He is a critical part of our American heritage, the most famous slave insurgent in history, the victim of a violent system who found the courage and means to strike back with retributive violence. And his insurrection illustrates a profound and global truth, a theme that is as old as the Scriptures and as modern as the Syrian rebels fighting Assad’s regime. As Lerone Bennet says, Nat Turner “reminds us that the first and greatest of all gospels is this: that individuals and systems always reap what they sow.”
This screenplay transports the reader to antebellum Virginia. Scene by scene, from Nat’s birth to execution, the tension mounts as the characters live under the lash, fight back, and die. The story captures the truth of Nat Turner — his intelligence, his faith, and his sacrifices — and the power of his horrific yet inspiring insurrection.
