.
Works Cited
Cowin, Scott. “The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion.” Texas Christian University, Web.
Oates, Stephen B. The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion. HarperCollins Publishers, 2016.
Steplyk, Jonathan. “The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion.” Texas Christian University, Web.