Slavery Remembered: A Record of Twentieth-Century Slave Narratives

238 Pages·1979·0.708 MB·English

by  Paul D. Escott

Slavery Remembered
Reproduced from the collection of the Library of Congress
Slavery Remembered
A Record of Twentieth-Century
Slave Narratives
by
Paul D. Escott
The University of North Carolina Press
Chapel Hill
©1979 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
03 02 01 00 99 12 11 10 9 8
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Escott, Paul D 1947–
Slavery remembered.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Slavery in the United States—Condition of slaves.
2. Slavery in the United States—Condition of slaves—
Sources. I. Title.
E443.E82 301.44’93’0973 78-12198
ISBN 0-8078-1340-0
ISBN 0-8078-1343-5 pbk.
To Randi

Contents
Preface xiii
Introduction: The Narratives as a Source 3
1. Two Peoples and Two Worlds 18
2. Conditions of Life:
The Slaves’ Experiences on the Plantation 36
3. Improving the Conditions of Life:
Forms of Slave Resistance 71
4. Bases of a Black Culture 95
5. “Seeing How the Land Lay” in Freedom 119
6. “Starting Uphill, den Going Back” 143
7. Life Patterns of the Freedom Generation 159
Afterword 177
Appendix A: Methods of Recording and Coding Information183
Appendix B: Race of Interviewers 188
Appendix C: Additional Tables 192
Appendix D: New Narratives 195
Notes 201
Bibliography 213
Index 217

Tables
Table I.1 Interviews Conducted by Each Race 10
Table I.2 Race of Interviewer and Ratings of Food 10
Table I.3 Race of Interviewer and Attitude toward Master 11
Table I.4 Race of Interviewer
and Decision to Stay with or Leave Master at End of War 11
Table I.5 Location of Interview
Compared to Location during Slavery and Reconstruction 14
Table I.6 Land Ownership
and Attitude toward Master at Time of Interview 15
Table I.7 Occupations in Slavery 16
Table I.8 Years of Birth 17
Table 1.1 Occupation and Age —Male Slaves 32
Table 1.2 Occupation and Age —Female Slaves 32
Table 1.3 Ratings of Food and Age of Slaves 33
Table 1.4 Experience with Cruelty and Age of Slaves 33
Table 2.1 Reported Experiences of Cruel Treatment 43
Table 2.2 Reports on Cruel Treatment of Others on Plantation 44
Table 2.3 Types of Slave Breeding 45
Table 2.4 Race of Father 47
Table 2.5 Race of Mother 47
Table 2.6 Causes of Family Disruption 48
Table 2.7 Source of Names 51
Table 2.8 Age and Marital Status in Slavery —Males 54
Table 2.9 Age and Marital Status in Slavery —Females 54
Table 2.10 Size of Plantation
and Reports on Cruel Treatment of Others 56