This 1838 autobiography ranks among the most important and authentic accounts of life in slavery, recounting the experiences of a North Carolina native who was sold or traded until his successful escape to New England. Roper's moving reminiscences offer a powerful first-hand account of the realities of life in bondage. Introduction. Unabridged republication of A Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper from American Slavery, published by Negro Universities Press, New York, 1970.
Adventures of an African Slaver by Captain Theodore Canot Brimming with information on every aspect of the slave trade in the nineteenth century, this detailed account by a former slave ship captain accurately portrays the appalling machinery of commercial slavery.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs Published in 1861, one of few extant slave narratives written by a woman. Powerful portrayal of the brutality of slave life through the inspiring tale of one woman's dauntless spirit and faith.
When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection by Norman R. Yetman More than 2,000 former slaves provide first-person accounts in blunt, simple language about their lives in bondage. Illuminating, often startling information about southern life before, during, and after the Civil War.
A Boy of Old Prague by Sulamith Ish-Kishor, Ben Shahn A young serf discovers kindness and friendship among those he thought were his enemies in this moving tale of life in a 16th-century Jewish ghetto. Suitable for 9- to 12-year-olds.
The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative by Mary Prince Prince — a slave in the British colonies — vividly recalls her life in the West Indies, her rebellion against physical and psychological degradation, and her eventual escape in 1828 in England.
Fifty Years in Chains by Charles Ball Gripping account of southern slavery before the Civil War is a firsthand account of treatment by planters and slaveholders and the perils and suffering of fugitive slaves. An inspiring story of courage.
