Former American Slaves Tell Secrets of Slavery
Interviews in the 1930s
In the Former American Slaves' Own Words
American slavery remembrances were documented by the US federal government during interviews in the 1930s. African Americans who had been American slaves were interviewed in all of the southern states (over to Texas) and in a few northern states. Thousands of formerly enslaved men and women, in their seventies to over one hundred years of age, took part in the project. The interviews often took place in the elderly people's homes.
At that time, the Great Depression had left many Americans without income. As a way of providing employment, the federal government – under the Roosevelt Administration – hired people who worked in a variety of occupations, including journalism.
Dozens of writers were given the assignment of documenting details about the ex-slaves' lives during and after slavery. Usually the writers went to these elderly citizens' homes (but sometimes elsewhere) and took dictation while these first African Americans spoke for hours, remembering slavery in America.
People who were used as breeders told what happened to them. They spoke of their lives as children who began the work of pulling weeds in the fields when they were only toddlers.
These former American slaves reminisced about past loves who were sold away. They laughed about the jokes and the corn shucking enjoyments. They finally were able to talk about what had once been taboo.
These first African Americans believed that their contributions to American written and oral history would be disseminated throughout the United States during their lifetimes. Instead it was stored in about six archives, unknown to most people not within the academic Africana studies community.
This series presents these incredible true life stories exactly as given, not rewritten.
American slavery was documented in rare photography. The books contain many of these never-before-published poignant photographs that were taken at the times of the interviews during the 1930's and before the Civil War, plus photos of real (not reconstructed) cabins and other items used during American slavery.
Read a full story
as dictated in the 1930s by
A FORMER AMERICAN SLAVE
Learn their secrets!
Thousands of elderly former American slaves died while waiting for their true life stories to be told throughout the world. Read their fascinating stories.