Slave testimony: Two centuries of letters, speeches, interviews, and autobiographies

by John W. Blassingame (Editor)

1

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Memoir, Reference, American History, African American

777 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite my 40 years of reading, I had never read any of the testimonies from the slaves themselves, nor was I acutely aware that many had compiled narratives from letters, books, county records, church history, lawyers and Presidents.

This book "settled" my understanding of American history. It led me to do cross references and seek other authors who had documented similar information in their respective countries. The Dutch, Spaniards, Portuguese and the French.

I was taken aback by the slave trade to Cuba. The comparisons between manumissions on the island and in America. Moreover, one can compare annotations through other books that mention a sliver of slave life in America. It is apparent that wherever the slaves were brought impacted dearly on their treatment. As well while some suffered unspeakable cruelties others were able to thrive and succeed despite the dark cloud of presumption of superiority by those whose grandfathers or fathers were immigrant themselves. Including Irish men who were indentured servants.

It is a painful but truthful observation of humanity in general. The scoundrels and the angels.

[Marv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be required reading for Americans.

[Ashley Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of speeches, newspaper articles, autobiographies, and testimonies should be required reading in all history courses. The primary sources gathered here provide a well-balanced account of slavery in the United States. Many of the accounts are absolutely devastating.

Through the use of archive files, Blassingame constructs an extensive primary source collection available at the fingertips of the reader. In the teaching of American history especially, it is best to allow students to read the primary source documents and draw their own conclusions. Blassingame allows for just that.

[Bill V · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how this ended up on my reading list. The book is certainly well researched. A negative for me is the sheer number of narratives. The book is quite long. Some of the personal statements are quite short, others are lengthy (some spanning several pages). Some of them are standard English, while a few are written in the vernacular of former slaves who had no or very little opportunity to learn basic grammar or diction. Quite a few of the narratives were quite entertaining. While I appreciate reading this, I know I'll never read it again.

[Kaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found exactly what I needed for my research paper in this book!

[Jeff Aupperle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written and oral testimony to the conditions and experiences of slavery

[Dameon Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and an excellent for source for research.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the real deal: what do slaves think of slavery. For those with a lot of time and an interest in slavery, this book is fascinating. There are a number of writings, for instance, wherein slaves write letters to former masters talking about how wonderful slavery was. There are also the characteristic horrifying accounts of escape and torture. The diversity of opinions in the book complicate a simplistic view of slavery. This is not something to sit down and read in its entirety, for temporal and emotional reasons.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a friends copy and enjoyed it so much, I bought my own.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I love everything written by Blassingame.

[Craig Bolton]

"Slave Testimony: Two Centuries of Letters, Speeches, Interviews, and Autobiographies by John W. Blassingame (1977)"