[Detail] Slaves of the rebel Genl. Thomas F. Drayton, Hilton Head, S.C. 
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Collection Overview
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.
Special Features
These online exhibits provide context and additional information about this collection.
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.
Search Tips
Specific guidance for searching this collection.
Search the collection using the keyword search, or browse the Audio Interview, Names, Subjects, Places or Song Title indexes. For help with search words, go to the Synonym List.
For help with general search strategies, see Finding Items in American Memory.
Last Updated: 07/22/2009