Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives is a 2003 American
documentary film about the stories of former slaves interviewed during the 1930s as part of the
Federal Writers' Project and preserved in the
WPA Slave Narrative Collection. This HBO film interpretation directed by Ed Bell and Thomas Lennon[2] is a compilation of slave narratives, narrated by actors, emulating the original conversation with the interviewer. The
slave narratives may be the most accurate in terms of the everyday activities of the enslaved, serving as personal memoirs of more than two thousand former slaves. The documentary depicts the emotions of the slaves and what they endured. The "Master" had the opportunity to sell, trade, or kill the enslaved, for retribution should one slave not obey.
History
The largest collection of slave narratives emerged from the
Federal Writers' Project. Created by the Federal Government under the
WPA to reduce unemployment during the 1930s, one component of the Federal Writers' Project involved interviews with thousands of former slaves in 17 states.[citation needed] The oral history interview project yielded an extraordinary set of 2,300 autobiographical documents known as the
Slave Narrative Collection.[citation needed] What emerged from these documents were pictures of living standards, the daily chores, and long days, along with stories of the good and bad "Master."[citation needed] The brutality, torture, and abuse under slavery are themes in the interviews.[citation needed]
After the Civil War ended in 1865, more than four million slaves were set free.[3] The main objectives were to inform the public and describe the history and life of the former slaves.[citation needed] More than 2,000 slave narratives along with 500 photos are available online at the Library of Congress as part of the "Born in Slavery" project.[4]
Slaves and readers
James Green, Texas, Volume 16 – read by
Samuel L. Jackson 0:08 – last time I ever ... see her