Step back in time and meet everyday people from another era: This edition brings to you the complete collection of hundreds of life stories, incredible vivid testimonies of former slaves from 17 U.S. southern states, including photos of the people being interviewed and their extraordinary narratives. After the end of Civil War in 1865, more than four million slaves were set free. There were several efforts to record the remembrances of the former slaves. The Federal Writers' Project was one such project by the United States federal government to support writers during the Great Depression by asking them to interview and record the myriad stories and experiences of slavery of former slaves. The resulting collection preserved hundreds of life stories from 17 U.S. states that would otherwise have been lost in din of modernity and America's eagerness to deliberately forget the blot on its recent past. Contents: Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Indiana Kansas Kentucky Maryland Mississippi Missouri North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia
In 'Dem Days Was Hell', the Work Projects Administration presents a collection of recorded testimonies from former slaves in 17 U.S. states. This powerful book provides an intimate look at the experiences of these individuals, shedding light on the harsh realities of slavery and its lasting impact. The testimonies are presented in a straightforward, unfiltered manner, allowing readers to connect with the raw emotions and personal stories of the individuals interviewed. The book serves as a valuable historical document, capturing the voices of those who lived through one of the darkest periods in American history. The Work Projects Administration, a New Deal agency established during the Great Depression, undertook this project as part of its efforts to document the experiences of Americans from all walks of life. Through 'Dem Days Was Hell', the WPA sought to preserve the stories of former slaves and ensure that their voices were not lost to history. The author's dedication to this important task is evident throughout the book, as each testimony is presented with care and respect. I highly recommend 'Dem Days Was Hell' to readers interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the impact of slavery on individuals and communities. This book offers a unique perspective on the institution of slavery and provides valuable insights into the lived experiences of those who endured its horrors.
The Voices From The Past is a compilation of first-hand testimonies by former slaves, gathered and recorded by the Work Projects Administration. This powerful and poignant book provides readers with a unique insight into the lives and experiences of individuals who were enslaved in America. The raw and unfiltered narratives included in this volume shed light on the hardships, resilience, and strength of those who were oppressed, making it a valuable historical and literary resource. The book is written in a straightforward and unembellished style, allowing the voices of the former slaves to speak for themselves and resonate with readers. The literary context of this work is significant as it captures a crucial period in American history and provides a perspective often overlooked in traditional accounts. The Work Projects Administration, an agency established during the Great Depression, compiled these testimonies as part of their efforts to provide employment for writers and researchers. Their commitment to preserving the stories of those who lived through slavery serves as a testament to the importance of recording marginalized histories. This book stands as a testament to the dedication of the WPA in preserving the voices of the past for future generations. I highly recommend The Voices From The Past to readers interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the human experience during the era of slavery in America. This compelling and enlightening collection of testimonies offers a unique perspective on a dark chapter in our history and is a must-read for those seeking to broaden their knowledge and empathy towards the struggles of the past.
Louis E. Lomax's book, 'When the Word is Given', delves into the important intersection of civil rights movements and the power of communication. Lomax's literary style is highly engaging, weaving together compelling narratives and thought-provoking analysis. Set within the backdrop of the Civil Rights Era in the United States, the book provides a deep exploration of the role of rhetoric and language in shaping social change and challenging systems of oppression. Lomax expertly navigates through the historical context of this tumultuous period, offering insights into the power dynamics at play. Readers will find themselves immersed in the transformative journey of individuals and communities striving for justice and equality. Louis E. Lomax, a prominent figure in the American Civil Rights Movement, brings a wealth of knowledge and personal experience to his writing. His unique perspective and passion for social justice drive the narrative forward, making 'When the Word is Given' a must-read for anyone interested in the power of words in movements for social change. This book comes highly recommended for scholars, activists, and anyone looking to deepen their understanding of the Civil Rights Movement.
Musaicum Books presents to you this carefully created volume of "THE VOICES FROM THE MARGINS: Authentic Recorded Life Stories by Former Slaves from 17 American States". This ebook has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Step back in time and meet everyday people from another era: This edition brings to you the complete collection of hundreds of life stories, incredible vivid testimonies of former slaves from 17 U.S. southern states, including photos of the people being interviewed and their extraordinary narratives. After the end of Civil War in 1865, more than four million slaves were set free. There were several efforts to record the remembrances of the former slaves. The Federal Writers' Project was one such project by the United States federal government to support writers during the Great Depression by asking them to interview and record the myriad stories and experiences of slavery of former slaves. The resulting collection preserved hundreds of life stories from 17 U.S. states that would otherwise have been lost in din of modernity and America's eagerness to deliberately forget the blot on its recent past. Contents: Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Indiana Kansas Kentucky Maryland Mississippi Missouri North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia
This book grew out of a series of articles which were published originally in Ebony magazine. The book, like the series, deals with the trials and triumphs of a group of Americans whose roots in the American soil are deeper than those of the Puritans who arrived on the celebrated “Mayflower” a year after a “Dutch man of war” deposited twenty Negroes at Jamestown. This is a history of “the other Americans” and how they came to North America and what happened to them when they got here. The story begins in Africa with the great empires of the Sudan and Nile Valley and ends with the Second Reconstruction which Martin Luther King, Jr., and the “sit-in” generation are fashioning in the North and South. The story deals with the rise and growth of slavery and segregation and the continuing efforts of Negro Americans to answer the question of the Jewish poet of captivity: “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” This history is founded on the work of scholars and specialists and is designed for the average reader. It is not, strictly speaking, a book for scholars; but it is as scholarly as fourteen months of research could make it. Readers who would like to follow the story in greater detail are urged to read each chapter in connection with the outline of Negro history in the appendix.
“A magisterial and landmark work, one that merits wide and thoughtful readership not only by historians, but, more important, by those of us who count on historians to tell us truly about our past.”—New York Times “A testament to the resilience of the black spirit, faced with a primitive and largely conscienceless regime.”—Bertram Wyatt-Brown, South Atlantic Quarterly “This volume does much more than merely present a rich collection of judiciously selected and skillfully edited sources of the history of slavery; in the process it reveals a host of large-as-life slaves and ex-slaves: Kale, the precocious eleven-year-old Mende of the Amistad rebels, who quickly learned to write eloquent and polished English; Harry McMillan of Beaufort, South Carolina, who talked frankly of black love and marriage; Charlotte Burris of Kentucky, so ‘afflicted’ that her husband was permitted to buy her for only $25.00—‘as much as I was worth,’ she self-effacingly said; and many more. This illumination of the slave as an individual is really what the book is all about.”—Journal of Southern History “A mammoth presentation of two centuries of slave recollections . . . extraordinary firsthand narratives that should become the premier reference volume on the slave experience for years to come.”—Columbia (SC) State “The largest collection of annotated and authenticated accounts of slaves ever published in one volume. . . . So valuable a compilation is this study that its real worth cannot be measured for some time to come.”—Richmond News Leader
The Breeding of American Slaves. True Stories of American Slave Breeding and Slave Babies. Recollections of American ex-slaves and their memories of breeding and babies. Slave breeding in the United States were those practices of slave ownership that aimed to influence the reproduction of slaves in order to increase the wealth of slaveholders. Slave breeding included coerced sexual relations between male and female slaves, promoting pregnancies of slaves, sexual relations between master and slave with the aim of producing slave children, and favoring female slaves who produced a relatively large number of children. The purpose of slave breeding was to produce new slaves without incurring the cost of purchase, to fill labor shortages caused by the termination of the Atlantic slave trade, and to attempt to improve the health and productivity of slaves. Slave breeding was condoned in the South because slaves were considered to be subhuman chattel, and were not entitled to the same rights accorded to free persons. "My grandfather on my father's side, Luke Blackshear, was a 'stock' Negro. "Isom Blackshear, his son, was a great talker. He said Luke was six feet four inches tall and near two hundred fifty pounds in weight. He was what they called a double-jointed man. He was a mechanic, -built houses, made keys, and did all other blacksmith work and shoemaking. He did anything in iron, wood or leather. Really he was an architect as well. He could take raw cowhide and make leather out of it and then make shoes out of the leather. "Luke was the father of fifty-six children and was known as the GIANT BREEDER. He was bought and given to his young mistress in the same way you would give a mule or colt to a child. "Although he was a stock Negro, he was whipped and drove just like the other Negroes. All of the other Negroes were driven on the farm. He had to labor but he didn't have to work with the other slaves on the farm unless there was no mechanical work to do. He was given better work because he was a skilled mechanic. He taught Isom blacksmithing, brickmaking and bricklaying, shoemaking, carpentry, and other things. The ordinary blacksmith has to order plow points and put than on, but Luke made the points themselves, and he taught Isom to do it. And he taught him to make mats, chairs, and other weaving work. He died sometime before the War." Ida Blackshear Hutchinson, 2620 Orange Street, North Little Rock, Arkansas Age: 73 at time of interview This book is researched from the Slave Narratives that were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and assembled and microfilmed in 1941 as the seventeen-volume Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. What you read is exactly how the researchers heard their stories for the first time, transcribed on the spot from the actual interviews. A must read for every American.
