Unchained Memories: Readings From The Slave Narratives...

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READINGS FROM THE SLAVE NARRATIVESWhat was it like to be enslaved in the United States?

More than 2,000 African Americans answered that question in interviews conducted during the 1930s. Their voices come to life inside the

pages of this magazine — and in the extraordinary new documentary Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives.

Premiering Monday, February 10, 2003, at 8PM/7C.

www.hbo.com/unchained

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can constitute a state. I think wemust get rid of slavery or we mustget rid of freedom.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet, 1856

“Democratic liberty exists solelybecause we have slaves … freedomis not possible without slavery.”

—Richmond Enquirer, 1856

“Whenever I hear anyone arguingfor slavery, I feel a strong impulse tosee it tried on him personally.”

—President Abraham Lincoln, 1865

“I had crossed the line. I was free;but there was no one to welcomeme to the land of freedom. I was astranger in a strange land.”

—Harriet Tubman, who escaped from slavery in 1849 and went on

to lead 300 slaves to freedom

“If I had my life to live over, I woulddie fighting rather than be a slaveagain.”

—Robert Falls, former slave, in WPA

interview conducted in the 1930s

12,000,000 Approximatenumber of Africans shipped acrossthe Atlantic Ocean between 1450and 1850, primarily to colonies inNorth America, South America andthe West Indies.

3,953,760 Total number ofenslaved people in the southernstates in 1860.

0 Total number of enslaved peoplein the free states of the Northas of 1860.

100,000 Number of ex-slavesstill alive in the late 1930s.

2,300 Ex-slaves interviewed inthe 1930s for the Slave Narrativesnow housed at Library of Congress.

S L AV E R Y B Y T H EN U M B E R S

HUMAN CARGO: Flyerslike this one, distributedin Charleston, South Carolina in 1769, advertised the sale ofenslaved Africans.

From Africa to America:Enslaved Africans’ Countries of Origin

(1619-1865)

“No man can put a chain around theankle of his fellow man without atlast finding the other end fastenedabout his own neck.”

—Frederick Douglass, liberated slaveand civil rights activist, 1883

“I do not see how a barbarous com-munity and a civilized community

A NATION DIVIDED: This 1856 mapshows the division between slave and freestates. The numbers in white indicate the per-centage of families in each southern state thatowned slaves. Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the question of slaveryin the territories was supposed to be decided by a vote of settlers. But insteadof providing a peaceful solution, the Kansas-Nebraska Act led to fierce andbloody conflict, propelling the U.S. toward civil war.

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DDuring the Great Depressionof the 1930s, the FederalGovernment came up witha creative new way to putunemployed writers backto work. Armed with tape

recorders and lists of questions, mem-bers of the Federal Writers’ Project setout to record the experiences andopinions of everyday people. As partof this project, thousands of formerslaves in 17 states were interviewed.One result of these oral history inter-views was the Slave Narrative Col-lection, an extraordinary set of 2,300autobiographical documents nowhoused at the Library of Congress.These interviews, all of which wereconducted between 1936 and 1938,gave former slaves an unparalleledchance to share their memories oflife in bondage. For contemporaryAmericans, these narratives provide ariveting chronicle of what it was liketo be enslaved in the United States.

About the Language of the Slave NarrativesIn his instructions to interviewers, thedirector of the Federal Writers’ Projectnoted that “details of the interviewshould be reported as accurately aspossible in the language of the original

statements.” In response, the inter-viewers—most of whom were white—made an effort to capture in writingthe speech patterns of the men andwomen with whom they spoke. (Someinterviewers tape-recorded the con-versations, while many relied solely

on written notes.) In some cases, theresulting transcripts contain clear exaggerations or racist notions ofAfrican Americans. As one historianhas noted, the transcripts are a mix “of accuracy and fantasy, of sensitivityand stereotype, of empathy and racism.”

When reading or listening to thenarratives, it is important to rememberthe process by which the interviewees’words were recorded on paper. It isalso important to remember the his-torical context in which the narrativeswere produced. Certain words thatthe former slaves used may be offen-sive or disturbing. But the narrativesare a reflection of the time and place atwhich they were created. As such, theyilluminate a world that is importantfor all Americans to explore. ■

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The Slave Narratives on the Web

WHAT ARE THE SLAVE NARRATIVES?

More than 2,000 slave narratives—

along with 500 photos—are available online at the

Library of Congress’ “Born in Slavery” website at

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html. For

more information about the new HBO documentary Unchained Memories:

Readings from the Slave Narratives, visit www.hbo.com/unchained. And

for teaching materials and additional resources related to the slave

narratives, go to www.timeclassroom.com/unchained.BRUTAL CONDITIONS: Devices such asthis one were used to restrain slaves.

FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM: This rare photograph shows a group of ex-slaves in Cumberland Landing, Virginia in 1862, the year after the Civil War began.

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“None of us was allowed to see a book or try to learn.”

Mush and BeansI remember quite well howthose poor little children used

to have to eat. They were fed inboxes and troughs, under the house.They were fed cornmeal mush andbeans. When this was poured intotheir box, they would gather aroundit the same as we see pigs, horses andcattle gather around troughs today.”

—Octavia George, Oklahoma

Studying the Spelling Book

None of us was ’lowed to seea book or try to learn. Dey say

we git smarter den dey was if welearn anything, but we slips aroundand gits hold of dat Webster’s oldblue-back speller and we hides it ’tilway in de night and den we lights alittle pine torch and studies datspellin’ book. We learn it, too.”

—Jenny Proctor, Texas

ENSLAVED PEOPLE STARTED WORKING AT

a very early age: many began theirlabors in the master’s house, wherethey served as playmates for whitechildren. Despite this closeness,black and white children could notattend school together. In fact, inmost states it was against the lawfor slaves to be educated.

My New Master Was Only Two

My earliest recollection is theday my old boss presented me

to his son, Joe, as his property. I wasabout five years old and my newmaster was only two … No, sir, Inever went into books. I used tohandle a big dictionary three timesa day, but it was only to put it on achair so my young master could situp higher at the table. I never wentto school. I learned to talk prettygood by associating with my mastersin their big house.”

—Martin Jackson, Texas

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Born in 1847 in Victoria County, Texas,MARTIN JACKSON was 90 when this1937 photo was taken.

PLANTATION LIFE: This group ofslaves, photographed in 1862,worked on Smith’s Plantation inBeaufort, South Carolina.

JENNY PROCTOR began working in thecotton fields when she was 10. Shewas 87 when she shared her memoriesof slavery.

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The children “were fed inboxes and troughs … same aswe see pigs, horses and cattle.”APPROXIMATELY ONE IN THREE SLAVE

families was split apart. One-fifth ofall enslaved children were separatedfrom their parents.

The Last Time I Heard Her Speak

I never knowed my age tilla f ter de war … and then

marster gits out a big book an itshows I’s 25 year old. It shows I’s 12when I is bought and $800 is paidfor me … My mammy was owned byJohn Williams in Petersburg, in Vir-ginia, and I come born to her on datplantation … Then, one day alongcome a Friday and that a unlucky starday, and I playin’ round de houseand Marster Williams come up andsay, ‘Delis, will you ’low Jim walkdown de street with me?’ My mammysay, ‘All right, Jim, you be a good boy,’and dat de las’ time I ever heard herspeak, or ever see her.”

—James Green, Texas


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BY AGE 12, MOST CHILDREN WORKED

in the fields, where they grew cropslike tobacco, rice and cotton. Slavesgenerally worked six days a week,from sunrise to sundown.

Bells and HornsBells and horns! Bells for disand horns for dat! All we

knowed was go and come by de bellsand horns! Old ram horn blow tosend us all to de field. We all line up,

about 75 field niggers, and go by detoolshed and git our hoes, or maybego hitch up de mules to de plows.”

—Charley Williams, Arkansas

300 Pounds of CottonI used to have to pick cottonand sometime I pick 300 pound

and tote it a mile to de cotton house.Some pick 300 to 800 pound cottonand have to tote de bag de whole mileto de gin. Iffen dey didn’t do dey work,dey git whip till dey have blister on’em … I never git whip, cause I allusgit my 300 pound.”

—Sarah Ashley, Texas

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COMING AND GOING: Horns like this onewere used to call slaves to work.

SARAH ASHLEY was 93 when she recalledher days on a Texas plantation.

JAMES GREEN, shown herein 1937, told of beingbought for $800.

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ESCAPING FROM SLAVERY WAS EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT,and the penalty for being caught could be mutilation ordeath. Nevertheless, about 50,000 slaves ran away eachyear—but only a small fraction succeeded in attainingfreedom. Many escaping slaves made use of the Underground Railroad, an informal network of safehouses and assistance for runaway slaves.

Going Across the River“An old woman … told me she had a real pretty girlthere who wanted to go across the river to Ripley, Ohio,and would I take her? I was scared, and backed out in ahurry. But then I saw the girl, and she was such a prettylittle thing … I don’t know how I ever rowed the boatacross the river; the current was strong and I was trem-bling. I couldn’t see a thing there in the dark, but I felt thegirl’s eyes … Well, pretty soon I saw a tall light and whenI got up to it, two men reached down and grabbed her. Istarted tremblin’ all over again andprayin’. Then, one of the men took myarm and I just felt down inside of methat the Lord had got ready for me. ‘Youhungry, Boy?’ is what he asked me.

“That was my first trip; it took me along time to get over my scared feelin’,but I finally did, and I soon found my-self goin’ back across the river, withtwo and three people, and sometimesa whole boatload. I got so I used tomake three and four trips a month …

“I never saw my passengers. Itwould have to be the ‘black nights’ ofthe moon when I would carry them …I guess you wonder what I did withthem after I got them over the river.Well, there in Ripley was a man namedMr. Rankins; I think the rest of his namewas John. He had a regular station there on his place forescaping slaves. You see, Ohio was a free state and oncethey got over the river from Kentucky or Virginia, Mr.Rankins could strut them all around town, and nobodywould bother ’em … Didn’t many of ’em stay aroundthat part of Ohio, though, because there was too muchdanger that you would be walking along free one night,feel a hand over your mouth, and be back across theriver and in slavery again in the morning.

“And nobody in the world ever got a chance to know asmuch misery as a slave that had escaped and been caught.”

—Arnold Gragston, Florida

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STAIRWAY TO FREEDOM:Some 2,000 escapingslaves climbed these stepsfrom the Ohio River up tothe house of John Rankin, a Presbyterian minister whodevoted much of his life toopposing slavery. Rankin’shouse in Ripley, Ohio, was a key stop on the Underground Railroad.

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WHEN CIVIL WAR BROKE OUT IN 1861,Americans were deeply divided overwhether slavery should be abolished orpreserved. President Abraham Lincolnissued the Emancipation Proclama-tion in 1863—but the freedom thatLincoln promised did not become areality until the Union’s 1865 victory inthe Civil War.

Freedom at Last“I never forget de day we was set free!Dat morning we all go to de cottonfield early … After while, de old hornblow … and we all stop and listen,’cause it de wrong time of day for dehorn. We start chopping again, anddar go de horn again. De lead rownigger holler, ‘Hold up!’ And we allstop again. ‘We better go on in. Datour horn’ … So we line up and go in.

“Setting on de gallery in a hide-bottom chair was a man we neversee before. He had on a big broadblack hat lak de Yankees wore … Hishair was plumb gray and so was hisbeard, and it come way down here onhis chest …

“De man say, ‘You darkies knowwhat day dis is? … Well dis de fourthday of June, and dis is1865, and I want youall to ’member de date,’cause you allus going’member de day. To-day you is free, just lakI is, and Mr. Saundersand your Mistress andall us white people.

“ ‘I come to tell you,’he say, ‘and I wants tobe sho’ you all under-stand, ’cause you don’thave to git up and go

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“It was de fourth day of Junein 1865 [that] I begins to live."

KATIE ROWE recalled the day freedom came.

by de horn no more. You is your ownbosses now … I wants to bless youand hope you always is happy, andtell you got all de right and life dat anywhite people got,’ … and then he git onhis hoss and ride off.

“It was de fourth day of June in1865 I begins to live, and I gwine takede picture of dat old man in de bigblack hat and long whiskers, settingon de gallery and talking kind to us,clean into my grave wid me.” ■

—Katie Rowe, Oklahoma

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1624 Two of the Africans who arrivedin 1619, Isabella and Antoney, marryand have a son named William—the firstchild of African descent born in EnglishAmerica, and thus the first AfricanAmerican.

1664-1667 Maryland and Virginiapass laws stating that baptism intoChristianity does not a free a slave.

1688 Quakers in Penn-sylvania sign an anti-slavery resolution, the first formal protest against slavery in the WesternHemisphere.

1777-1820 Slavery isabolished in northern states.

June 21, 1788 TheU.S. Constitution is ratified,extending slavery for 20years and counting each slave as three-fifths of a free man for purposes of representation and taxation.

May 24, 1619 A Dutch ship arrivesat Jamestown, Virginia, carrying enslavedpeople from Africa. Twenty Africansare traded for rations and food. Thesecaptives came to North America via theinfamous and brutal Middle Passage(pictured above), the second leg of athree-part voyage that began in Europe,landed on Africa’s “slave coast” to obtaincaptives, set out for the New World,and then returned to the European portof origin.

February 12, 1793 The FugitiveSlave Act becomes a federal law, allowing owners to seize fugitive slavesin free states and territories.

1820-1821 The MissouriCompromise admits Missouriand Maine as slave and freestates, respectively.

1831 William Lloyd Garrisonbegins the newspaper The Liberator, ad-vocating the emancipation of slaves whoaccount for one-third of U.S. population.

August 1831 In Virginia, African-American slave Nat Turner (picturedabove) leads the most serious slave rebellion in U.S. history. Fifty-five whitesdie; the organized abolition movement in

the South comes to a vir-tual end. Turner is caughtand hanged six weeks later.

1838 Frederick Douglass(left), famed abolitionistand orator, escapes fromslavery.

March 9, 1841 In theAmistad case, the U.S.Supreme Court rules in favor of 50 Africans who

had been seized by a U.S. governmentship after having successfully revoltedaboard a slave ship.

1849 Maryland slave Harriet Tubman(below) escapes to the North and begins

a career as “conductor” onthe Underground Rail-road. Between 1849 and1860, Tubman makes 19trips back to the South tofree upward of 300 slaves.

1850 Congress passesthe Compromise of 1850,

attempting to settle the slavery issue. TheCompromise adds a new Fugitive SlaveAct, allowing slaveholders to retrieveslaves in northern states and free terri-tories; admits California as a free state;and bans slave-trading (but not slavery)in the District of Columbia.

March 6, 1857 In the Dred Scottdecision, the U.S. Supreme Court assertsthat a slave does not become free whentaken into a free state, Congress cannotbar slavery from a territory, and blackscannot be citizens.

April 12, 1861 Civil War begins whenConfederate forces attack Fort Sumterin Charleston, South Carolina.

January 1, 1863 In the Emancipa-tion Proclamation, President AbrahamLincoln declares that “all persons held asslaves” within Confederate territory “are,and henceforward shall be free.”

April 9, 1865 Robert E. Lee surren-ders at Appomattox, ending Civil War.

December 18, 1865 The 13thAmendment is ratified, ending slavery.

1936-1938 More than 2,300 formerslaves share their memories with inter-viewers from the Federal Writers’ Project.

Think About ItAt the time of the wpa interviews, howfar had African Americans gone towardachieving equality?

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Copyright © 2002 Time Inc. inTIME is a trademark of Time Inc. Published in association with HBO. Printed in the U.S.A. Unchained Memories artwork © Home Box Office, a Division of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P. All rights reserved. HBO® is a service mark of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P.

Key Dates in the History of Slavery

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