Enslaved People

This section will endeavor to do something that is often ignored in a discussion about slavery-- the perspective of the enslaved. Included in this section are many, often ignored, slave narratives that provide the point-of-view of the enslaved. Traditionally, such narratives would rely on secondary sources, which have their own bias, and archeological and anthropological evidence. Within this portion of the exhibit, the perspective of the enslaved will be shown using their own words.

Please note: This section is entitled Enslaved People for a specific reason. Slave, rhetorically speaking, invokes the image of one who is, by definition, a slave-- as if it is a distinction one is born into. Enslaved means one who is forced into the institution of slavery; it shows that the person is a person and has been forced into the status of human chattel without their consent.