What Happened After
legislation and social oppression
The aftermath of the insurrection was much worse than anything the slaves had ever meant to bring upon themselves. Turner and his troop were executed but not before they struck terror into the hearts of whites all across the American South. Turner's Rebellion was planned and carried out by a black army, which served as a wake up call to many whites across the United States. His rebellion showed the nation that African Americans had a strong voice, especially when they were working together to exterminate slavery and make people realize that slaves are "people" too. The rebellion inspired other slaves to stand up too; after all, if Turner could do it, then why couldn't others?
In Virginia and the rest of the South, stricter laws on slavery were put in place. New legislation forbade slaves from preaching, and prohibited teaching them to read. Southerners were scared of more revolts and believed that these uprisings were caused by free blacks inspiring the slaves, so they made laws against African Americans harsher. Lawmakers made laws that prevented blacks from attending religious and social congregations and from getting educated. In addition, slaves were beaten for being outside in the dark and their homes were raided.
From the aftermath of the revolution, we can derive one main message: large-scaled armed resistance was not just suicidal, but also a threat to loved ones and all slaves. It is still important to note that slaves did resist slavery through a variety of means. Whether it was taking up arms and revolting as Turner did or intentionally slowing down or sabotaging work, slaves did whatever they could to stop the oppression that stifled their basic human rights. Along the way, "in the face of systematic legal and cultural degradation", they still maintained normal families and practiced their faith. In America, we often brush over the fact or simply just do not acknowledge that slaves did, in fact, rise up. Despite the truth that rising up would not have made life better for them or for their families, they still found ways to resist oppression, even if it was as small as sticking to your humanity when everyone else is trying to separate you from it. As John Green found, "sometimes carving out an identity as a human being in a social order that is constantly seeking to dehumanize you, is the most powerful form of resistance. Refusing to become the chattel that their masters believed them to be is what made slavery untenable and the Civil War inevitable, so make no mistake, slaves fought back. And in the end, they won."