I Was Born a Slave: An Anthology of Classic Slave Narratives, Volume 1: 1772-1849

Between 1760 and 1902, more than 200 book-length autobiographies of ex-slaves were published; together they form the basis for all subsequent African American literature. __I Was Born a Slave__ collects the 20 most significant “slave narratives.” They describe whippings, torture, starvation, resistance, and hairbreadth escapes; slave auctions, kidnappings, and murders; sexual abuse, religious confusion, the struggle of learning to read and write; and the triumphs and difficulties of life as free men and women. Many of the narratives—such as those of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs—have achieved reputations as masterpieces; but some of the lesser-known narratives are equally brilliant. This unprecedented anthology presents them unabridged, providing each one with helpful introductions and annotations, to form the most comprehensive volume ever assembled on the lives and writings of the slaves.Volume one (1770–1849) includes the narratives of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, Olaudah Equiano (Gustavus Vassa), William Grimes, Nat Turner, Charles Ball, Moses Roper, Frederick Douglass, Lewis and Milton Clarke, William Wells Brown, and Josiah Henson. Between 1760 And 1902, More Than 200 Book-length Autobiographies Of Ex-slaves Were Published; Together They Form The Basis For All Subsequent African American Literature. I Was Born A Slave Collects The 20 Most Significant Slave Narratives. They Describe Whippings, Torture, Starvation, Resistance, And Hairbreadth Escapes; Slave Auctions, Kidnappings, And Murders; Sexual Abuse, Religious Confusion, The Struggle Of Learning To Read And Write; And The Triumphs And Difficulties Of Life As Free Men And Women. Many Of The Narratives--such As Those Of Frederick Douglass And Harriet Jacobs--have Achieved Reputations As Masterpieces; But Some Of The Lesser-known Narratives Are Equally Brilliant. This Unprecedented Anthology Presents Them Unabridged, Providing Each One With Helpful Introductions And Annotations, To Form The Most Comprehensive Volume Ever Assembled On The Lives And Writings Of The Slaves. Volume One (1770-1849) Includes The Narratives Of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, Olaudah Equiano (gustavus Vassa), William Grimes, Nat Turner, Charles Ball, Moses Roper, Frederick Douglass, Lewis And Milton Clarke, William Wells Brown, And Josiah Henson. Volume Two (1849-1866) Includes The Narratives Of Henry Bibb, James W. C. Pennington, Solomon Northup, John Brown, John Thompson, William And Ellen Craft, Harriet Jacobs (linda Brent), Jacob D. Green, James Mars, And William Parker. V. 1. 1772-1849 -- V. 2. 1849-1866. Edited By Yuval Taylor ; Foreword By Charles Johnson. The Library Of Black America. -- Cover. Includes Bibliographical References (v. 1, P. [757]-764 ; V. 2., P. 789-796). Front Cover 1 Back Cover 2 copyright 6 CONTENTS 9 Foreword 11 Introduction 17 James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, an African Prince 41 Olaudah Equiano (Gustavus Vassa) The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African 69 William Grimes Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave 221 Nat Turner The Confessions of Nat Turner, the Leader of the Late Insurrection in Southampton, Va. 274 Nat Turner The Confessions of Nat Turner, the Leader of the Late Insurrection in Southampton, Va. 275 Charles Ball Slavery in the United States: A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Charles Ball, A Black Man, Who Lived Forty Years in Maryland, South Carolina and Georgia as a Slave 299 Moses Roper A Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper, from American Slavery 527 Frederick Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave 563 Lewis & Milton Clarke Narratives of the Sufferings of Lewis and Milton Clarke, Sons of a Soldier of the Revolution, During a Captivity of More than Twenty Years Among the Slaveholders of Kentucky 641 William Wells Brown Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave 713 Josiah Henson The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada 759 Bibliography 757 797 "Over 120 autobiographies of ex-slaves were published as books or pamphlets between the mid-eighteenth and early twentieth centuries; all subsequent African American literature is descended from these seminal works. [This book] collects ... significant slave narratives and arranges them chronologically ... This ... anthology presents the narratives unabridged, providing each one with ... introductions and annotations ... The narratives in this volume include ... tales of heroic slaves. One, born free, was kidnapped and enslaved for twelve years; one was experimented upon by a doctor to see how deep his black skin went; one disguised herself as a male slaveowner; one hid herself from a lustful master in a crawlspace for seven years; one delighted in playing cruel practical jokes; one went whaling to avoid being recaptured; and one led an armed posse to battle would-be kidnappers."--Back cover JAMES ALBERT UKAWSAW GRONNIOSAW (c.1712-?), an "African Prince," as the title page of his narrative informs us, dictated his life story to an anonymous "young LADY of the town of LEOMINSTER."