Bullwhip Days: The Slaves Remember: An Oral History

by James Mellon (Editor)

In the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration commissioned an oral history of the remaining former slaves. Bullwhip Days is a remarkable compendium of selections from these extraordinary interviews, providing an unflinching portrait of the world of government-sanctioned slavery of Africans in America. Here are twenty-nine full narrations, as well as nine sections of excerpts related to particular aspects of slave life, from religion to plantation life to the Reconstruction era. Skillfully edited, these chronicles bear eloquent witness to the trials of slaves in America, reveal the wide range of conditions of human bondage, and provide sobering insight into the roots of racism in today's society.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, American History, African American, Biography, Historical

496 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1988

Reviews

[Magill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in 1988, but it is not out-dated obviously, as it shares the voices of 29 former slaves, plus a myriad of other voices excerpted in themed sections. Very readable, even with much of the narrative in dialect, which gives a rhythm and flow to the stories. The selected narratives show a range of experiences under slavery, from those who loved and were more-or-less well-treated by their "masters" and those who were not. Those who were well-treated were certainly aware of how bad things could be on other plantations, and maybe that made them more appreciative of their own situation. Deep loyalty was evident.

I did find it interesting that in many of the narratives, the slaves were not permitted to pray and had to keep a watch to avoid being beaten. Where they did attend church the sermons directed towards slaves were about being good slaves and they would get into heaven. Given the sense of religiosity that seems to have been a part of southern life, the hypocrisy is striking.

For some freedom was a mixed blessing, to be free but the uncertainty of making a living or having enough food, of being uneducated and taken advantage of when sharecropping. As one comment late in the book said "... Slavery wuz a bad thing, an' freedom, of the kin' we got, wid nothin' to live on, wuz bad. Two snakes full of pisen - one lyin' wid his head pintin' north, de other wid his head pintin' south. Deir names wuz Slavery an' Freedom. Both bit the nigger, an' dey wus both bad." Another said " Here's the idea: freedom is worth it all."

I found the authenticity of these simply told tales moving. I am glad that FDR's Works Progress Administration collected these interviews for they are a real part of history that is forever woven into the American psyche, whether people admit it or not.

[Tim Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow. The concept of this book is based on the 1937/38 project by the WPA (New Deal) which assigned unemployed writers and journalists to conduct interviews with the still-living American citizens who were actually slaves. This was amazing foresight. The former slaves who were interviewed were in their 80s and 90s with a handful at the century mark. I had attempted to read the book previously but the interviewers faithfully recorded the former slaves words as spoken. These former slaves, through no fault of their own, were deprived of educational opportunities and, as a result, their interviews are difficult to decipher for the modern reader. Enter the audio version of the book. It is magnificent!! The two narrators, Brad Sanders and Janina Edwards, are stunning in their performance. They give each of the former slaves a unique voice and personality. I often forgot it wasn't the actual former slave talking. Our society owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. Sanders and Ms. Edwards for deciphering difficult idioms and slang to present it to us as the interviewees stated. Also we owe a debt of gratitude to the book's author, James Mellon, for bringing this history to modern day readers.. This is the most powerful and impactful book to me that I've read outside the Bible. I cried and laughed at the memories of these precious souls but the tears far outweighed the laughter. Every American should read or listen to this book and resolve as a society that the abominable institution of slavery will never happen in our country again. Also for we white conservative southerners who sometimes wax poetic and romantisize the "Old South", this book reminds us that there was nothing romantic nor defensible about our slave owning ancestors nor the caste system created by slavery. I recommend this book highly to every American.

[Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of having a title proving ownership of another person runs so counter intuitive to our belief to self autonomy, that our moral senses rebel. Also when you think that people thought they had the God-given-right to own humans, further confuses ones psyche. I tend to read 3 or 4 books back to back on some subject to get a good feel for the material. This book was one in a series of the slave narratives I picked out. The others books were, Remembering slavery, Voices from slavery, and Unchained memories. These texts brought home the reality of slave life from the slaves themselves. I could literary feel the perpetual hopeless of being in a society where people thought it was their destiny to own you.

In 1937 the Works Progress Administration set out to document the memories of ex slaves. Most of the ex slaves were in there 80s and 90s which meant that they were about 10 to 20 when the civil war ended. It must be kept in mind that these interviews took place during the depression, and these people were at the bottom of the socioeconomic strata. Very often when some of the ex slaves reminisced about the plantation days, they do it with a yearning, because compared to their current state, things were better then.

There are over a 300 narratives in the book, and most are broken up into 1 to 2 paragraphs, although there are some protracted descriptions that covers several pages. These descriptions are in the natural vernacular of the general slave population, and at times a reread is necessary to get their meaning of a word or ideal.. The ex slaves talk about things such as remembrances of Africa, classes of slaves, dancing, music, slaves patrollers, slaves auctions, legalize rape, escaping, and their view of God. There were a number of stock questions the interviewers were to ask. Some of these included, what was the food like, what was the work like, were you ever whipped, and what was that like. Questions were ask about slave romance, as well as forced slave breading. Another stock question that was ask was, when did you first realized you were a slave, and every slave had that sober, vivid, realization. For some it was at the age of 3 or 4, and for others it wasn't until around 10 or 11. The realization came when they tried to challenge the system and were met with an appropriate response to submit. The whipping were of interest because there was a science to it.

Whenever something is done often, an ease and comfort arises. Very often the slave owners would have other slaves do the whipping to alleviate them of the psychological burden of owing the brutality. Slaves were whipped one way and then whipped at another angle to increase the pain. While this was being done, a number of slaves attested that the Bible was read to validated the slave owners actions. Curiously, the more religious some slave owners were, the more cruel they behaved, renaissance of the inquisition . One ex slave even described a whipping machine. Attached were 2 whips on a wagon wheel positioned perpendicular to the ground on a spindle like setup with gears. When needed this God forsaken contraption was hand cranked to the satisfaction of its creator. Then there was the professional slave whipper, who would be summoned on occasion to preform his chosen volition.

On the other extreme, the pleasures the slave did experience are also well documented in the text. One ex slave stated that the highlight of his week was to get a big ole biscuit on Sunday, and then delay eating it until the next day out in the field. The anticipation he said filled him with joy for a few hours. Another pleasurable experience an ex-slave recounted was the possession of a piece of paper which he could not read. He hoped that one day he would be able to read it, and it would be like some sort of oracle and inspire him. The singing, music, and dancing, when allowed, is also chronicled with a fair amount of detail.

Peppered throughout the book are a number of pictures of the ex slaves at the time of their interview. Its interesting to study their faces, and look at them with awe and admiration. The empathy you feel is incredible, and in that regard their experience lives on as lessons in fortitude. When you think that the lives of some slaves consisted of physical and mental torture that existed for a life time, you marvel at their tenancy to persevere.

One of the things I found to be the most interesting was the most banal descriptions of the most mundane events. The everyday eyewitness accounts of slave life gave me a view of slavery I heretofore never had. I had read meta views of the slavoricies of the south, but I never fully understood the day to day life of the slaves until I read the slave narratives. If you're looking for a down to earth description of slave life, you can't do any better than hearing the slaves describe their life in their own vernacular.

[Spectre · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very difficult book to read since the narratives are written using the spoken language of aged and many illiterate former American slaves but the stories they tell are emotionally shocking and disturbing. The inhumanity experienced by many of those involved, particularly slaveowners and overseers, is nearly impossible to fathom as the life of a slave was wholly dependent upon the attitudes and behavior of his/her “owners”. The account of Martin Jackson is particularly revealing when he said, “But slavery, I believe, had a more degrading influence upon slave owners than it had upon the slaves” (p. 225) since the owners believed in and perpetuated the “peculiar institution” for their own personal and financial interests.

[Joy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the mid-1930s, surviving former slaves had dwindled to a few thousand, and the Federal Writers' Project, an adjunct of the Works Progress Administration, sent interviewers to find and question former slaves. There are 29 life stories and a number of brief memories. The introduction gives a good background of the times and slavery.

There are some happy memories of those who had good memories of their life (especially house slaves) then, and horrible memories of those who didn't--slaves were whipped--sometimes to death--and starved, raped, tortured, and sold. There are some memories that make me sick to my stomach, and as one former slave said: "I know that Solomon [overseer] is burnin' in hell today, and it pleasures me to know it." And some masters cared for their slaves as they would their livestock--so they'd be worth more when they were sold; but some were better than others.

One master told his slaves that the Yankees wouldn't get this far, but if they do, you won't get freed by them because I'll line you up on the creek bank and free you with my shotgun! (It's even more impressive in his own speech.) And on some plantation, the children were fed from a long trough. And some children were told that the stork brought white babies to their mothers, but slave children were hatched from buzzard's eggs. "And we believed it was true." The slaves were lied to about many things and didn't learn the truth until later. Their main pleasures were singing, dancing, and often being able to eat good food.

This history is impressive as told by those who lived it before and after they were freed. There are a variety of illustrations, including photos of individuals and work in the fields, auction posters, and a schematic of a slave ship. This is worth reading because I know that there are still people who think slavery wasn't that bad--but it is vile and those who condone it should be ashamed.

[Nahliah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just started it yesterday. It's a collection of interviews of former slaves conducted by participants in the Workers Progress Administration during the Depression. The interviews have been divided into thematic sections. Some of these interviews I've encountered before and some were present in another book on my list- The White Image in the Black Mind. . . .

Finished the book more than a week ago. I really liked it and some very interesting ideas came up. One was the relationship between religion and freedom. Contrary to popular belief about the slave experience and according to a lot of what I've been reading, religion did not play an integral part in the lives of the average slave. Most slaves were not Christians and did not call on the Christian faith to aid them in the day to day and as they planned their escape in this life or in the hereafter. This was more strategic on the part of their captors than anything else because intrinsic in the Christian faith in particular (and most faiths in general) is this idea of a "natural" liberty/ freedom provided by God and therefore inalienable. Religion gave slaves a context and vocabulary, and in most cases the very idea, that they should be free and so there access was severly limited. Those who were permitted to share in some part of the religious experience were victims of a conspiracy where all slave captors, clergy and lawmakers used religion to reinforce slavery.

Another idea was that of breeding. It was indirectly addressed in "The White Image in the Black Mind" by explaining how Blacks were viewed by Whites. The image was that of an animal or chattle. In these interviews it was really made clear that former slaves were aware of their animal- like status. Sexual slavery of both Black men and women and the idea of breeding humans I found to be the most disturbing.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating accounts, very nice variety. I think this would be a great book for high schoolers studying slavery, the civil war, and reconstruction.

One issue: It is an oral history, but I think the transcriptions of the accents and dialect are problematic. Why transcribe "poor" as "pore"? Is there really a difference between the pronunciations "colored" and "culurd"? A couple of the transcriptions are written in standard English - but surely there was southern pronunciation there too. I feel like the odd phonetic transcriptions exoticize the narrators unnecessarily. I wish that instead they transcribed the words and affixes according to recordings without trying to mimic the phonetics. For example instead of "Some babies is jus' natchelly gwine to teethe easier den others anyhow," I would like to see, "Some babies is just naturally going to teethe easier than others anyhow." Standard American English has plenty of elision that would not be transcribed (eg. "comfortable" > "comfterbul"), and if you aren't using the phonetic alphabet you can't really transcribe phonetically anyway.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

(FROM JACKET)By the mid 1930s, of the four million slaves freed at the close of the Civil War, only a few thousand survived. Aware that the memories of these former slaves were an incomparable resource of American history, the Federal Writers' Project, an adjunct of the Works Progress Administration, dispatched interviewers to seek out and compile the actual life stories of these individuals. Between 1934 and 1941, these interviewers-men and women, blacks and whites-recorded nearly two thousand narrative accounts, a body of oral history that comprised some forty thousand pages of transcript.
"Bullwhip Days" draws from this archive to collect twenty-nine of the full narrations, as well as nine sections of excerpts related to particular aspects of slave life, from religion to plantation life to the Reconstruction era. Skillfully edited, these chronicles bear eloquent witness to the trials of slaves in America....

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful collection that delivers, in full detail, slaves' varied and unforgettable perspectives of slavery. I appreciated the juxtaposition of longer narratives with brief excerpts and quotes, and the inclusion of both positive and negative recollections of such an important period in America's history. Beyond individual slaves' stories, this book provides a remarkable sense of the struggle encountered by all when little support was provided after emancipation.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vivid, honest but startlingly detailed. One of the best books I've read in a while.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a product of the Federal Writer's Project. It is an awesome collection of interviews and research on slave life. Powerful!

[Christina J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enlightening

I think this should be a must-read for everyone, even in schools. There's nothing quite like hearing about an era and such a horrid time as the years and years of slavery but from the horse's mouth. Some of the stories are incredible, sorrowful, infuriating and unbelievable. How the white man could treat the black slaves in the manner that some of them did is so disheartening and shameful. I'm half ashamed to say I'm white after reading this. I find it interesting how some of the slaves liked being left to live on their master's property after they were freed. They had nothing after they were freed, no foid, shelter, voting or money. Living and doing share cropping at least gave them something small. Of course, not all white plantation or farmers were as fair as others.

This is not an easy read for two very different reasons. The first is that to read how some of these slaves were treated is so very difficult, I had tears in my eyes and felt shame for what was brought upon these people. The second reason is that this book's narration is written in the way the people interviewed actually talked. This makes it a slower read. Some words are tough to make out.

Something to think about is that these former slaves were still living during the 1930s and 40s. My father was born in 1928, my mother in 1932. I never thought of former slaves being alive in that era. That doesn't make it all so far removed. I was born in 1963. My great great grandfather was born around the time of the Civil War. I find that a bit amazing! That's not that many generations ago for me. Things were so difficult for the black man after the war and continued and still continues to be hard. I think people need to sit and contemplate these things.

I do recommend this book,but it does need an editor, not for the words of the former slaves, but for non-use of apostrophes in possessive words, spacing issues, colons appearing at odd places and such.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are selected from the WPA Writers' Project interviews. The voices of the formerly enslaved people are powerful. I'm not so sure about the editor's selection criteria. There are quite a few people who maintain that their masters were good, they only whipped people when they deserved it, and even that slavery wasn't that bad. I don't know how representative these are. In another book of narratives, The Slaves' War: The Civil War in the Words of Former Slaves, the editor noted that for many of the interviews, the subject didn't know what the interviewer's angle was, and played it cautious because of possible repercussions - some of the interviewers were indeed Southern racists. I am sure some "masters" were better than others, but not so sure about the several idyllic descriptions of the years of slavery.

The last chapter of snippets is collection of old curmudgeons' "young folks today..." criticisms, which every generation does. It seems weighted towards old people saying that hard work with the fear of the whip built character, which I found disturbing. Other snippets show how extremely difficult it was to make a living and get ahead after the end of slavery, and how former slaves were terrorized by the KKK and others. It's not hard to see how this situation has evolved to the current day, where we still have racism and economic disparity, and where the justice and prison system have taken over the role of the slave owners.

[John McNair · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title puts one in the frame of mind that this will be a book filled with horrible tales of slavery days. Not so. There were certainly stories of slaves with terrible masters but there were as many who spoke very highly of their time as a slave, due largely to understanding and kind masters. Of course, it must be recognized from the get-go that slavery was just not right. This book was both enlightening and very interesting. It took its form - it is a reprint - from interviews conducted with former slaves in the 1930s, when most of those interviewed were around 90 or older. There memory was remarkable, as was their memories. It wasn't all bad, in fact most claimed the time in which they were living - a depression mind you - was far worse than when they were slaves. Of course, it's common for people to think of their youth with fondness. Many claimed they were better off as slaves - they were fed, clothed, housed and they had work. They were valuable (a male slave could cost well over $1000). That became much harder during the Reconstruction period when they had none of that, they were valueless and had to fend for themselves. Racism was on the rise, and the "poor white trash" (I thought that a newer phrase but, no, it was in use 150 years ago) were in competition with the newly freed Negros. The Klu Klux Clan began to flourish, and then came the Jim Crow period. In any event, a very interesting albeit long book. It is written as transcribed, i.e. in the dialect (and accent) of how they spoke. That can make it challenging to read in parts, but it certainly adds to the narrative. This book is a real treasure. Read it and form your own opinion.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

History has always been one of my favorite genres, so I was happy to find Bullwhip Days. I had read before about the WPA-funded recording of the stories of former slaves, made during the Great Depression, so this had long been on my TBR list. The memories of the former slaves, as told to men and women recorders in the 1930's, brings an even deeper immediacy to the turmoil we are going through, now, in the effort to give the Black community freedom from inhumanity and injustice - perpetuated by those who continue to hold racist and bigoted views toward people of color. This kind of book should be required reading, IMO, to try to change some of those mindsets that keep us from true equality as human beings. Truly, this was painful to read in some places, although there were also some lighter moments of humor, when a man or woman remembered a good time they had in their youth - but, on the whole, it is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit, and made me more determined than ever, to stand up, to speak up, and to call out racism any time I see it.

[Seanan DeGrave · Rating 5 out of 5]

powerful - hearing the perspective of people who lived through slavery and reconstruction after in their words. every account was a different experience, and some surprised me: most loved freedom, some wished to go back to being enslaved; many were brutalized by their enslavers and couldn’t wait to be emancipated, a few were so devoted to their enslavers that they worked for them til death. the book covered everything from food to religion, music to forced breeding, holidays to slave auctions, education to remembering Africa. a gem of a book

[Kay Cammack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very difficult book to read. Parts of it were filled with insights into their daily lives but most of it was filled with their constant desperate longing to be free and their horrific treatment at the hands of their “masters” and “mistresses”. Even sadder is that some quite a few of the former slaves longed to be slaves again because they knew they’d be taken care of despite the threat of potential whippings.

[Marilyn Sue Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to read in these perilous times. Except for one narrative close to the end, and some "modern" commenters, every single story is in dialect, which can get on your nerves. The resilience of formerly enslaved persons is impressive; however, some are clearly in denial or lying through what remains of their teeth. Stories about the "Ku Kluxers" are terrifying, showing what happens when you give people arbitrary, violent, unrestrained power.

[Sandra Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes one look at all perspectives

Bullwhip Days is so interesting because one reads real observations from the view of people who lived through both Slavery and Freedom. It makes the reader evaluate slavery from those who lived it

[Venessia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever wanted a seat at the feet of your elders, this book is it. Full Review here:

https://bibliophileonabudget.wordpres...

[Sue Lassiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bullwhip Days is one of the best books I have ever read. I bought it many years ago. Enlightening, heartfelt. You cannot read this and remain unchanged. This should be required reading in high schools.

[MJ Melvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glimpse into the lives of people who were slaves before the end of the Civil War.
The recollections were done in their later years, capturing an important, if not ugly, part of our history.

[Mozart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a mind blowing book that should be required reading for high school students, and college and beyond

[Robin Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read.

Very good read. Recommended for all interested in the history of African American and slavery. I would read it again.

[Cyntasia Carter]

So far I am taking notes and highlighting and LOVING IT!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely something everyone should read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many different slaves gave their accounts. Extremely hard/sad to read, but necessary to understand what horrors the slaves endured. So glad people got these stories before it was too late.

[Roianne Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

This was very interesting and easy to read. I couldn't put it down. I got angry in some places and laughed at others.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrowing

No words, only feelings of sorrow for the pain that was inflicted on my blood! I'm so glad I came across this book, everyone should read it!

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Enlightening and moving.