Quotes from Former Slaves

Could be called a “conductor” on the underground railway, only we didn’t call it that then. I din’t know as we called it anything—we just knew there was a lot of slaves always a-wantin’ to get free, and I had to help ‘em.
—Arnold Gragston, age 97, Jacksonville, Florida

I remember when they put ‘em on the block to sell ‘em. The ones ‘tween 18 and 30 always bring the most money. The auctioneer he stand off at a distances and cry ‘em off as they stand on the block. I can hear his voice as long as I live.
—W. L. Bost, age 87, Asheville, North Carolina

Course dey cry; you think dey not cry when they was sold lak cattle? I could tell you ‘bout it all day, but even den you couldn’t guess de awfulness of it.
—Delia Garlic, age 100, Montgomery, Alabama

Talkin’ ‘bout somethin’ awful, you should have been dere. De slave owners was shoutin’ and sellin’ chillen to one man and de mamma and pappy to ‘nother. De slaves cries and takes on somethin’ awful. If a woman had lots of chillen she was sold for mo’, cause it a sign she a good breeder.
—Millie Williams, age unknown, Texas

My marser’s name was Isaac Hunter. Him an’ de missus bofe hellcats . . . Marser daid now an’ I ain’ plannin’ on meetin’ him in heaven neither.
—Armaci Adams, age 93, Huntersville, Virginia

—If I had my life to live over I would die fighting rather than be a slave again. I want no man’s yoke on my shoulders no more.
—Robert Falls, age 97, Knoxville, Tennessee

Bells and horns! Bells for dis and horns for dat! All we knowed was go and come by de bells and horns!
—Charley Williams, around 95 years old, Monroe, Louisiana

Charley Williams and Granddaughter

They sold my mother, sister, and brother to old man Askew, a slave speculator, and they were shipped to the Mississippi bottoms in a boxcar. I never heard from my mother any more. I never seed my brother again, but my sister come back to Charlotte. She come to see me. She married and lived there till she died.
—Patsy Mitchner, age 84, Raleigh, North Carolina

If I thought, had any idea, that I’d ever be a slave again, I’d take a gun an’ jus’ end it all right away. Because you’re nothing but a dog. You’re not a thing but a dog.
—Fountain Hughes, age 101, Baltimore, Maryland

There wasn’t no reason to run up North. All we had to do was walk but walk South, and we’d be free as soon as we crossed the Rio Grande. In Mexico you could be free. They didn’t care what color you was, black, white, yellow, or blue. Hundreds of slaves did go to Mexico and got on all right.
—Felix Haywood, age 92, San Antonio, Texas

I sure has had a hard life. Jes wok an’ wok an wok. I nebbah know nothin’ but wok . . . No’m I nebbah knowed whut it wah t’ rest. I jes wok all de time f’om mawnin’ till late at night . . . Lawdy, honey, yo’ cain’t know what a time I had. All cold n’ hungry. No’m, I aint tellin’ no lies. It de gospel truf. It sho is.
—Sarah Gudger, age 121, Asheville, North Carolina

Sarah Gudger

I think the time will soon be when people won’t be looked on as regards to whether you are black or white, but all on the same equality. I may not live to see it but it is on the way. Many don’t believe it, but I know it.
—Delicia Patterson, age 92, Boonville, Missouri

Massa used to give ‘em [runaways] somethin’ to eat when dey hide dere. I saw dat place operated, though it wasn’t knowed by dat den, but long time after I finds out dey call it part of de “underground railroad.” Dey was stops like dat all de way up to de North.
—Lorenzo Ezell, age 87, Spartanburg County, South Carolina

Slavery was a bad thing, and freedom, of the kind we got, with nothing to live on, was bad. Two snakes full of poison. One lying with his head pointing north, the other with his head pointing south. Their names was slavery and freedom.
—Patsy Mitchner, age 84, Raleigh, North Carolina

We wuz glad ter be free, an’ lemmie tell yo’, we shore cussed ole martser out ‘fore we left dar; den we comed ter Raleigh.
—Charlie Crump, age unknown, North Carolina

Then one day along come a Friday and that a unlucky star day and I playin’ round de house and marster Williams come up and say, “Delis, will you ‘low Jim walk down the street with me?” My mammy say, “All right, Jim, you be a good boy,” and dat de las’ time I ever heard her speak, or ever see her. We walks down whar de houses grows close together and pretty soon comes to de slave market. I ain’t seed it ‘fore, but when marster Williams says, “Git up on de block,” I got a funny feelin’, and I knows what has happened.
—James Green, around 98 years old, born Petersburg, Virginia

I lays in de bunk two days, gittin’ over dat whippin’, gittin’ over it in de body but not de heart. No suh, I has dat in de heart till dis day.
—Andy Anderson, age unknown, Fort Worth, Texas

Lots of old slaves closes the door before they tell the truth about their days of slavery.
—Martin Jackson, around 91 years old, Victoria County, Texas

We lib in uh one room house in de slave quarter dere on de white folks plantation. My Gawd, sleep right dere on de floor . . . Fed us outer big bowl uv pot licker wid plenty corn bread en fried meat en dat ‘bout aw we e’er eat.
—Hector Godbold, age 87, Marion County, South Carolina

It was the law that if a white man was caught trying to educate a Negro slave, he was liable to prosecution entailing a fine of fifty dollars and a jail sentence. . . Our ignorance was the greatest hold the South had on us. We knew we could run away, but what then?
—John W. Fields, age unknown, Lafayette, Indiana

John W. Fields

De happies’ time o’ my life wuz when Cap’n Tipton, a Yankee soljer cumed an’ tol’ us de wah wuz ober an’ we wuz free. Cap’n Tipton sez, “Youse de boys we dun dis foah.” We shure didn’t lose no time gittin’ ‘way; no man.
—James Campbell, age unknown, Ohio

I asked why the curse of slavery was permitted to exist, and why I had been so persecuted and wronged from youth upward. These things took the shape of mystery, which is to this day not so clear to my soul as I trust it will be hereafter.—Harriet Ann Jacobs, age 48, Boston, Massachusetts

I do not think people know what Slavery means. It is not possible they should be able to understand how wicked a thing it is, and how it affects the free, as well as the bond.
—John Brown, age 38, Georgia

As the cars moved away we heard the weeping and wailing from the slaves as far as human voice could be heard, and from that time to the present I have neither seen nor heard from my two sisters, nor any of those who left Clarkson depot on that memorable day.
—Jacob Stroyer, age 48, Columbia, South Carolina

I recollect Mammy said to old Julie, “Take keer my baby chile (dat was me) and iffen I never sees her no mo’ raise her for God.” Den she fell off de waggin where us was all settin’ and roll over on de groun’s jes’ acryin’. But us was eatin’ candy what dey done give us for to keep us quiet, and I didn’t have sense ‘nuff for to know what ailed mammy, but I knows now and I never seed her no mo’ in dis life. When I heard from her atter S’render she done dead and buried. Her name was Rachel Powell.
—Laura Clark, age 86, Livingston, North Carolina

I crosses de river and goes north. I’s gwine to de free country, where dey ain’t no slaves. I travels all dat day and night up de river and follows de north star. Sev’ral times I thunk de blood houn’s am trailin’ me and I gits in de big hurry. I’s so tired I couldn’t hardly move, but I gits in a trot. I’s hopin and prayin’ all de time I meets with dat Harriet Tubman woman. She de cullud women what takes slaves to Canada.
—Thomas Cole, around 93 years old, Jackson County, Alabama

Ma and Pappy could visit back and forth sometimes, but they never lived together until after freedom.
—Betty Coffer, age 81, Wachovia, North Carolina

“Well dis de fourth day of June, and dis is 1865, and I want you all to ‘member de date, ‘cause you allus going ‘member de day. Today you is free. Jest lak I is, and Mr. Saunders and your Mistress and all us white people,” de man say . . . “I wants to bless you and hope you always is happy, and tell you got all de right and lief dat any white people got,” de man say, and den he git on his hoss and ride off.
—Katie Rowe, age unknown, Washington, Arkansas

De slaves was all mighty proud to be free, mighty proud.
—Mariah Barnes, age 83, Seaboard, North Carolina

I never did think slavery was right. I was just a chap then and never thought much about it till long since it was over.
—Milton Marshall, age 82, Newberry, South Carolina

We hated to se the sun rise in slavery time, ‘cause it meant another hard day; but then we was glad to see it go down . . . Slavery was pretty rough, and I am glad it is all over.
—Henry James Trentham, age 92, Raleigh, North Carolina

I was raised poor and hard as any slave, but the Lord had elevated me and made me feel that I was more of a man.
—Friday Jones, age 73, near Raleigh, North Carolina

Yes sah! I sho does come from dat old stock who has de misfortune to be slaves but who decide to be men, at one and de same time, and I’s right proud of it.
—George Cato, age unknown, Columbia, South Carolina

All de plantation owners, dey pay so much to de patrollers to be on de look-out fer de slaves, and dat’s de way dey kept so many from running away.
—George Flemming, age 83, Spartanburg, South Carolina