Till Freedom Cried Out: Memories of Texas Slave Life (Volume 6)

Clayton Wheat Williams Texas Life Series

by T. Lindsay Baker, Julie P. Baker (Editor)

"I's born in Palestine Texas. I don't know how old I is. I was 9 years old when freedom cried out."

These poignant words begin the memories of a former Texas slave interviewed by W.P.A. field workers in Oklahoma during the 1930s. This account, along with thirty-two additional oral histories recorded as part of the Federal Writers' Project, describes life as a Texas slave—the family relations, entertainment, religion, work on the plantations, foodways, and punishment.

For decades the bondage of black slaves to white masters was part of everyday life in Texas, and by the eve of the Civil War almost one-third of the total population consisted of slaves.

Most works about slavery have been written from the white viewpoint, since most slaves were kept illiterate. This collection offers a clear-eyed perspective on this institution from the slaves themselves—their recollections from being sold away from their parents, suffering the pain of the overseers' lash, and being chosen to gratify masters' desires to finding emotional release in religious services, appreciating music and dancing, and enjoying an brief escape to the woods. Vignettes of daily life are sensitively brought to life in the skilled drawings of artist Kermit Oliver.

Enriched by these illustrations and by an introduction and postscript commentary by editors T. Lindsay Baker and Julie P.Baker, Till Freedom Cried Out presents vivid memories of lives and times inside the bonds of an institution that tried to break the tellers' bodies and souls.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Gary Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories and sketches. I used it in research for my novel and it was full of interesting truths about slavery times.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are the stories of ex-slaves that extended beyond the WPA slave narratives. If you have family from Texas or are interested in genealogy and Texas history you will find the excerpts helpful. Some of the stories are harsh and many are familiar.

You have some who speak of slaves rreceiving 500 lashes, a fork being stabbed into a slave cooks eye. Children being sold off at age 1 & 2. Then some funny stories, turkey shootings, marriage, family and superstition. This is an important collection and a welcomed addition to history.

[Laura Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very informative book. I learned a lot about Texas slavery, from the interviews of former slaves taken in the late 1930s. I had never heard of refugeeing slaves. Slave owners in other southern states would move to Texas so that they were less likely to have to give them up. Even after the Civil War ended, it took an additional two months for slaves to be freed in Texas. Even then, some slave owners did not inform their slaves of the new situation. Or scared them into staying on with threats of violence.

[Lance Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in the slavery experience in Texas, this is essential reading (along with Tyler and Murphy's "The Slave Narratives of Texas"). The book features more than thirty interviews of formerly enslaved Texans. The editors do an excellent job providing context for these interviews. To top it off, the book also includes commissioned illustrations by Kermit Oliver, one of the state's leading artists.