The Fires of Jubilee, Book Review Example

Introduction

The Fires of Jubilee was written by Stephen B Oates and describes the tragic story of Nat Turner who was born into slavery and his struggle for freedom and human rights.  It is a somewhat melancholy story and illustrates the desperate plight of man forced into bondage.  The most telling aspect being his willingness to kill in order to secure his freedom.  One of the most poignant aspects of the book is the feeling of  being disturbed about the month of August and the feeling of pending trouble, chaos and disaster.

Book Report

The stetting of the Fires of Jubilee took place in the early 1800’s  around Southampton, Virginia and the County town of Jerusalem in the Southern States of America. Here slavery has been established as the normal practice and the book centres on  the life of a person born into slavery, one Nat Turner.  The book describes the quest of one man and his desperate struggle for freedom.  He was always destined to be a slave and despite his desperate struggle for freedom he ended up in a tragic death still bonded as a slave. Stephen B. Oates is a prize winning author with some 13 other books to his credit.  He is currently a Professor at a University in Amherst, MA where he reads History.  The author is internationally acclaimed and has won a number of prizes for outstanding literature.

Evaluation

Nat Turner was probably a Slave-owners worst dream.  He was an educated man that could both read and write.  Equally he was resolute about gaining his freedom and was even prepared to kill if it brought about his ultimate goal of freedom and liberty. He was revered by both the white slave owners and the blacks who looked upon him as a saviour figure.  Nat attended Church on a regular basis and became captivated by the teachings of the Bible and in particular the Old Testament. He began preaching to the other slaves about the concept of freedom and liberty and the human rights of individuals. Nat felt that he was driven into the depths of slavery and only his imagination set him free.  He developed an intense rage and desire to slay his captors and set himself free of the bondage in which he was placed.   It was in the Summer of 1825 that Nat became more secluded and withdrawn skulking off to his cabin in the woods he would describe to other slaves how he had visions of Moses escaping Egypt with his tribe and that one day he would do what Moses did for the slaves.  He described visions of black spirits defeating white spirits and he was certain that judgement day was rapidly approaching.  Nat awaited the signal from  God in order to rise up and free his people from slavery.  People flocked to listen to the preaching’s of Nat and he attracted a large following from the nearby plantations.  The cast was set for the beginnings of an uprising and revolt against the White Masters. It was from this point that the tone of the book moved into a different direction and intensity.  The concept of a Jubilee referenced the Israelites in the bible being delivered from slavery by Moses.  A time for celebration.

The tide really turned in 1822 ” Turner’s owner went bankrupt in 1822 and sold him to a neighboring planter. Six years later, Turner had a religious vision that instructed him to liberate his fellow slaves by killing every white person residing between his master’s plantation and the nearest town of Jerusalem.”  (Boyer).  The actual rebellion took place in 1831 ” The bloodiest slave rebellion in American history, organized and led by Nat Turner, broke out on 22 August 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia. In this remote tidewater county where African Americans outnumbered whites, Turner and a group of slaves killed more than fifty whites over a two day period.”  (Boyer).  The action resulted in terrible reprisals by the white slave owners. Over 200 blacks, many presumed innocent, were rounded up and killed.  Nat hid out in the woods for over 2 months before he two was ultimately apprehended and was hung for his part in the uprising. Nat was believed to have killed a number of white people in the rebellion.

The uprising resulted in a number of changes and restrictions being imposed by the authorities of the time ” These new restrictions silenced African American slave preachers; limited the independence of free black churches and schools; and, in some cases, called for the removal of free people of color. Despite the ferocity of the reaction, however, African Americans seized hope and strength from Nat Turner’s uprising as a fierce assault on the institution of slavery.”  (Boyer).

The Haitian uprising in Santo Domingo in 1791 inspired the revolt here as they had been to a degree successful in restoring civil rights and liberty to the slaves there. ” Many of those leaders themselves would fall along the way, but the force of unity against slavery, a unity deeply embedded in the Creole culture that bound the blacks together, would sustain the revolution.”  (G.Jason). Slave revolts of the period also included that of Gabriel Prosser and he equally, like Nat Turner came to a terrible demise with the irony that he was betrayed by other negro slaves ” Gabriel had attempted to escape via a schooner, Mary, but when in Norfolk on September 25, he was recognized and betrayed by two Negroes, captured, and brought back, in chains, to Richmond. He was quickly convicted and sentenced to hang, but the execution was postponed until October 7, in the hope that he would talk.”  (Aptheker). It was Denmark Vesey who also inspired another slave revolt that was equally abortive and ended in the death of Vesey.  ” The revolt, which was scheduled to occur on July 14, 1822, was betrayed before it could be put into effect. As rumours of the plot spread, Charleston was thrown into a panic. Leaders of the plot were rounded up. Vesey and 46 other were condemned, and even four whites were implicated in the revolt. On June 23 Vesey was hanged on the gallows for plotting to overthrow slavery.”  (Africa Within.com).

In the first instance the slave rebellions made the white Virginian people stop and think   The Virginia state legislature actually stopped to debate the possibility of putting into place a legal framework that would free all slaves and thereby avoid all future conflicts. This  never happened but this was the first time that such an idea had ever been discussed. Laws were also passed that forbade slaves to learn reading and writing and therefore maintain them in a state of ignorance.

Conclusion

Stephen Oates demonstrates a passion in his writing and a deep interest in the subject matter that he is researching.  This makes the book extremely compelling reading and enables the reader to gain a proper perspective of the historical account at that time. You gain the impression that Oates has a firm belief in the convictions of Nat Temple and that the rebellion was pivotal as a turning point in history of the African slave movement. Although many lost their lives as a result of rebellions it made the white plantation owners stop and think about the human indecency of the slave trade .  The book is very evocative in describing the senses, smells and visual scenery of the period.  More importantly it describes bigotry, stereotyping and the entrenched attitudes in both the white and lack people caught up in the trading relationship within the Southern States at this time.  The book is an extremely enjoyable read and an important work for anyone wishing to learn the history of this time. It certainly ranks in line with books like Uncle Toms Cabin published in 1852 by American Author Harriet Beecher Stowe. ” Stephen B. Oates is the author of sixteen books, including The Approaching Fury; With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln and Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr., the latter two books winning, respectively, the Christopher Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book Award. They have been translated into several languages.”  (Harper Collins).

Works Cited

Africa Within.com. Denmark Vesey. 2001. 17 7 2010 <http://www.africawithin.com/bios/denmark_vesey.htm>.

Aptheker, Herbert. “American Negro Slave Revolts.” Aptheker, Herbert. American Negro Slave Revolts. New York: Columbia University Press, 1943, 1974. 219-226.

Boyer, Paul S. Nat Turner’s Uprising. 2001. 17 7 2010 <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-NatTurnersUprising.html>.

G.Jason. Revolution in Haiti. 2010. 17 7 2010 <http://scholar.library.miami.edu/slaves/san_domingo_revolution/revolution.html>.

Harper Collins. Stephen B Oates. 2010. 17 7 2010 <http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/7276/Stephen_B_Oates/index.aspx>.