Understanding 19th-Century Slave Narratives

(Hardback)

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African American slave narratives of the 19th century recorded the grim realities of the antebellum South; they also provide the foundation for this compelling and revealing work on African American history and experiences. Naturally, it is not possible to really know what being a slave during the antebellum period in America was like without living the experience. But students CAN get eye-opening insight into what it was like through the gripping stories of bravery, courage, persistence, and resiliency in this collection of annotated slave narratives from the period. Each of the collected narratives includes an introduction that provides readers with key historical context on the particular life examined. Moreover, each narrative is accompanied by annotations that broaden the reader's comprehension of that primary document. The primary source documents in this volume tell enthralling stories, such as how slave woman Ellen Craft utilized her particularly pale complexion to pose as a free white man overseeing his slaves to free herself and her husband, and how Henry Brown successfully shipped himself to freedom in a box measuring scarcely 3 feet by 2 feet by 6 inches deepdespite being more than 6 feet tall.

Reviews

As a set, these little-known narratives shed valuable light on a dark chapter in American history. The unique perspectives from which each author views the new world holocaust will help both students of American history and armchair historians better understand the causes and consequences of human bondage. Therefore, this volume is strongly recommended for purchase by all public and academic libraries. * ARBA *
The author states that the main goal of the work is to make these narratives available to students and instructors in the classroom, and in that regard it should prove useful. Libraries wanting a literary analysis of the narratives should purchase this. . . . Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. * Choice *

Author Bio

Sterling Lecater Bland Jr. is associate professor of English and African American studies at Rutgers University.