Turners reported answer: Was not Christ crucified?, The pamphlet created a powerful, enduring image of Turner narrating his own story as Gray looked on in horror: The calm, deliberate composure with which he spoke of his late deeds and intentions, the expression of his fiendlike face when excited by the enthusiasm, still bearing the blood of helpless innocence about him; clothed with rags and covered with chains; yet daring to raise his manacled hands to heaven, with a spirit soaring above the attributes of man; I looked on him and my blood curdled in my veins., Virginia newspapers helped to promote and publicize the Confessions of Nat Turner. Nat Turner escaped until October 30, when he was caught in the immediate vicinity, having used several hiding places over the previous 9 weeks. He did find a survivor who was a 12-year-old girl who gave him a recounting of what happened there. Patrick H. Breen teaches at Providence College. While The Confessions of Nat Turner remains the ur-text for anyone who wants to understand Nat Turner, this 5,000-word account creates as many questions as it answers. If Styrons novel inspired lay readers to wonder about Turner, it also had a profound impact on scholarship, inspiring an outpouring of books, articles, and document collections that stress the multiplicity of perspectives on the event. Gray appears to portray Turner in a way intended both to ease the insurrections impact and to aid in the conviction of turner for his actions. Source: Thomas Gray, The Confessions of Nat Turner: The Leader of the Late Insurrections in Southampton, Va. As Fully and Voluntarily Made to Thomas R. Gray, in the Prison Where He Was Confined, November 5, 1831. Clearly, The Confessions of Nat Turner could be turned to the purposes of audiences with vastly different agendas. Primary Source Document B - Analysis Questions: 1. Turner was born the property of a prosperous small-plantation owner in a remote area of Virginia. What are some positive impacts Nat Turner? Thomas R. Gray, The Confessions of Nat Turner, 1831 [ p. 3] TO THE PUBLIC. How were Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey, and Nat Turner similar? The lawyer Thomas R. Gray meets with Nat Turner, accused of leading a slave revolt, in the Southampton County jail. Gray's own editorial comments are clear at the beginning of the text when, before beginning his "record" of Turner's words, he recounts how Turner was captured "by a single individual . The calm way he spoke of his late actions, the expression of his fiend-like face when excited by enthusiasm, still bearing the stains of the blood of helpless innocence about him. Home Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com. Nat Turner, 1800?-1831 Turner was instructed to await the appearance of a sign in the heavens before communicating his great work to any others. Turner begins his story by describing his childhood. Once granted an audience with Virginia governor James Monroe, however, Gabriel confessed little or nothing of value to his captors. Moreover, there is a chance for irregular supplies of grazing resources and a high incidence of pests and diseases in livestock (Bhasin 2011). The leader of the deadly slave revolt had a deep Christian faith that propelled his rebellious actions. The next session of the Virginia Legislature was the scene of several speeches that used the rebellion as reason to call for abolitionincluding one by Thomas Jefferson Randolph, the founding fathers grandson, and C.J. Taught to read and write at an early age, Turner devoted himself to prayer and study and, over time, separated himself from society with his fellow enslaved laborers. How did most whites in Southampton view Nat Turner? Fortunately, Turners Confessions, recorded by Thomas R. Gray, provides important clues to Turners central religious beliefs. [4], In 1824 he would write saying he didnt have anything else to do but turn to law. In November of 1831, shortly before to his execution, Turner gave a jailhouse confession, to attorney Thomas Gray, to answer the question. [2], Gray wanted to live at Round Hill (his dad's house was located here) instead of being involved in law. Do clownfish have a skeleton or exoskeleton. He was asked, if he knew of any extensive or concerted plan. Both Gabriel and Nat Turner were expected to confess their guilt, provide information on means and motive, and, if necessary, help put idle rumors to rest. great uprising for it is said that God spoke to him and told him The opportunities to assess and reassess Turners legacy, however, are far from over: The Sundance sensation Nat Turner film, The Birth of a Nation, arrives in theaters in October. Your Privacy Rights The Spirit that spoke to the prophets in former daysand I was greatly astonished, and for two years prayed continually, whenever my duty would permitand then again I had the same revelation, which fully confirmed me in the impression that I was ordained for some great purpose in the hands of the Almighty. On August 21, 1831, Turner led a small army that used axes, hatchets, knives, and muskets to kill 55 white Virginians. For more info on your Turner believed that God also communicated to him through the natural world. Growing up believing that he was destined for great things, he eventually reached a turning point, as he recalled: As I was praying one day at my plough, the spirit spoke to me, saying, Seek ye the kingdom of Heaven and all things shall be added unto you. Questionwhat do you mean by the Spirit. Following his discovery, capture, and arrest over two months after the revolt, Turner was interviewed in his jail cell by Thomas Ruffin Gray, a wealthy Southampton lawyer and slave owner. Terms of Use Book/Printed Material The confessions of Nat Turner, the leader of the late insurrection in Southampton, Va. as fully and voluntarily made to Thomas R. Gray, in the prison where he was confined, and acknowledged by him to be such when read before the court of Southampton: with the certificate, under seal of the court convened at Jerusalem, Nov. 5, 1831, for his trial. See Page 1. motive was his hatred of slavery and the suffering his people had In the Confessions, Nat Turner appears more a fanatic than a practical liberator. Like other scholars, Tomlins examines the material that Gray added to the text to pinpoint Gray's agenda, which "cage" the text by directing readers' interpretation in a certain way (38). [9] There were 4 revised versions of the amount dead over 4 months. Not long afterward, in 1825, Turner had a second vision: I saw white spirits and black spirits engaged in battle, and the sun was darkenedthe thunder rolled, and the blood flowed in streamsand I heard a voice saying, Such is your luck, such you are called to see, and let it come rough or smooth, you must surely bare it. This spirit confronted Turner again in May 1828: I heard a loud noise in the heavens and the Spirit instantly appeared to me and said the Serpent was loosened, and Christ had laid down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men, and that I should take it on and fight against the Serpent, for the time was fast approaching when the first should be last and the last should be first.. While in jail, Nat Turner dictated a confession to his attorney, Thomas R. Gray. Gray depicts Turner as a religious leader who at a young age was touched by divine greatness, and whose mother concluded that "surely" he would "be a prophet." According to Confessions, a divine spirit also dictated Turner's otherwise unexplainable return after running away in 1825. All Rights Reserved. While there was a tradition of white anti-slavery in the regiononly five years before the revolt, Jonathan Lankford was kicked out of Black Creek Baptist church for refusing to give communion to slaveholdersit seems unlikely that Brantley, who was not involved in the revolt, was converted by Turners antislavery. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Retrieved from http://studymoose.com/rhetorical-analysis-of-the-confessions-of-nat-turner-essay. There, from November 1 through November 3, he was interviewed by Thomas Ruffin Gray, a 31-year-old lawyer who had previously represented several other defendants charged in the uprising. the person who he baptized, abolitionist, attorney, governor of Virginia, Quaker guy Provide a brief background description of Southampton County, Virginia in 1831. small rural county with many farms around Describe the religious backgrounds of Benjamin and Elizabeth Turner. The exact number killed remains unsubstantiatedvarious sources claim anywhere from fifty to sixty-five. Cookie Settings, The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood: A New History of the Nat Turner Revolt, Dried Lake Reveals New Statue on Easter Island. Turner was instructed to await the appearance of a sign in the heavens before communicating his great work to any others. By clicking Check Writers Offers, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. While Turner valued the Bible, he rejected the corollary that scripture alone was the only reliable source of guidance on matters religious and moral. In an effort to make Turner appear more sinister, Gray described Turner as being a gloomy fanatic revolving in the recesses of his own dark, bewildered, and overwrought mind, schemes of indiscriminate massacre to the whites (Gray, 3). Describe Southampton Nat Turner Slave in Virginia who started a slave rebellion in 1831 believing he was receiving signs from God His rebellion was the largest sign of black resistance to slavery in America and led the state legislature of Virginia to a policy that said no one could question slavery. Though he may not have been as vicious as Gray portrayed him to be, the description was meant to to bring its object into a field of vision, to make that object speak for itself convincingly and to give it form, character, and tone (Browne, 319). Cookie Policy The first line, supposedly spoken by Turner reads, Sir you have asked me to give a history of the motives which induced me to undertake the late insurrection, as you call it (Gray, 5). Gray hoped to replace a thousand idle, exaggerated and mischievous reports with a single, authoritative account of the event. [3], In 1829 he bought his brother Roberts property - who had recently died - (giving him 800 acres of real property), he also bought a lot - a piece of land - in town with a house and got of another one. Fabricant himself represented the Confessionsof Nat Turner as the work of a white Southern racist dedicated to the political, social, and economic interests of the Southern slaveocracy. He concluded that Grays pamphlet revealed a great deal more about the systematic victimization of blacks that was carried out under the guise of law and justice in early nineteenth-century Virginia than it revealed about the enigmatic figure of Nat Turner. The Confessions of Nat Turner, the Leader of the Late Insurrection in Southampton, Va. 10-11). Only a few miles from the county seat the insurgents were dispersed and either killed or captured, and many innocent slaves were massacred in the hysteria that followed. Slavery and Resistance Through History Quiz, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nat-Turner, Nat Turner - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Nat Turner - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). This interview was published as, "The Confessions of Nat Turner. Has Nat Turner changed his mind about the rebellion? What reasons does Gray give for publishing Nat Turner's confession? In Southampton county Black people came to measure time from Nats Fray, or Old Nats War. For many years in Black churches throughout the country, the name Jerusalem referred not only to the Bible but also covertly to the place where the rebel slave had met his death. Advertising Notice When Joseph Ruffin died, he freed a slave named Charles and also gave one slave to each of Thomas Gray's children. How did A. Philip Randolph confront Roosevelt? Indeed, Sundquist wrote, given its formative role in the course of African American cultural history and both anti- and proslavery argument, it is hard to imagine why Turners Confessions should not be accorded the same attention granted, say, Emersons Self-Reliance or Thoreaus Civil Disobedience.'. He was born sometime in the early 1800s, the exact date is unknown. During the following decade his religious ardour tended to approach fanaticism, and he saw himself called upon by God to lead his people out of bondage. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. As a result, a white lawyer, Thomas R. Gray, arranged to go to the jail where Turner was held awaiting his trial and take down what Turner described as a history of the motives which induced me to undertake the late insurrection. Over the last decade, scholars working with other sources and doing close textual analysis of The Confessions of Nat Turner have become increasingly confident that Gray transcribed Turners confession, with, as Gray claimed, little or no variation.. In an essay titled Thomas R. Gray and William Styron: Finally, A Critical Look at the 1831 Confessions of Nat Turner, published in the American Journal of Legal History (1993), Fabricant theorized that most scholars accepted the Confessionsof Nat Turner at face value despite seemingly obvious reasons for doubting its veracity because they had an enormous literary-historical stake in the authentication of the Gray-Turner narrative. Nat Turner was born on October 2, 1800, in Southampton County, Virginia, the week before Gabriel was hanged. One day while praying at his plow, the same Spirit that spoke to the prophets in former days spoke directly to him: Seek ye the kingdom of Heaven and all things shall be added unto you. This he interpreted as a sign from God that his great purpose would soon be revealed. In The Confessions of Nat Turner, Thomas R. Gray attempted to provide the public with a better understanding of the origin and progress of this dreadful conspiracy, and the motives which influences its diabolical actors (Gray, 3). It was also a family tradition to breed fine horses. What is the importance of Thomas Gage? How does Equiano describe the Middle Passage? One confession of Nat Turner is important, they wrote. Turner always understood his revolt in religious terms. The next day he was delivered to the county sheriff and lodged in the county jail in Jerusalem (now Courtland), Virginia. 2020 Virginia Humanities, All Rights Reserved . Nat Turner How did Thomas R. Gray describe Nat Turner? Why was Nat Turner's Rebellion important? When Turner tried to join one of these churches, the church refused to baptize the religious slave who saw himself as a prophet. In November of 1831, shortly before to his execution, Turner gave a jailhouse confession, to attorney Thomas Gray, to answer the question. How were Booker T. Washington and Ben Franklin similar? How are Thomas Jefferson and George Washington different? His answer was, I do not. I looked on him and my blood curdled in my veins. Even when Nat Turner was captured, on October 30, 1831, the Compilers question had remained unanswered. Why did Turner write the Frontier Thesis? All rights reserved. Nat Turner (18001831) was known to his local fellow servants in Southampton County as The Prophet. On the evening of Sunday, August 21, 1831, he met six associates in the woods at Cabin Pond, and about 2:00 a.m. they began to enter local houses and kill the white inhabitants. Alleging to have told a story "when three or four years old" about an event that occurred before his birth in such detail that those around him were "greatly astonished," Turner states that the adults around him proclaimed he would be a "prophet, as the Lord had shewn me things that had happened before my birth" (p. 7). The eloquently and classically expressed confession attributed to Turner appeared to be calculated to cast some doubt over the authenticity of the narrative, and to give the Bandit a character for intelligence which he does not deserve, and ought not to have received., Still, the Enquirer saw the pamphlet as a useful weapon against northern abolitionists. The late insurrection in Southampton has greatly excited the public mind, and led to a thousand idle, exaggerated and mischievous reports. As important, it presented historians and writers of later generations with a definitive account of the event, straight from the mouth of the rebel leader himself. Gray, who claimed to have had little influence on Turners narration, asked him at one point if he did not find himself mistaken now that the prophecy which he had been called upon to fulfill ended in tragedy. He shares his mission with four fellow slaves and begins planning; details of how the party was assembled are given on ensuing pages. Type your requirements and Ill connect you to Turner has been most widely popularized by William Styron in his novel The Confessions of Nat Turner (1967). He claims to have learned to read with no assistance, and he says that religion principally occupied my thoughts (Gray, 5). Createyouraccount. Rhetorical Analysis of the Confessions of Nat Turner. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, How Nat Turner Explained the Slave Rebellion He Led. Nearly two centuries later, the legacy of that question is still evolving. The story began, Turner said, in his childhood, when he . Any suggestion of a voluntary collaboration between Turner, a Black slave accused of insurrection, and Gray, a white lawyer with a keen interest in maintaining the Southern social order, struck Fabricanta practicing lawyeras naive and dangerously misleading. Throughout the region, Protestant churches run by whites ministered to both whites and blacks. Mr. John T. Baron, discovering them approaching his house, told his wife to make her escape, and scorning to fly, fell fighting on his own threshold. Although he is commonly thought of as Nat Turner's lawyer, James Strange French is the person listed in official records as Turner's lawyer. Gray was born in 1800, the same year as Turner. How did Thomas R Gray describe Nat Turner? Likewise, it gave northern abolitionists a Black hero and a martyr for a burgeoning movement. Also, Turner thought it was God's will for him to lead a Gray captured Turner's words in an effort to understand, and thus control, the assault that had been made on his society. How does Jacob Lawrence characterize American art? The General is said to have manifested the utmost composure, the U.S. Gazette reported, and with the true spirit of heroism seems ready to resign his high office, and even his life, rather than gratify the officious inquiries of the Governor. In refusing to make a full, free, and voluntary confession, Gabriel deprived posterity of his perspective on the event that bears his name. Without the literary-historical controversy surrounding Styrons novel, however, the 1831 Confessions of Nat Turner most likely would not be enjoying this scholarly renaissance. Rather than simply describing the events of the insurrection as they happened, the narrative delved deeper into Turners character. What makes the Turner Thesis so provocative? How does David Livingstone describe Africa? 55, 40 Very organized ,I enjoyed and Loved every bit of our professional interaction . Grays chilling reaction to Turners confession suggests the type of panic this document created amongst whites slaveholders throughout various parts of the United States. Well occasionally send you promo and account related email. How did Shirley Chisholm describe her life? > Over the next 36 hours, they were joined by as many as 60 other enslaved and free Negroes, and they killed at least 10 men, 14 women, and 31 infants and children. Nat became a preacher who said that he had been chosen by God to lead the slaves away from Bondage. Description Nat Turner (1800-1831) was known to his local "fellow servants" in Southampton County as "The Prophet." On the evening of Sunday, August 21, 1831, he met six associates in the woods at Cabin Pond, and about 2:00 a.m. they began to enter local houses and kill the white inhabitants. It should be noted, however, that Gray maintained all control over the text. At . Turner believes that the signs indicate Christ "was now returning to earth again in the form of dew" and "the great day of judgment" had arrived (pp. Yet, when Turner fell ill, the date passed without action. What did Frederick Jackson Turner focus on the importance of? His plan was to capture the armoury at the county seat, Jerusalem, and, having gathered many recruits, to press on to the Dismal Swamp, 30 miles (48 km) to the east, where capture would be difficult. Although it is not surprising that whites rejected Turners religious views, they were also suspect in the black community. Through the open cell door, we see the barely visible features of NAT TURNER covered in chains in the small jail cell. A planned slave revolt led by a blacksmith named Gabriel (owned by Thomas Prosser, of Henrico County) is thwarted when a huge storm delays the meeting of the conspirators and a few nervous slaves reveal the plot to their masters. Gray, who claimed to have had little influence on Turner's narration, asked him at one point if he did not find himself "mistaken" now that the prophecy which he had been called upon to fulfill ended in tragedy. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Nat begins to think back on his past life and tells the novel in a series of flashbacks. A thirty-year old attorney, THOMAS R. GRAY, his clothes clean but frayed, speaks to the JAILER. Even though the accounts in this confession may not be completely accurate, Grays transcriptions represent Turner as being firmly religious. Turner is tormented by his inability to pray or read the Bible, two matters that Thomas Gray, an atheist lawyer and magistrate, uses to coax Turner into making his "confessions." Home | Gray. How does the consumer pay for a company's environmentally responsible inventions? NARRATOR (VO) It was there in a jail cell that Nat Turner first encountered a local lawyer, Thomas R. Gray. Dont waste Your Time Searching For a Sample, The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turners Fierce Rebellion, Slavery And Freedom of Nat Turner Rebellion, An Analysis of the Supreme God in Confessions, a Book by Augustine of Hippo, A Brief Reflection on St. Augustines Confessions, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, "The Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe and "Confessions found In a Prison" by Charles Dicken, Evaluation of St. Augustines Work, Confessions and City of God, The Internal Conflicts with Christianity in the Book, Augustine's Confessions by Augustine of Hippo, An Analysis of the Character Foil between Herald Loomis and Bynum Walker in August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone. INSURRECTION IN SOUTHAMPTON, VA. As fully and voluntarily made to. The author describes Nat as intelligent because of his thinking and highly dangerous because of his actions and how Nat doesn't feel any sorrow for his actions. He was familiar with the outlines of Nat Turners life and the plot, and he was aware of the intense interest and the commercial possibilities of its originators narrative. At this time I reverted in my mind to the remarks made of me in my childhood, and the things that had been shewn meand as it had been said of me in my childhood by those by whom I had been taught to pray, both white and black, and in whom I had the greatest confidence, that I had too much sense to be raised, and if I was, I would never be of any use to any one as a slave. The previous August, Turner, a enslaved preacher and self-styled prophet, had led the only successful revolt of enslaved people in Virginias history, leaving fifty-five white people in Southampton County, Virginia, dead, the slaveholding South convulsed with panic, and the myth of the contented slave in tatters. The authenticity of this document is something to be contested. "The Confessions of Nat Turner, the leader of the late insurrection in Southampton, Virginia, as fully and voluntarily made to Thomas R. Gray, in the prison where he was confined, and acknowledged by him to be such when read before the Court of Southampton; with the certificate, under seal, of the Court convened at Jerusalem, November 5, 1831, Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital Get access to this video and our entire Q&A library, What Is Slavery? Ironically, The Confessions of Nat Turner also sparked renewed interest in the original Confessions of Nat Turner. How were John Brown and Nat Turner alike? When captured after the revolt, Turner readily placed his revolt in a biblical context, comparing himself at some times to the Old Testament prophets, at another point to Jesus Christ. Thomas Gray's book Confessions of Nat Turner (1831) was the first document claiming to present Nat Turner's words regarding the rebellion and his life. How was Thomas Watson's poetry viewed in his lifetime? In the first of several book-length studies to dateThe Return of Nat Turner: History, Literature, and Politics in Sixties America (1992)Albert E. Stone credited Styron with leading twentieth-century readers back to the original scene of the rebellion and, in effect, resurrecting the single most powerful narrative circulating in Nat Turners own day and aftermath. The power of the Confessions of Nat Turner, Stone suggested, lay in its articulation of a basic story, to which all subsequent narratives returned. 13. The negroes found fault, and murmurred against me, saying that if they had my sense they would not serve any master in the world.. Thomas Ruffin Gray (1800 - unknown) was an American attorney who represented several enslaved people during the trials in the wake of Nat Turner's slave rebellion. Nat Turner, an enslaved preacher and self-styled prophet, leads the deadliest revolt of enslaved people in Virginia's history, which in just twelve hours leaves fifty-five white people dead in Southampton County. It was later published. The story began, Turner said, in his childhood, when he had an experience that seemed to his family an indication of the powers of prophesy. The Confessions of Nat Turner, the leader of the late insurrection in Southampton, Va., as fully and voluntarily made to Thomas R. Gray is a pamphlet published shortly after the trial and execution of Nat Turner in November 1831. How did Sir Thomas More change the world? Thomas R. Gray wrote this document. Examine what slavery means. Works Consulted: Goldman, Steve, "The Southhampton Slave Revolt," HistoryBuff.comA Nonprofit Organization, accessed 23 Oct. 2010; French, Scot, The Confessions of Nat Turner (1831) Encyclopedia Virginia, Ed. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. Nat hid for several weeks but was finally found and hung. The final pages of the narrative include a list of the men, women and children killed during the insurrection, followed by the names of the people charged with participating (p. 22). With the help of his father, Gray acquired extensive holdings in land and enslaved people. Early life [ edit] Du Bois and Booker T. Washington differ? Though he was not the attorney who represented Nat Turner, instead he interviewed him and wrote The Confessions of Nat Turner . While he claims that these confessions were recorded with little or no variation, Grays verbose introduction addressed to the public was intended to frame Turner and as a psychotic villain that was rightfully punished for his unlawful acts against society. Filmmaker and actor Nate Parker portrays Southamptons most famous son as a warm, encouraging preacher, in the words of the New Yorkers Vinson Cunningham. How did he conclude that that something had to do with slavery and rebellion? The editors of the Richmond Enquirer ran lengthy excerpts from the pamphlet and would have published more but for copyright restrictions. It was intended by us to have begun the work of death on the 4th July last (Gray, 7). On August 21, 1831 he had lead a violent insurrection. Du Bois similar? Thomas Ruffin Gray (1800 - unknown) was an American attorney who represented several enslaved people during the trials in the wake of Nat Turner's slave rebellion. He paid taxes on 2 horses and 14 slaves that were older than 12 that spring. He makes no attempt (as all the other insurgents who were examined did,) to exculpate himself, but frankly acknowledges his full participation in all the guilt of the transaction, he wrote. Be completely accurate, grays transcriptions represent Turner as being firmly religious find a survivor who was a 12-year-old who! 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The help of his how did thomas r gray describe nat turner, Gray acquired extensive holdings in land and enslaved people any extensive concerted! He did find a survivor who was a 12-year-old girl who gave him a recounting of what there... Document B - Analysis Questions: 1, that Gray maintained all control over the text describing... Be contested religious beliefs to breed fine horses know if you have suggestions to improve this article ( requires )! Gabriel confessed little or nothing of value to his captors published as, the! Slaves and begins planning ; details of how the party was assembled are on. Curdled in my veins you have any Questions have begun the work of death the! Primary Source document B - Analysis Questions: 1 the amount dead over 4 months however, Gray! Christian faith that propelled his rebellious actions is important, they were also suspect in the sheriff. With Virginia governor James Monroe, however, that Gray maintained all control over text..., and led to a thousand idle, exaggerated and mischievous reports with a single authoritative. Although it is not surprising that whites rejected Turners religious views, they wrote a preacher who that! 'S poetry how did thomas r gray describe nat turner in his lifetime clicking Check Writers Offers, you agree to our terms of service privacy...
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