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The Breeding of American Slaves
The Breeding of American Slaves.
True Stories of American Slave Breeding and Slave Babies.
Recollections of American ex-slaves and their memories of breeding and babies.
Slave breeding in the United States were those practices of slave ownership that aimed to influence the reproduction of slaves in order to increase the wealth of slaveholders.
Slave breeding included coerced sexual relations between male and female slaves, promoting pregnancies of slaves, sexual relations between master and slave with the aim of producing slave children, and favoring female slaves who produced a relatively large number of children.
The purpose of slave breeding was to produce new slaves without incurring the cost of purchase, to fill labor shortages caused by the termination of the Atlantic slave trade, and to attempt to improve the health and productivity of slaves. Slave breeding was condoned in the South because slaves were considered to be subhuman chattel, and were not entitled to the same rights accorded to free persons.
“My grandfather on my father’s side, Luke Blackshear, was a ‘stock’ Negro.
“Isom Blackshear, his son, was a great talker. He said Luke was six feet four inches tall and near two hundred fifty pounds in weight. He was what they called a double-jointed man. He was a mechanic,—built houses, made keys, and did all other blacksmith work and shoemaking.
He did anything in iron, wood or leather. Really he was an architect as well. He could take raw cowhide and make leather out of it and then make shoes out of the leather.
“Luke was the father of fifty-six children and was known as the GIANT BREEDER. He was bought and given to his young mistress in the same way you would give a mule or colt to a child.
“Although he was a stock Negro, he was whipped and drove just like the other Negroes. All of the other Negroes were driven on the farm. He had to labor but he didn’t have to work with the other slaves on the farm unless there was no mechanical work to do.
He was given better work because he was a skilled mechanic. He taught Isom blacksmithing, brickmaking and bricklaying, shoemaking, carpentry, and other things. The ordinary blacksmith has to order plow points and put than on, but Luke made the points themselves, and he taught Isom to do it. And he taught him to make mats, chairs, and other weaving work. He died sometime before the War.”
Ida Blackshear Hutchinson, 2620 Orange Street, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Age: 73 at time of interview
This book is researched from the Slave Narratives that were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and assembled and microfilmed in 1941 as the seventeen-volume Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves.
What you read is exactly how the researchers heard their stories for the first time, transcribed on the spot from the actual interviews. A must read for every American.
True Stories of American Slave Breeding and Slave Babies.
Recollections of American ex-slaves and their memories of breeding and babies.
Slave breeding in the United States were those practices of slave ownership that aimed to influence the reproduction of slaves in order to increase the wealth of slaveholders.
Slave breeding included coerced sexual relations between male and female slaves, promoting pregnancies of slaves, sexual relations between master and slave with the aim of producing slave children, and favoring female slaves who produced a relatively large number of children.
The purpose of slave breeding was to produce new slaves without incurring the cost of purchase, to fill labor shortages caused by the termination of the Atlantic slave trade, and to attempt to improve the health and productivity of slaves. Slave breeding was condoned in the South because slaves were considered to be subhuman chattel, and were not entitled to the same rights accorded to free persons.
“My grandfather on my father’s side, Luke Blackshear, was a ‘stock’ Negro.
“Isom Blackshear, his son, was a great talker. He said Luke was six feet four inches tall and near two hundred fifty pounds in weight. He was what they called a double-jointed man. He was a mechanic,—built houses, made keys, and did all other blacksmith work and shoemaking.
He did anything in iron, wood or leather. Really he was an architect as well. He could take raw cowhide and make leather out of it and then make shoes out of the leather.
“Luke was the father of fifty-six children and was known as the GIANT BREEDER. He was bought and given to his young mistress in the same way you would give a mule or colt to a child.
“Although he was a stock Negro, he was whipped and drove just like the other Negroes. All of the other Negroes were driven on the farm. He had to labor but he didn’t have to work with the other slaves on the farm unless there was no mechanical work to do.
He was given better work because he was a skilled mechanic. He taught Isom blacksmithing, brickmaking and bricklaying, shoemaking, carpentry, and other things. The ordinary blacksmith has to order plow points and put than on, but Luke made the points themselves, and he taught Isom to do it. And he taught him to make mats, chairs, and other weaving work. He died sometime before the War.”
Ida Blackshear Hutchinson, 2620 Orange Street, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Age: 73 at time of interview
This book is researched from the Slave Narratives that were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and assembled and microfilmed in 1941 as the seventeen-volume Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves.
What you read is exactly how the researchers heard their stories for the first time, transcribed on the spot from the actual interviews. A must read for every American.
- GenresHistory
80 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 4, 2014
249 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 30, 2025
It was just as poignant and disturbing as you might think it is. :-{
July 13, 2021
Crying
How can you not rate a persons life stories a 5? Just heartbroken reading these interviews. It made my heart ache.
How can you not rate a persons life stories a 5? Just heartbroken reading these interviews. It made my heart ache.
October 29, 2022
A very interesting book. During the time of slavery those who 'owned' the slaves could do what they wanted with them, basically. Any babies born to slaves automatically became the property of the 'owner.' Thus, it was in the interest of the 'owner' to get the slaves to produce as many babies as they could.
The babies could later be sold just as any member of a slave family could be sold and never see the rest of their family again.
This book consists of interviews with women who were forced into that. Some of the woman had large numbers of children and the book also goes into how the 'owner' took young slaves and put them somewhere 'special' to get what the 'owners' wanted.
It's a good example of just how barbaric slavery was.
The babies could later be sold just as any member of a slave family could be sold and never see the rest of their family again.
This book consists of interviews with women who were forced into that. Some of the woman had large numbers of children and the book also goes into how the 'owner' took young slaves and put them somewhere 'special' to get what the 'owners' wanted.
It's a good example of just how barbaric slavery was.
April 23, 2021
Very enlightening!
I chose this book because former slaves were interviewed, and this showed me how the people felt about their treatment by their owners, etc. I felt sad reading how they accepted their lot in life, and the way they were exploited to have children was eye opening. I knew about this sad, sickening part of the slave culture but reading their realities made it more evil.
I recommend this to those who want to learn the perspectives of the slaves when they were interviewed as freed people and how the slave culture affected their perspectives.
I chose this book because former slaves were interviewed, and this showed me how the people felt about their treatment by their owners, etc. I felt sad reading how they accepted their lot in life, and the way they were exploited to have children was eye opening. I knew about this sad, sickening part of the slave culture but reading their realities made it more evil.
I recommend this to those who want to learn the perspectives of the slaves when they were interviewed as freed people and how the slave culture affected their perspectives.
March 3, 2022
Absolutely horrible. This is the hidden history of AMERICA. The history that America does not want told. Out country is divided because this history is not known. This is one of the biggest reasons we have such discord among the races. People do not know this history and it answers in part why don't the blacks do like the other people that come to America. One very gross distinction is they came willing and there were no chains. The results are still being fueled by the ignorance of many.
July 2, 2022
This book contains excerpts of personal stories collected through the Federal Writers Project Slave Narratives. The stories have been severely edited into a few short paragraphs each. There is no analysis or research included. The entire 17 volumes of Slave Narratives are available on the internet through the Library of Congress.
January 11, 2023
Good information
My my white folks always love to treat black folks worse than dogs . then they have the nerve to say we are lazy and don't deserve reparations for there wrongs so they have proves hell on earth for black folks still today but there will help he'll to pay for the evil doers of black folks one day soon . !!!!!!!
My my white folks always love to treat black folks worse than dogs . then they have the nerve to say we are lazy and don't deserve reparations for there wrongs so they have proves hell on earth for black folks still today but there will help he'll to pay for the evil doers of black folks one day soon . !!!!!!!
May 18, 2022
A world we never saw
I have read other slave accounts, but this is the first that mentioned breeding. It wasn't necessarily easy to read as the reality described is inhuman. If you are interested in an eye opening account of 19th Century America this is a must read.
I have read other slave accounts, but this is the first that mentioned breeding. It wasn't necessarily easy to read as the reality described is inhuman. If you are interested in an eye opening account of 19th Century America this is a must read.
July 15, 2022
Speaking Truths
It's an emotionally difficult read but it is essential that we never forget what was done to us and how terrible we were treated. Always go to the sources not the historical whitewashing.
It's an emotionally difficult read but it is essential that we never forget what was done to us and how terrible we were treated. Always go to the sources not the historical whitewashing.
January 13, 2026
A hard read
I am crushed after reading the HORRIFIC stories my brothers and sister endured between 1800 and 1870 regarding their sexual humiliation before, during and after the Civil War.
I am crushed after reading the HORRIFIC stories my brothers and sister endured between 1800 and 1870 regarding their sexual humiliation before, during and after the Civil War.
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September 17, 2021Not what I expected
These are interviews of ex slaves. Their remembrance of what happened. I thought the book would be more detailed. Several interviews were the same.
These are interviews of ex slaves. Their remembrance of what happened. I thought the book would be more detailed. Several interviews were the same.
July 21, 2024
Humbling
This book resonated with me on many levels. To experience life through each contributor allowed me to see the world through their lens to include their experiences.
This book resonated with me on many levels. To experience life through each contributor allowed me to see the world through their lens to include their experiences.
May 23, 2025
Interesting
Some stories repeat themselves. Some are difficult to understand. Good first hand information about another era. Glad I read it.
Some stories repeat themselves. Some are difficult to understand. Good first hand information about another era. Glad I read it.
April 22, 2020
This kept me engaged like a thriller novel. It is history at its best, redacted in faithful style even to mimicry of speaking styles of the first-person narrators. The events will be willingly expunged from our national conscience, no doubt, but their vividness cannot readily be forgotten by those who dare to pry open these covers. I am glad to have discovered this book and wish well to all my followers.
March 6, 2022
Raw & Uncut
It was quite difficult read some of it so I had to read certain parts a few times to understand because it was written exactly how the person said it which was in a different dialect then how we pronounce words today. Several of the stories were repeat at least twice throughout the book which seemed unnecessary to do. However it does confirm the treatment of black people like livestock instead of human beings. It was a hard pill to swallow straight from an ex-slaves’ mouths.
It was quite difficult read some of it so I had to read certain parts a few times to understand because it was written exactly how the person said it which was in a different dialect then how we pronounce words today. Several of the stories were repeat at least twice throughout the book which seemed unnecessary to do. However it does confirm the treatment of black people like livestock instead of human beings. It was a hard pill to swallow straight from an ex-slaves’ mouths.
December 27, 2023
🖊 My review: These snippets are reprints from the original (so-called) Slave Narratives original collected, arranged, and printed by the U.S. Government in the 1930s which are available on Amazon Kindle for free, and available through other sources. Some of the narratives in this reprint are taken out of context, so I would refer to the original 1930s publications instead. There are some black and white photographs included in this print. 👁 Point of view: First-hand narratives as told by Southern servants.
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🏮 Kindle Unlimited version.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews