In the 1930's, thousands of former American slaves were interviewed in every southern state and in a few northern ones. They ranged from their seventies to over one hundred years of age. Tens of thousands of pages of these interviews are stored in about four archives across America.
In I WAS A SLAVE, the dictated words of the ex-slaves remain as they spoke them -- virtually unedited and usually in southern dialect. Included are their photographs and photos of real slave cabins and other artifacts used during slavery.
Except for a few explanatory pages, each book remains in their own words -- not rewritten. In their first-hand accounts, they tell what really happened during American slavery . Their words are amazing, tragic, hysterically funny, wise, highly educational, and spellbinding. This is a must-read series of books.
EXCERPTS from Book 3
ANNIE OSBORNE: “My mammy plowed and hoed and chopped and picked cotton and jus' as good as the menfolks. I allus worked in the house, nussin' the white chillen [nursing = taking care of the white children] and spinnin' and housework.”
CLARA BRIM: “I uster do anyt'ing in de fiel' de men done. Dey put me dere in de fiel' to wuk right 'long wid men. [They put me there in the field to work right along with the men.] I's plowed and pull fodder and pick cotton and done mos' eb'ryt'ing to do in de fiel'.”
BETTY POWERS: “Mammy, Pappy, an' deir 12 chilluns lives in our cabin, so Mammy have to cook fo' 14 people, 'sides her field wo'k. She am up 'way befo' daylight in de mo'nin' an' fixin' de breakfast, an' de suppah am fixed after dark. Dey have to use de pine-know torch fo' to make de light so dey can see. Mammy wo'ked in de weavin' room. Many nights, yous could heah de 'bump, bump' of de loom w'en Mammy am wo'kin' to finish de task.”
ANNA MILLER: “De weavin' was de night work, after workin' all de day in de fiel'.”
CATO CARTER: The mammies was confined with babies havin' to suck. They had to spin. I'd take them the thread and bring it back to the house when it was spinned. If they didn't spin seven or eight cuts a day, they'd git a whuppin' [whipping]. It was consid'ble hard on a woman when she had a frettin' baby.”
*BOOK SERIES
The I WAS A SLAVE Book Collection is a series that will have 24 books. Currently, six books are available:
ALL SIX BOOKS in The I WAS A SLAVE Book Collection
I WAS A SLAVE: Book 1: Descriptions of Plantation Life
I WAS A SLAVE: Book 2: The Lives of Slave Men
I WAS A SLAVE: Book 3: The Lives of Slave Women
I WAS A SLAVE: Book 4: The Breeding of Slaves
I WAS A SLAVE: Book 5: The Lives of Slave Children
I WAS A SLAVE: Book 6: Slave Auctions
Each separate book contains the subject matter that relates to the subtitle. For example, in Book 1, many dozens of former American slaves tell about the details of life on plantations. They talk about their masters, their punishments, their family relationships, their secrets, and details that only they knew.
Also included are several full-life stories that are completely in their own words, too.
To Educators: Only in this series can information be found about SPECIFIC subjects compiled into one separate book. No longer do you need to read thousands of pages to find details in the WPA slave narratives about the one subject that you want. We have done the work for you.
For a list of upcoming titles, click here.
I WAS A SLAVE: Book 3: The Lives of Slave Women
Price: $8.95
