After reading all the slave narratives, I am struck by the weight of
evidence that the vast majority of the former slaves interviewed thought
with kindness and nostalgia about their life in slavery.  It appears
that few immediately left their plantations after the war, but chose to
continue to live  with their masters.
 
Question-Do any of the educators in this forum who teach  history during
this period mention the alternative view that perhaps the  majority of
slaves were treated well and were not unhappy with their  status?  Just
curious.
 

Keep in mind that you've only skimmed the surface of testimony from
former slaves. When the WPA narratives were published in the 1970s, they
comprised 12 lengthy volumes and an additional work on Virginia. Having
read through much of these, I can't say that I came away with the same
impression. To be sure, the kind of sentiments you describe are present
and are always worth noting. But even in the highly flawed context in
which the interviews took place, the attitudes you describe were far
from dominant.

In any event, I think more pertinent evidence of the attitudes of
freedpersons derives from their actions after the war. They mobilized
behind the Union and the Republican Party and aggressively sought
political power at the expense of their former owners. One only has to
read the shock and outrage that many whites experienced after the war in
the face of the perceived ingratitude of their "servants." African
Americans knew all too well who their allies were. That they took such
decisive steps after the war to dismantle the political and economic
regime that had sustained their enslavement indicates to me a good deal
of unhappiness with their status.


Bland Whitley
Library of Virginia

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