Few firsthand accounts exist from those who suffered in slavery, making this an exceptional resource for students of history. Is the greatest collection of slave narratives tainted by. Their voices come to life inside the pages of this magazine and in the extraordinary new documentary unchained memories. A narrative of the life and adventures of charles ball 1837 attests to both the cruelty and tenderness white owners showed their slaves. However, as with all historical documents, there are important considerations for students to bear in mind when reading. Lesters book generously uses excerpts from many of the federal writers. Popular slavery slave narratives books showing 8 of 38 the kidnapped and the ransomed. The library of congress made the exslave narratives available on microfilm, but other than small collections such as drums and shadows 1940 and benjamin a. Narrative of the life of frederick douglass by frederick douglass, incidents in the life of a slave girl by harriet an. Slave narratives comprise one of the most influential traditions in american literature, shaping the form and themes of some of the most celebrated and controversial writing, both in fiction and in autobiography, in the history of the united states.
Ben horry wpa interview of 89yearold ben horry pronounced orree, who recollects his childhood as a. He has been vice chair of the colorado state juvenile parole board since 1994 and field administrator for the colorado department of human services since 1999. Every place you go, you learn something from every class of people. African american slave narratives of the 19th century recorded the atrocities of the antebellum south and provided a solid foundation for the african american literary tradition. North american slave narratives collects books and articles that document the individual and collective story of african americans struggling for freedom and. Voices in the campaign for abolition the british library. The narratives also gave northerners a glimpse into the life of slave communities. The narrative of frederick douglass illuminates what life was like for fugitive slaves, while the confessions of nat turner rekindles the flames of the slave revolt. Readings from the slave narratives what was it like to be enslaved in the united states. As the leading african american leader and intellectual of the nineteenth century, he lived twenty years as a slave and nearly nine years as a fugitive slave.
Or, the life and adventures of peter wheeler, a colored man yet living. A folk history of slavery in the united states from interviews with former slaves, volume xiv, south carolina narratives, part 3, by united states. Maynard adams professor of english at the university of north carolina at chapel hill, and henry louis gates jr. Voices and faces from the collection library of congress.
Many of the slave narratives that were collected during the wpa project during 19361938 are part of the library of congress slave narrative website section at the end of this webliography. In the united states during the great depression, more than 2,300 additional oral histories on life during slavery were collected by writers sponsored and published. Sc sc africanamericans sc africanamericans, 15251865 sc slave narratives sc slave narratives and autobiographies. Herbal and nonherbal treatments 2007 as well as of numerous books and articles on juvenile gangs and on drug addiction. By presenting 16 slave narratives in their entirety, this reference conveniently documents this historically significant literary genre. Narrative of henry box brown, who escaped from slavery enclosed in a box 3 feet long and 2 wide. The slave narrative is a type of literary genre involving the written autobiographical accounts of enslaved africans in great britain and its colonies, including the later united states, canada, and caribbean nations. Some six thousand such narratives are estimated to exist. Andrews of the university of north carolina and harvard universitys henry louis gates jr.
Read tennessee slave narratives by work projects administration available from rakuten kobo. This bibliography is composed of three sections, which correspond to the three basic kinds of slave narratives. Like all slave narratives, jacobss and douglasss works embody the tension between the conflicting motives that generated autobiographies of slave life. In fact, until the 1930s slave narratives outnumbered novels written by african americans. These voices, which span from 1772 to 1864, portray an astonishing unity in diversity. Austin steward was a house slave, saved from the rigors of field work, but he had to sleep on the floor of his masters bedroom, curled up like a dog on the floorboards. This modern library paperback classics edition combines the two most important african american slave narratives into one volume. An ironic factor in the production of these accounts can be noted in the generic title fugitive slave narrative often given to. The narrative of peter and vina still after forty years of slavery paperback by.
It serves as a research tool for scholars interested in this literary tradition and its publication history. Slave narratives contains a chronology of events in the history of slavery, as well as biographical and explanatory notes and an essay on the texts. North american slave narratives collects books and articles that document the individual and collective story of african americans struggling for freedom and human rights in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries. Books are just for a memory, to keep history and the like. Slave narratives is a compendium of writings and recollections by a diverse group of writers who exposed the realities of slave life in precivil war america and thereby challenged the conscience of a nation while laying the foundations of an african american literary tradition. A slave in chains, a sailor on the deep, and a sinner at the. The bibliography is a list of citations of known north american slave narratives. Frederick douglass wrote one of the best known books about an escaped slave, the narrative of the life of frederick douglass, an american slave, which was published in 1845.
More than 2,000 african americans answered that question in interviews conducted during the 1930s. Narrative of the life of frederick douglass, an american slave. It was the simultaneous effort of statelevel branches of fwp in seventeen states, working largely. Gold mind, c1929, by sam aleckson html and tei at unc slave narratives. Voices and faces from the collection the narrative excerpts presented here are a small sample of the wealth of stories available in this online collection. A folk history of slavery in the united states from interviews with former slaves, volume ii, arkansas narratives, part 1 language. Also, mende nazer tells her personal story of slavery. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the federal writers project fwp of the works progress administration, later renamed work projects administration wpa. Sojourner truths story reflects the revolutionary christianity that fueled the abolitionist movement and harriet jacobss incidents in the life of a slave girl documents the black womans dual fight against sexual and racial conquest. A folk history of slavery in the united states from. Slave narratives were hugely popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with many going through multiple reprintings and selling tens of thousands of copies.
A chronological narration of the authors life focused on family history, accepting religion, learning how to read and write and achieving freedom represents the typical structure of a slave narrative. Slavery narratives stanford history education group. Printed for the author, 1892, by robert anderson html and tei at unc. Many other narratives from the collection are found in some of the books. Slave narratives are stories written as narratives that tell of the hardships, struggle, and strength of slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although slave narratives vary significantly in form and style, their structure generally includes several common elements.
From the correspondence and memoranda files of the washington office of the federal writers1 project the following instruct ions and criticisms relative to the slave narrative collection, issued from april 1. A folk history of slavery in the united states from interviews with former slaves, 19361938. C american legacy books, 1994 this useful series of books divides the wpa slave narratives into thematic groups. Ruth thompson, interviewing exslave interview j graff, editing cincinnati interview with charles h. Slave narratives, then and now author david reynolds talks about the manuscript written by former slave, harriet jacobs. Most enslaved people were forced to work as agricultural labourers, toiling long hours on sugar plantations or in cotton fields, but as time went on there was an increase in the number of enslaved skilled craftsmen and domestic servants, not just in the colonies but in the british. They formed a field where collective african american identity could be presented free of the constraints of slavery. James albert ukawsaw gronniosaw olaudah equiano nat turner frederick douglass william wells brown henry bibb sojourner truth. Bob greene says the stories of former slaves, compiled in 1930s, tell of families torn apart, people deprived of basic freedoms. They are often written by the people who endured the. Slavery in the atlantic world was more complex than history books can readily convey. Introduction to the scholarly bibliography of slave and ex. A folk history of slavery in the united states often referred to as the wpa slave narrative collection was a massive compilation of histories by former slaves undertaken by the federal writers project of the works progress administration from 1936 to 1938.
Volume 3 of the american slave volume 11 of contributions in afroamerican and african studies the american slave. Covey is the author of african american slave medicine. Slave narratives, their status as autobiography and as literature and other essays in the slaves narrative, ed. Douglas went on to become a lecturer after joining the massachusetts antislavery society. In the 1930s, the federal government sent mostly white interviewers to learn about slavery from former slaves. The slave narrative took on its classic form and tone between 1840 and 1860, when the romantic movement in american literature was in its most influential phase. Federal writers project of the works progress administration microfilm publication scm 000 320, scm 000 321, scm 000 322, scm 000 323, scm 000 325, 5 rolls. Frederick douglasss narrative, first published in 1845, is an enlightening and incendiary text. See also whats at your library, or elsewhere broader terms. I was a slave book collection edited by deborah wyant howell. Approximately sixtyfive american slave narratives were published in book or pamphlet form before 1865. Narrative of james williams, an american slave, who was for several years a driver on a cotton plantation in alabama. Is the greatest collection of slave narratives tainted by racism. The slave narrative is a type of literary genre involving the autobiographical accounts of enslaved africans in great britain and its colonies, including the later united states, canada, and caribbean nations.
A folk history of slavery 1945, few of the interviews were available in print until 1972, when george p. Frederick douglass wrote the most important slave narrative in american history. List of books and articles about slave narratives online research. This book contains the complete collection of all 26 narratives told to employees of the work projects administration by. Some narratives contain startling descriptions of cruelty while others convey an almost nostalgic view of plantation life. Narrative of the life and adventures of henry bibb, an american slave, written by himself. Slave narrative, an account of the life, or a major portion of the life, of a fugitive or former slave, either written or orally related by the slave personally.