He recalled that before an 1831 revolt, he had a vision of “White Spirits & Black Spirits engaged in battle”
The Final Jeopardy clue for Wednesday, June 4, 2025, came from the category American History: “He recalled that before an 1831 revolt, he had a vision of ‘White Spirits & Black Spirits engaged in battle'”.
Who is Nat Turner?
This clue pointed to a pivotal and tragic moment in American history—the 1831 slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, led by Nat Turner. The clue referenced a vision Turner claimed to have experienced prior to leading the uprising, a vision he described in deeply spiritual and apocalyptic terms. Turner, a deeply religious enslaved man, believed he had been chosen by God to lead his people out of bondage. His vision of white and black spirits battling was interpreted by him as a divine signal to act.
Nat Turner and the Southampton Rebellion
Nat Turner was born into slavery in 1800 and raised in Virginia. From a young age, he was known among fellow enslaved people and some slaveholders for his intelligence and religious fervor. Turner believed he was chosen by a higher power to lead his people, interpreting signs and visions as divine messages. Over the course of his life, he built a reputation as a preacher among local enslaved communities, often sharing sermons that blended Christian themes with prophetic warnings of judgment and deliverance.
The vision described in the Final Jeopardy clue—white and black spirits battling—was one of several that Turner said compelled him to act. He took a solar eclipse in February 1831 as the final sign that the time for revolution had come. On August 21 of that year, Turner and a small group of followers launched a violent rebellion that resulted in the deaths of about 55 white men, women, and children. The insurrection lasted for two days before being suppressed by the local militia.
The Aftermath and Broader Impact
After the uprising was quashed, Turner evaded capture for nearly two months. He was eventually found, tried, and executed by hanging on November 11, 1831. In the immediate aftermath, white militias and mobs retaliated by killing an estimated 100 to 200 black people, many of whom had no connection to the rebellion. Virginia and other Southern states responded by enacting harsher laws governing enslaved people and restricting the rights of free black Americans.
Turner’s actions and the violent nature of the revolt sent shockwaves through the antebellum South. His rebellion struck fear into the hearts of slaveholders and was used to justify increased repression of enslaved people. At the same time, it became a symbol of resistance and has been interpreted by some as an act of justified rebellion against an inhumane system.
The Confessions of Nat Turner
Much of what is known about Turner’s motivations comes from The Confessions of Nat Turner, a document recorded by white lawyer Thomas Ruffin Gray during Turner’s imprisonment. In it, Turner recounts the visions and religious experiences that led him to plan the revolt. The quote referenced in the clue—”White Spirits & Black Spirits engaged in battle”—comes directly from this document. Whether or not every word in the Confessions accurately reflects Turner’s voice has been debated by historians, but it remains one of the most detailed primary sources on the rebellion.
The document helped to fuel both fear and fascination in the years that followed. It has also been the subject of much reinterpretation in modern scholarship, with historians examining how Gray may have shaped the narrative and how Turner’s legacy should be understood in the broader scope of American history.
Legacy and Historical Significance
Nat Turner remains one of the most controversial and significant figures in American history. To some, he is a martyr and a freedom fighter, acting on righteous anger against a brutal system of slavery. To others in his time, he was seen as a dangerous radical and a threat to public order. The vision described in the Final Jeopardy clue highlights the religious and symbolic dimensions of his rebellion—a rebellion that was both a spiritual and political act.
The legacy of Turner’s revolt continues to be discussed in classrooms, books, and public discourse. His name is often invoked in conversations about resistance, justice, and the painful history of slavery in the United States. The June 4 clue served as a sharp reminder of a time when visions and convictions collided with the harsh realities of oppression, and when one man’s belief in divine purpose altered the course of history.