Interesting viewpoints from former slaves

[maks]

I became aware of the Federal Writers' Project recently when my daughter was completing a research paper. Her source was a state guide. This government- sponsored project was conducted in the 1930s to provide work for writers, historians, etc during the Depression.

 

In addition to state guides, there were interviews conducted with former slaves. Two books by Belinda Hurmence that came of the more than 10,000 pages of interviews, conducted with 80 and 90 year olds are called

Before Freedom: When I Just Can Remember and

We Lived in a Little Cabin in the Yard.

The memories of these former slaves are quite interesting, especially considering that they were only 10 or so years old when the Civil War ended.

[Maverick_Mom]

Bullwhip Days: The Slaves Remember (James Mellon) is another oral history project from the 30s. Highly recommended. It was sad to read how many of the former slaves said that the relative security of slavery was preferable to the dirt-poor, barely-scraping-by existence once they were freed.

[stripe]

The book Life is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman is also a really interesting book. He did not live under slavery (obviously), but his mother, I think did. Anyway I found it a very interesting first hand account of the 20th century.

 

As an aside an interesting part was when he went to Mexico and saw life for the first time that was not racially segregated.

[leeannpal]

Try http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com lots of fascinating stories on there from many time periods.