In american memory collections illustrating the africanamerican experience the. For help with general search strategies, see finding items in american memory. Robert falls, 97, emancipated in north carolina after the war i stay on the plantation til a soldier man tells me of the freedom. From the library of congress, slavery as memory and history. Rubenstein rare book and manuscript library at duke university offers first hand accounts from women who experienced slavery and its aftermath. Slave narratives guide slave narratives ramsey library. A folk history of slavery 1945, few of the interviews were available in print until 1972, when george p. Yetman, american memory, library of congress this paperback edition of all of the virginia narratives is reprinted in facsimile from the typewritten pages. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the federal writers project fwp of the works progress administration, later renamed work projects administration wpa. Yetman, american memory, library of congress this paperback edition of selected mississippi narratives is reprinted in facsimile from the typewritten pages of the interviewers, just as they were originally typed. Twentythree interviewees discuss how they felt about slavery, slaveholders, coercion of slaves, their families, and freedom. A folk history of slavery in the united states was a massive compilation of. Slave narratives and the american experience by jon parkin students will explore and analyze slave narratives in audio and text format compiled by the federal writers project, 19361938. Slave narratives from the federal writers project, 19361938, library of congress.
The recordings of former slaves in voices remembering slavery. Receipt for sale of jane, age 18, and her son, henry, age 1 and all future children, december 20, 1849 1 photographic print. The library of congress offers this site as a guide to its online collection of more than 2300 interview transcripts. In the 1930s, the federal government sent mostly white interviewers to learn about slavery.
If you would like to learn more about the slave narrative project, read interview transcripts, listen to. The africanamerican pamphlet collection, 18241909 the. A folk history of slavery in the united states from interviews with former slaves tennessee by library of. Slave narratives from the federal writers project, 1936 to 1938 manuscript division 365. It is also the largest library in the world, with more than 162 million items. In memory of a trusted slave who continued as a servant after he was freed. Although the wpa slave narratives were soon deposited in the library of congress. North american slave narratives includes all the existing autobiographical narratives of fugitive and former slaves published as broadsides, pamphlets, or books in english up to 1920.
Delia garlic montgomery, alabama, dem days wuz hell, interview by margaret fowler. The frederick douglass papers at the library of congress. Presents more than 2,300 firstperson accounts of slavery and 500 blackandwhite photographs of former slaves. The library of congress made the ex slave narratives available on microfilm, but other than small collections such as drums and shadows 1940 and benjamin a. This library of america series edition is printed on acidfree paper and features smythsewn binding, a full cloth cover, and a ribbon marker. A 1945 book featuring narratives from the collection was titled lay my burden. Many other narratives from the collection are found in some of the books that are listed in this webliography. Their voices come to life inside the pages of this magazine and in the extraordinary new documentary unchained memories. The site also contains pictures and sound recordings related to the federal. Each slave narrative transcript is accompanied by notes including the name of the. Slave narratives from the federal writers project, 1936 to 1938 about this collection related resources share facebook twitter.
A oneofakind manuscript written by a slave has now been preserved in the library of congress. A joint presentation of the manuscript and prints and photographs divisions of the library of congress. American memory collection finder search library of congress. Slave narratives, federal writers project multiformat 19361938 title. Slave narratives from the federal writers project, 19361938.
He worked as a laborer for most of his life, moving in 1881 from virginia to baltimore, maryland. The contextual and interpretive material accompanying those interviews are often equally useful for understanding the recordings in this presentation. Collection of firstperson accounts of slavery, prepared by the federal writers project, 19361938. The collections include books, sound recordings, motion pictures, photographs, maps, and manuscripts. A library of congress resource guide for the study of black history and. Slave narratives from the federal writers project, 19361938 contains more than 2,300 firstperson accounts of slavery and 500 blackandwhite photographs of former slaves. I knowed then i could make a living for my own self, and i never had to be a slave no more. More than 2,000 african americans answered that question in interviews conducted during the 1930s. Without question, they are the largest body of slave memories to be found. The majority of materials in this collection are written by those southerners whose voices were less prominent in their time, including african americans, women, enlisted men. Yetman, american memory, library of congress this paperback edition. Slave narratives from the federal writers project 19361938. His efforts working with the library of congress led to the preservation and publication of the exslave narratives, part of the federal writers project. Andrews of the university of north carolina and harvard universitys henry louis gates jr.
Only surviving arabic slave narrative written in the united states digitized by library of congress omar ibn said, a wealthy intellectual from west africa, wrote about his capture and enslavement. He was interviewed in june 1949 about his life by the library of congress as part of the federal writers project of former slaves oral histories. Fountain hughes 1848 1957 was born a slave in charlottesville, virginia in the united states and freed in 1865 after the american civil war. Slave narratives, a folk history of slavery in the united states from interviews with former slaves. Readings from the slave narratives what was it like to be enslaved in the united states. Firstperson narratives of the american south is a collection of diaries, autobiographies, memoirs, travel accounts, and ex slave narratives written by southerners. It concentrates on books that describe the records, the locations of records, and the research strategies.
The arabiclanguage autobiography spent decades in private collections, before the library. Slave narratives a folk history of slavery in the united states from interviews with former slaves typewritten records prepared by the federal writers project 19361938 assembled by the library of congress project work projects administration for the. The collection contains more than 100 pamphlets and books published between 1772 and 1889. The most famous of the narratives of enslaved peoples genre is narrative of the life of frederick douglass, an american slave, written by himself. They will then write a poem or song lyrics reflecting what they have learned regarding the. Save or print these collection connections as a single file.
Yetman, american memory, library of congress this paperback edition of all of the maryland narratives is reprinted in facsimile from the typewritten pages of the interviewers, just as they were originally typed. Slave narratives is kept in print by a gift from the gilder lehrman institute of american history and the gilder foundation to the guardians of american letters fund. Slave narratives from the federal writers project, 1936 to 1938. Narratives were digitized by the library of congress as part of the american memory project. More than 200 book length slave narratives are known to have been published in the united states and england between 1760 and 1947. On file in the washington office in august, 1939, was a large body of slave narratives, photographs of former slaves, interviews with white infoimants regarding.
The university of virginia library possesses 90 of them in their original editions among its large holdings of rare books and manuscripts relating to african american history, literature and culture. Library acquires unknown slave narrative uva today. Wpa slave narrative project, alabama narratives, volume i, page 129. The frederick douglass papers at the library of congress presents the papers of the nineteenthcentury africanamerican abolitionist who escaped from slavery and then risked his own freedom by becoming an. Freed people tell their stories took place between 1932 and 1975 in nine states. The wpa slave narratives are interviews with exslaves conducted from 1936. Is the greatest collection of slave narratives tainted by racism.
Library copublishes cultural archives, by ira berlin he library of congress, the new press, smithsonian productions the broadcasting and audio reproduction arm of the smithsonian institution and the institute of language and culture have joined together to make available the recollections of american exslaves as. North american slave narratives collects books and articles that document the individual and collective story of african americans struggling for freedom and human rights in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries. This selected bibliography focuses on published books at the library of congress. Many of the slave narratives that were collected during the wpa project during 19361938 are part of the library of congress slave narrative website section at the end of this webliography. The library of congress is the nations oldest federal cultural institution, and it serves as the research arm of congress. A small group of the narratives first appeared in print in a writers project book, these are our lives. District of columbia sponsored by the library of congress illustrated with photographs. A folk history of slavery was the first book to use oral narratives of formerly enslaved african americans. The collections of the library of congress contain a wide variety of materials related to the practice of slavery in america, including photographs, manuscript materials, recorded oral histories, and books. From the library of congress s american memory project. The prestigious library of america series now includes a volume featuring 10 of the most important slave narratives in african american history.
The master never tell us negroes working just like before the war. The writers unit of the library of congress project process es material left over from or not needed for publication by the state writers1 projects. American memory is a gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the united states. A gateway to library of congress resources for the study of womens history and culture in the united states. Several individuals sing songs, many of which were learned during the time of their enslavement. American memory information in this wiki page is excerpted from the online course research. Slave narratives from the federal writers project, 19361938, contains more than 2,300 firstperson accounts of slavery and 500 blackandwhite photographs of former slaves collected as part of the federal writers project of the works progress administration in a hurry.
This collection includes all the existing autobiographical narratives of fugitive and former slaves published. Many primary source materials from the library s collections have been digitized and are described and linked from this guide. The view that slavery could best be described by those who had themselves experienced it personally has found expression in several thousand commentaries, autobiographies, narratives, and interviews with those who endured. Library of congress digital collections born in slavery. Only surviving arabic slave narrative written in the. This is a rich resource for exploring slavery, historical memory, and new deal efforts to document americas past. From the library of congress american memory project, this collection offers more than 2,300 firstperson. From the library of congresss american memory project.
Slave narratives from the federal writers project 19361938 federal writers project on. Is the greatest collection of slave narratives tainted by. Although most of these accounts appeared before the civil war, more than onethird are the result of the ambitious efforts of the federal writers project of the works. Primary sources online transatlantic slavery finding. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections. It is important to note, that an additional 2300 nonaudio interviews with exslaves are available online.