Slaves Narratives in the Primary Source Library

African American Voices : The Life Cycle of Slavery. Edited by Steven Mintz. St. James, N.Y. : Brandywine Press, 1996.

Excerpts from slave narratives, interviews with former slaves, and letters written by enslaved Americans which portray slavery as it existed in the U.S. from 1682 through the emancipation period. (MS/HS)

Before Freedom. When I Just Can Remember : 27 Oral Histories of Former South Carolina Slaves. Edited by Belinda Hurmence. Winston-Salem, NC : John F. Blair, 1989. (MS/HS)

Craft, William. Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom : The Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery. Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, 1999.

First person account of a husband and wife's daring break from slavery in 1848. (MS/HS)

Curry, Barbara K. Sweet Words So Brave : The Story of African American Literature. Madison, WI : Zino Press, 1996.

A survey of the history of African American literature, from slave narratives to the present, told in the voice of a grandfather speaking to his granddaughter. (ES/MS)

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. N.Y. : Penguin, 1982, c1845.

Probably the best known American slave narrative, Douglass describes his early struggles and the horrors he lived through and witnessed, while managing to stress his own value and the inhumanity of slavery. (HS/Adult)

Hatt, Christine. Slavery from Africa to the Americas. N.Y. : Peter Bedrick Books, 1997.

Illustrated history of slavery in Africa and the Americas from the 17th to the 19th century. (ES/MS)

Jacobs, Harriet A. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself. Enlarged edition. Cambridge, MA : Harvard

University Press, 2000.

Recounts slavery from a woman’s perspective and details the sexual intimidation, abuse and special agony of being a slave mother. This new edition includes "A True Tale of Slavery" by Harriet's brother, John S. Jacobs.(HS/Adult)

Meltzer, Milton. The Black Americans : A History in their Own Words. N.Y. : HarperCollins, 1984.

A history of African Americans in the United States, as told through letters, speeches, articles, eyewitness accounts, and other documents. (HS/Adult)

Out of Slavery : A Primary Source Kit from the Maryland Historical Society. Baltimore : Maryland Historical Society, no date.

Samples of primary sources and lesson plans related to slavery in Maryland. (MS)

Remembering Slavery : African Americans Talk about their Personal Experiences of Slavery and Emancipation. N.Y. : The New Press, 1998.

Recollections by American ex-slaves, as recorded over 50 years ago as part of the Federal Writers’ Project, were remastered , transcribed and annotated as part of a Smithsonian and Library of Congress project that produced this book and 2 cassette tape package. Edited by Ira Berlin, Marc Favreau and Steven F. Miller. (MS/HS)

Slave Narratives. N.Y. : The Library of America, 2000.

Writings from James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, Olaudah Equiano, Nat Turner, Frederick Douglass, William W. Brown, Henry Bibb, Sojourner Truth, and J.D. Green. (MS/HS)

Slave testimony : two centuries of letters, speeches, interviews and autobiographies. Edited by John W. Blassingame. Baton Rouge, LA : Louisiana State University Press, 1977.

An encyclopedic collection of annotated and authenticated accounts from slaves and former slaves both well and unknown. Includes an excellent introduction, notes, bibliography and indexes. (HS/Adult)

Slavery. Edited by Pat Parrin. Carlisle, MA : Discovery Enterprises, 2000.

From the Researching American History series, documents relating to slavery in America from colonial period to 20th century and research activities for middle school students. (MS)

Slavery Time When I was Chillun. Edited by Belinda Hurmence. N.Y. : Putnam, 1997.

Twelve oral histories of former slaves selected from the Slave Narratives of the Library of Congress. (MS/HS)

We Lived in a Little Cabin in the Yard. Edited by Belinda Hurmence. Winston-Salem, N.C.: John F. Blair, 1994.

Excerpts from Slave Narratives of Virginia, edited for general readership. (MS/HS)