History according to the Slave narratives

Type :

Presentation

Pages :

8 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

11/17/2008

Category :

Political science

Sub category :

Social sciences

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Summary :

Introduction.
1. The historical account given firsthand by former enslaved peoples.
2. Validating the voice of the 'normally voiceless'.
Preface to the digest of slave narratives.
1. Tennessee - a system identical to that of South Carolina.
2. Slaves - working for their own freedom.
3. The typical family unit during slavery.
Undernourishment and starvation.
1. Slaves resorting to other measures for food.
Education - hard thing to come by during the era of slavery.
'Work' for a slave and its corresponding punishments.
1. The work demanded of them.
2. Gatherings - sanctioned by slave masters.
3. Secret meetings of a religious nature.
Conclusion.

Abstract

The historical account given firsthand by former enslaved peoples has been called into question on many occasions. It has been suggested that because the narratives of these former slaves are so inconsistent with one another, the resulting history was flawed. The allegations are not without a solid base. Indeed, of the thirty-six individual interviews included in Sutcliffe's book, most of them directly contradict another interview. They are marked with half-truths and exaggerations, as C. Vann Woodward suggests. He goes on to state that many first-hand accounts are prone to the same factual discrepancies that these slave narratives are. Indeed, as personal biases have the tendency to clutter any personal recollection, the slave narrative is no exception.