Firstly-Hand Accounts of Slave Life: Voices of Those Aged 86-121

Abstract

Voices of Slavery Slavery serves as a strong backbone of the American economy. Out of the five stories considered in this essay, it is evident that all those interviewed associated color/race with the origin of their slave identity. Within this essay, slavery experiences like long working hours, limited rights, unhealthy working conditions, and whipping will offer a better analysis of what slavery life was all about, as narrated by five slaves aged between 86 and 121 years. Cheney Cross, interviewed near [City, State] at 90 plus, recounts of horrible experiences slaves endured until freedom came (Pg 66-69). Cross became a slave by default as attributed to his dark color. His parents were bought by their white boss and worked long hours for no pay throughout their lives. Since childhood, working for the whites with little food, no doctor while sick but herbal care and long working hours with no rest proved a misery for Cross and fellow slaves. After the war, freedom came but served as a dream as they had nothing to start their new life with this continued experiencing hardships even with freedom (Pg 68-69). Elige Davison, interviewed at the age of 86+, defines his master Massa as humane and considerate. Born from slaves, Davison grew up in Massa tobacco plantation, which exposed him to waking up at 4 Am to milk cows and feed hogs and worked hard for the rest of the day until before dark (Pg 91). As a slave, he and his counterparts were viewed as mules as part of some assets owned by their boss with limited rights, if any. For this reason, though allowed to read the bible and learn to write and go to church would not receive any payments after their hard work on such plantations. As Davison puts it, Massa cared for them through clothing, shelter, food, and medical care as they were worth too much to die (Pg 91). Davison and other slaves would go nowhere without a pass and sometimes whipped for no reason for their bosses to hear them yell. In addition, Davison was subjected to infidelity as Massa forced him to sleep with many women to bore many children as a potential asset for the boss. After the Yankee war, freedom came but did not change much of slavery life as he owned nothing, and Davison ended up in Texas, where he lived hustling tills old age (Pg 92). Antony Dawson's experiences as a slave were no different from Davisons through his narration at 105 years. Dawson confirms that as slaves, they had a common song, "running away from petteroll," which instills fear and respect for the whites. Dawson defines experiences at the old master as a misery that he and his fellow slaves endured since their birth. Regardless of their efforts in the tobacco, cotton, corn, and oat farms, among other works that their White rulers exposed them to, Dawson and his fellow slaves got killed and traded by patrollers with no one to rescue them Pg 96-97. However, like Davison, their master...