In Nat Turner's Rebellion (also known as the Southampton Insurrection), a slave rebellion that takes place in Southampton County, Virginia during August 1831, over 50 people are reported killed.
It lasts only a few days before being put down, but leader Nat Turner remains in hiding for several months afterwards.In the aftermath, both participants and non-participants are punished.
New laws across the South block literacy for free blacks and mulattos, as well as slaves.