Greenwood Electronic Media - American Slavery

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"… the definitive web resource for the study of American slavery ... Highest praise goes to Greenwood Electronic Media for developing this important and affordable research milestone accessible to a wide spectrum of users."

- Library Journal

The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography, George P. Rawick, General Editor, with A Comprehensive Name Index for The American Slave, compiled by Howard E. Potts and Subject Index, from Index to The American Slave, edited by Donald M. Jacobs, assisted by Steven Fershleiser

•	About the Collection
•	About the Index
•	About the Subject Index

•	Project Timeline	•	Introduction to the MIssissippi Narratives
•	Introduction to the LOC Collection (PDF)	•	Instructions to the Interviewers (PDF)
•	1941 Introductionto the LOC Collection (PDF)	•	Sample Narratives

In 1972, George P. Rawick was Associate Professor of Sociology at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. He earned his A.B. from Oberlin College and his M.S. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin. As a postdoctoral fellow, he studied sociology and anthropology at Cornell University.

"As a source for the study of slavery from the bottom up, the narratives are invaluable."

—Choice

From Sundown to Sunup: The Making of the Black Community
Original WPA memos and guidelines to writers in the field are included in the appendixes to From Sundown To Sunup: The Making of the Black Community, by George P. Rawick. From Sundown To Sunup is the author's introductory treatise to the collection published by Greenwood starting in 1972. You can buy the text here.

The memos and guidelines issued by the WPA help lend important context to the collected narratives. You may read them here in PDF:

Editor's Introduction to Volumes 2-19
The 1941 Front Matter of the Works Project Administration Project, by B.A. Botkin, Chief Editor, Writers' Unit, Library of Congress
Memo from Henry G. Alsberg, Director, Federal Writers Project, requesting additional material on the historical background of slavery.
Alsberg's instructional memo to the State Directors of the Federal Writers Project, including suggested questions and recording dialect.

Below is the table of contents of From Sundown To Sunup, with links to Rawick's introduction and first chapter in PDF:

Introduction
Part 1: The Sociology of Slavery in the United States

Chapter 1: Master and Slave
Chapter 2: The Role of Africa in the Making of the American Black People
Chapter 3: The Religion of the Slaves
Chapter 4: Master and Slave: Treatment
Chapter 5: The Black Family Under Slavery
Chapter 5: Master and Slave: Resistance

Part II: The Sociology of European and American Racism

Chapter 7: Racism and Slavery
Chapter 8: Racism and the Making of American Slavery

Appendixes
Bibliography
Index

Read more about this product in our downloadable fact sheet (PDF Format).