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Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories


 collection description

Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories presents audio recordings of former slaves discussing their lives and their experiences while slaves. These recordings, completed between the years of 1932 to 1975, include some biographical materials about the interviewees, the oldest being 130 at the time of the interview. The recordings include reflections about being slaves, the slave holders, their families and the experience of being free. Also of interest are the interviewers who include Zora Neale Hurston, John Henry Faulk, John, Ruby and Alan Lomax and Robert Sonkin.

You may go directly to the collection, Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories, in American Memory.



 special presentations
These online exhibits provide context and additional information about this collection.

Faces and Voices from the Presentation


 historical eras
These historical era(s) are best represented in the collection, although they may not be all-encompassing.

The Civil War and Reconstruction — 1850-1877


 related collections and exhibits
These collections and exhibits contain thematically-related primary and secondary sources. Browse the Collection Finder for more related material on the American Memory Web site.

African-American Odyssey
African American Pamphlet Collection
Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project
First-Person Narratives of the American South, 1860-1920
The Fredrick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress
Slaves and the Courts


 other resources
Recommended additional sources of information.

Biographies of the Interviewers
Related Resources
Read More About It! - A bibliography


 search tips
Specific guidance for searching this collection.

Search the collection using the keyword search, or browse the Audio Title, Names, Subjects or Geographic Subjects indexes. For help with search words, go to the Synonym List. For help with search strategies, see Finding Items in American Memory.


 viewing tips

For help with viewers and players, go to American Memory Viewer Information.



 

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Last updated 01/07/2005