Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States

Abstract: The collection contains some 2,000 narratives of former slaves from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Slave narratives were constructed from questionnaires and conversations with former slaves. These narratives were recorded as nearly as possible in the words and dialects of the informants. Photographs and other documentary evidence are also included in the narratives.

Author: Federal Writers' Project.

Call Number: Film J860. Microfilm. 11 reels.

Guides: Selections from the Slave Narratives are contained in Benjamin A. Botkin's Lay My Burden Down (E444.F26).

LC Subject Headings:
Slavery in the U.S.--Condition of Slaves.
African-Americans--Biography.