“What Do I Think of Slavery?” - Selections from the WPA interviews of formerly enslaved African Americans, 1936-1938

Sep 17, 2026

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Selections from WPA interviews with formerly enslaved African Americans conducted between 1936 and 1938 by the Federal Writers’ Project of the Works Progress Administration. The document centers on the prompt “Now that slavery is ended, what do you think of it?” and presents transcribed narratives reflecting themes of freedom versus bondage, family life, enduring trauma, and changing daily control. Editorial notes explain transcription practices and language considerations used by interviewers and the National Humanities Center.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time11 min

AccessFree to download

Question and interview prompt

Now that slavery is ended, what do you think of it?

Selected narratives on slavery and freedom

Ownership, family, and worry

Freedom as escape from captivity

Gratitude and memories of the whip

Aging, work, and self-governance

Views of slavery as violence

Freedom as a gift and a religious trust

Editorial and transcription notes

Guidelines for language in narratives

“What Do I Think of Slavery?”Selections from the WPA interviews of formerly enslaved African Americans, 1936-1938 Over 2300 former slaves were interviewed during the Great Depression of the 1930s by members of the Federal Writers' Project, a New Deal agency in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) . Among the suggested questions was “Now that slavery is ended, what do you think of it?” Note: Selections from the narratives are presented as transcribed. Black interviewees often referred to themselves with terms now considered offensive. Some white interviewers, despite project guidelines for transcribing the narratives, used stereotypical patterns of representing black speech. See “A Note on the Language of the Narratives” at [lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snlang.html](lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snlang.html) and “Guidelines for Interviewers” at [nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/ wpanarrsuggestions.pdf](nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/ wpanarrsuggestions.pdf). QUESTION: “Now that slavery is ended, what do you think of it?” 􀂄 What I likes bes, to be slave or free? Well, it’s dis way. In slavery I owns nothin’ and never owns nothin’. In freedom I’s own de home and raise de family. All dat cause me worryment and in slavery I has no worryment, but I takes de freedom. Margrett Nillin, enslaved in Texas 􀂄 Was I happy? Law Miss. You can take anything. No matter how good you treat it—it wants to be free. You can treat it good and feed it good and give it everything it seems to want—but if you open the cage—it’s happy. Tom Robinson, enslaved in North Carolina and Texas 􀂄 And I is thankful they ain’t none of my children born slaves and have to remember all them terrible days when we was ruled by the whip ⎯ like I remember it, just like it was yesterday. Daniel William Lucas, enslaved in Mississippi 􀂄 I’m pretty old and can’t work hard anymore, but I manage to get along. I’m glad to be free and I don’t believe I could stand them slavery days now at all. I’m my own boss, get up when I want, go to bed the same way. Nobody to say this or that about what I do. Yes, I’m glad to be free! Mattie Logan, enslaved in Mississippi 􀂄 What do I t’ink ob slavery? I t’ink slavery is jest a murdering of de people. I t’ink Freedom been a great gift. I lak my Maussa and I guess he was as good to his slaves as he could be, but I ruther be free. Sam Mitchell, enslaved in South Carolina National Humanities Center, 2007: [nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/. Text and](nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/. Text and) photographs of interviewees courtesy of the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division. WPA Slave Narrative Project, Federal Writers’ Project, U.S. Work Projects Administration (USWPA) . Digital images of all typed transcribed interviews at [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html. Bracketed](http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html. Bracketed) comments added by NHC; parenthetical comments in original. A few typographical errors corrected when necessary for clarity. Complete image credits at [nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/imagecredits.htm](nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/imagecredits.htm). Lula Wilson Charlie Crump Delia Garlic 􀂄 Slavery time was tough, Boss. You just don’t know how tough it was. I can’t ’splain to you just how bad all de niggers want to get dey freedom. With de “free niggers” it was just de same as it was wid dem dat was in bondage. You know there was some few “free niggers” in dat time even’fore de slaves taken outen bondage. It was really worse on dem dan it was with dem what wasn’t free. De slaveowners, dey just depised dem “free niggers” an’ make it just as hard on dem as dey can. Dey couldn’t get no work from nobody. Tines Kendricks, enslaved in Arkansas 􀂄 I never had a hard time as a slave, but I’m glad we was set free. Sometimes we can’t figger out the best thing to do, but anyways we can lead our own life now, and I’m glad the young ones can lear

FAQs

Who conducted the interviews and when were they recorded?

Interviews were conducted by members of the Federal Writers’ Project, a New Deal agency in the Works Progress Administration, during 1936–1938.

What question organizes the selections in the document?

The selections are organized around the question: “Now that slavery is ended, what do you think of it?”

How are the narratives presented, and what language notes are provided?

Selections are presented as transcribed narratives. Notes explain that Black interviewees used terms now considered offensive and that some white interviewers used stereotypical patterns despite transcription guidelines.

Sep 17, 2026

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