Сompletion of The Project of Federal Writers "Tales of Slaves"

Decades have elapsed since the completion of the Slave Narratives by the Federal Writers Project. These narratives are written life experiences that allow us to revisit and dissect this portion of history. I have chosen to recount the stories of slaves Charles H. Anderson and William M. Adams. Charles H. Anderson was born December 23, 1845, in Richmond, Virginia. He along with his parents and 13 siblings were owned by J. L. Woodson, a grocer. From his testimony, we can conclude that his life as a slave was not an extremely harsh one.

Compared to others, he may have been perceived as privileged. He wore the best clothes sewn together by his mother and Woodson’s mistress. He and his family were also allowed to live in the big house located in the city with his owners. William M. Adams was born 93 years ago at the time of the interview, though his exact birth date is unknown. He was one of 12 children born of James and Julia Adams.

Beginning at age 7, Adams worked as a servant to the wife of his owner’s, Master Davis.

Though we don’t know exactly what was inquired in the interviews, based on their accounts, we can assume the interviewer’s questions. There were many topics asked but to name a few, they covered religion, family, and life during and after the civil war. Both claimed that they were not big on religion. They did not attend church though they were familiar with prayer. Adams even recalled rituals where they’d take sugar kettles, turn them upside down, and surround them with logs while praying and dancing for freedom.

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Adams and Anderson both married and eventually started a family. Anderson met his wife, Helen Comer, 54 years prior to the interview. She was a widow with four young children. A year later they were married and had two children by the name of Charles and Samuel. Though they were not biologically his, he loved his stepchildren as his own. Adams did not explicitly talk about his growing family, but we do know he was married.

Though they both explained in vivid details about the days of the civil war, Anderson enlisted while Adams did not. Anderson enrolled on April 10, 1865. He was never in a real battle but contributed to the war by being on picket duty. The enemies never came during his shifts. He only recorded seeing animals such as hogs come out at night. Slaves worked tirelessly, but Saturday nights seemed to be their one night of pleasure. They would spend their evenings at the “drag downs”. The fiddle was used in both accounts and the interviewee’s both seemed to have a special talent with this instrument. Singing and dancing was an essential part of the entertainment and is still evident in today’s gatherings. In addition, they’d also play games such as ‘Ring Around The Rosie” and ‘Holly Golly’. After the Civil War, all slaves were considered emancipated. Anderson was then 20 years old. I assume Adams was 22 since they were two years apart at the time of the interviews. His life did not change much as a free man. He remained in Texas and worked as a grocer to support his mother and himself. Anderson took a different approach. He began picking up random jobs such as a handyman, carver, and railroad worker. He found himself moving around a lot but found a permanent home in Ohio. Adams and Anderson can be seen as credible sources.

I believe they remembered their life as a slave very well because they were able to deliver authentic stories and details of their lives. Personally, reading it from their point of view made me think of slaveholders a little bit differently. Today, we paint slavery in such a negative light. I do not believe that slavery was morally right by any means. Owners whipped and raped slaves, separated families, and destroyed any dignity these people had. Though neither of them were lashed at, both men remembered seeing people in chains and whipped at the penitentiary. This is how we characterize white people, especially in the African American community. Now that I have read these primary sources, it is evident that not every slaveholder was like that. I think that is one of those things that I knew in the back of my mind but I didn’t really believe without evidence. Woodson was “an exceedingly good owner – not cruel to anyone” according to Anderson. Adams agrees saying Master Davis was “powerfully good to me”. I guess I was kind of shocked that they did not tell any gruesome tales during their interview.