Alabama Slave Narratives

Description

Theviewthatslaverycouldbestbedescribedbythosewhohadthemselvesexperienceditpersonallyhasfoundexpressioninseveralthousandcommentaries,autobiographies,narratives,andinterviewswiththosewhoendured.AlthoughmostoftheseaccountsappearedbeforetheCivilWar,morethanone-thirdaretheresultoftheambitiouseffortsoftheFederalWriters’ProjectoftheWorksProgressAdministration(WPA)tointerviewsurvivingex-slavesduringthe1930s.TheresultoftheseeffortswastheSlaveNarrativeCollection,agroupofautobiographicalaccountsofformerslavesthattodaystandsasoneofthemostenduringandnoteworthyachievementsoftheWPA.Compiledinseventeenstatesduringtheyears1936-38,thecollectionconsistsofmorethantwothousandinterviewswithformerslaves,mostofthemfirst-personaccountsofslavelifeandtherespondents’ownreactionstobondage.Theinterviewsaffordedagedex-slavesanunparalleledopportunitytogivetheirpersonalaccountsoflifeunderthepeculiarinstitution,todescribeintheirownwordswhatitfeltliketobeaslaveintheUnitedStates.NormanR.Yetman,AmericanMemory,LibraryofCongressThispaperbackeditionofselectedAlabamanarrativesisreprintedinfacsimilefromthetypewrittenpagesoftheinterviewers,justastheywereoriginallytyped.