Contending that most black history has been written by white
historians to "express whites' perceptions of themselves," Escott
(and a computer) systematically examine the slave narratives
recorded in this century by Fisk University and the Federal
Writers' Project. Unlike Litwack (below) who uses the same material
as though it were all of a piece, Escort screens the obviously
racist interview with its predictable
"tell-em-what-they-wanna-hear" answers. Consequently Escott's
account is briefer, less informative, more sharply focused, more
pointed in its conclusions. Contrary to the view of Sixties
historians who minimized racial differences, Escott maintains that
ante-bellum blacks and whites lived in two distinct worlds; and the
black world was less fragmented (by differences in region,
plantation size, etc.) and more united in its consciousness of
oppression than historians have thought. Race, not class, divided
Southern society. For their part, blacks resisted whites with
everything from fibs to Winchesters; and they maintained a distinct
Afro-American culture - exemplified in such traditions as dancing,
herbal medicine, and conjuring - through religion (African laced
with Jesus) and strong family feeling. Emancipation and after, the
core of Litwack's book, is succinctly treated here as a time of
leavetaking and growing Klan political and labor control imposed on
ex-slaves who "started up hill; den went back." Statistical
breakdown of data from over 2400 narratives reveals the evident
(informants were far more likely to tell black interviewers of
slave celebrations when ol' massa died) and the enthralling (51.9%
of informants believed in and saw "haunts"). Unfortunately, while
clamoring to revise our history of race, Escott all but ignores
women (typically, "Slaves were not white men"), which does give one
pause about his perceptions. Still, it's a good complement to
Litwack's labors. (Kirkus Reviews)
"Slavery Remembered" is the first major attempt to analyze the
slave narratives gathered as part of the Federal Writers' Project.
Paul Escott's sensitive examination of each of the nearly 2,400
narratives and his quantitative analysis of the narratives as a
whole eloquently present the differing beliefs and experiences of
masters and slaves. The book describes slave attitudes and actions;
slave-master relationships; the conditions of slave life, including
diet, physical treatment, working conditions, housing, forms of
resistance, and black overseers; slave cultural institutions;
status distinctions among slaves; experiences during the Civil War
and Reconstruction; and the subsequent life histories of the former
slaves.
An important contribution to the study of American slavery,
"Slavery Remembered" is an ideal classroom text for American
history surveys as well as more specialized courses.
Slavery Remembered" is an important contribution to the study of
American slavery and, because of its brevity and clarity, an ideal
classroom text for American history surveys as well as more
specialized courses.
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