Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Oklahoma Narratives

by Work Projects Administration

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for every American.

[Brian Wester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating histories that should be standard reading for every American. The stories offer so many examples of people finding happiness despite horrible circumstances. The resilience of these former slaves is remarkable, their pragmatism and good humor is inspiring. The more nuanced view of what it was actually like to be a slave is enlightening and, actually, quite zen. Worthy in every way.

[G.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compilation of interviews done by the WPA with now-elderly former slaves living in Oklahoma during the Depression. Some of them endured slavery in Oklahoma, as slaves of one of the tribes living there before the Civil War. Others migrated to Oklahoma between emancipation and the writing of the book.

It's silly to "review" a primary historical source. It is what it is.

As for my impressions of reading it — it is a surprisingly enjoyable and compelling read. It is done (with one exception) entirely in the first person, in the voice of the subject. Not all of the Slave Narratives were written in this style. I started reading the Florida volume, but it was mostly in the third person, and considerably more distancing. The reader is really given a personal view of each subject.

The stories themselves are not as depressing as one would expect, given the subject matter. After all, the tellers are those who lived through slavery and had long lives afterwards. The narratives are clearly mixtures of actual reminiscence and tall tales, and sometimes the line between the two blurs.

There are unexpected revelations, not just about slaves and slavery, but about all aspects of life in the antebellum south (and in the Oklahoma Indian Territory). It is pretty clear from this book that the experiences of slaves, slaveholders, and others were widely varied and nuanced.

Anyone who is interested in American history should read this.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

The oral histories of former slaves educate people of all races. It's no surprise that the experience of slavery was quite different on different people, something that we ought to be aware of. Consider McAlester Oklahoma's Eliza Evans, most likely because she knew no other way of life, yearned to be under the care of her slave master. On the other hand, former slaves like the eloquent Robert Grinstead of Oklahoma City, keenly observed that "slavery was as much detrimental to the white race as it was to the Negroes, as one elevated one's mind too highly, and the other degraded one's mind too lowly." It is only because of the federal-government's New Deal program that the Oklahoma Writer's Project was launched between 1936 and 1938. The project allows us to read the words of former slaves as if they are letters from the past written just for us. Going beyond slavery, this book is a valuable treasure trove of Oklahoma and national history. It gives us all a flavor for a period of time and setting. Although some phonetic transcriptions make it hard to follow some portions of the narratives, not one lacks profundity and insight. Highly recommended, and it can be perused in the course of just one afternoon.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of a series of interviews the United States government (under the WPA) conducted with former slaves in Oklahoma during The Great Depression. It’s interesting to read the former slaves’ recollections and events they experienced or overhea

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

So informative. From the mouths of real people or lived in slavery. Absolutely fascinating.