Chapter I.
INTRODUCTION:
SLAVERY AS MEMORY
AND HISTORY
The Introduction to Remembering Slavery, Part 1
(Issues of Memory,
History, and Historical Sources)
Noted historians and scholars Ira Berlin, Marc Favreau, and Steven F.
Miller, the editors of Remembering Slavery, have written an introduction (that
you'll find at the start of the book portion of Remembering Slavery) that raises
important questions regarding the nature of history, historical sources, and
historical research. The introduction, titled "Slavery as History and Memory"
begins by describing the origins of the tapes and transcribed interviews with
former slaves, as well as the different ways they were viewed and critiqued by
historians and scholars in different periods. This introduction provides an
important critical context both to the books and tapes/broadcasts; while
attesting to the vital contribution these interviews with former slaves make to
our knowledge and understanding of slavery, the introduction emphasizes how
all historical sources have their "strengths and weaknesses" and should be
read "critically and cautiously." Before encountering the interviews themselves,
it is well worth the time to read and think about the introduction, particularly in
terms of considering what history is, who documents it, how it is interpreted,
and how we can best respond to and learn from it.
PREVIEW: Before reading the introduction to Remembering Slavery, start
considering the issues it raises by thinking, writing, and talking about these
exercises and questions:
- Choose a popular fairy tale and tell or re-write the story from the point
of view of a character other than the hero or heroine. (For example, you might
re-write the story of Jack and Beanstalk from the point of view of the Giant,
who describes his outrage at having a puny intruder rob him of a valuable
family heirloom). After you re-tell the story, think about these questions: In
what ways does the character who tells the story influence the events that are
presented? Which events in your revision of the story are emphasized, and
which ones are omitted, contradicted, or de-emphasized from the original
story? Why? How do specific words and descriptions used by the storyteller
contribute to creating a particular impression of the other characters -- and
presenting him or herself in the best possible light? How might you present
this same story in a manner that does not favor any single individual's
perspective over another's? Is it possible to provide a fully objective (non-opinionated)
version of any event? What does this exercise suggest about
who documents history and how we can best utilize historical sources?
- Create a list of all the places you remember encountering some
portrayal or discussion of American slavery. Set a time limit for yourself of 5-10 minutes,
sit with some paper, and jot down whatever sources come into
mind. These sources can range from historical or academic materials to pop
cultural references; they might be textbooks, scholarly articles, magazine
articles, novels, short stories, television shows and miniseries, feature movies,
etc. After finishing the list, take some time to consider these questions:
- Who is the intended audience for each source? How is the source
specifically directed at that audience?
- What is the main goal of the source (such as to inform, to entertain, to
incite anger or emotion)?
- Who created the source? How much do you know about the person or
people who created it? What assumptions or biases might they have
brought to the material?
- What aspects of slavery would you want to know more about that are
missing from these sources? Where might you go to discover this
additional information?
READ THE FIRST HALF OF THE INTRODUCTION: You'll find it easier to
concentrate and absorb the points raised in the introduction if you read it in at
least two sessions. Start by reading the first half which
addresses the origins and interpretations of the interviews with former slaves.
The second half of the introduction is discussed separately later.
READING GOAL: As you read, try to identify the various ways in which the
accounts of former slaves were valued, criticized, defined, and interpreted by
different scholars, historians, and groups of people at different times. Why, as
the authors state at the start of the introduction, was remembering slavery a
source of "struggle"?
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS: After you've read the first part of the introduction,
take the time to think about some or all of these questions. You might want to
try "freewriting" in response to them, writing down whatever thoughts come to
mind in a book for your eyes only, without worrying about other people reading
it. Working out your thoughts, feelings, and opinions on paper encourages you
to focus more directly on your response to the material. If you know others
who are reading or listening Remembering Slavery, you might share some of
your responses to these questions and use them as the basis for an open
discussion.
- The introduction is titled "Slavery as Memory and History." What is
the difference between memory and history? How might memories serve as
historical sources? What are the problems with using memories as sources?
What, on the other hand, can individuals' memories contribute to our
understanding of the past that other kinds of sources cannot?
- The authors note that there was a "struggle over slavery's memory."
What exactly are the different ways slavery might be remembered? Why
would these be a source of struggle? What do different groups have to gain
by Remembering Slavery in a particular way?
- How did the general portrayal of slavery change in the late nineteenth
century from the way in which it was perceived in the period immediately
following the Civil War?
- What was the "romanticized" view of slavery that the introduction
mentions? Where was it encountered the most? Where do we still see
"romanticized" portrayals today? How would interviews with actual former
slaves counter this view of slavery?
- How was slavery largely discussed by historians in the decades
before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s? Why do you think awareness
about Civil Rights changed the way the interviews with former slaves were
thought about and discussed?
- The introduction mentions two groups, in addition to historians,
particularly interested in the collection and study of interviews with former
slaves: folklorists (who study the traditional customs, stories, sayings, and art
forms among a particular group of people) and linguists (who study issues
related to language, such as the nature and structure of language, and
regional variations and dialects). Why might folklorists be interested in
interviewing former slaves? What questions would a folklorist be particularly
interested in as opposed to a historian? Why would a linguist want to record
and study these interviews? What might a linguist look for, as opposed to a
folklorist or historian?
- Why did some historians discount or ignore interviews with former
slaves? What does this say about the extent to which a history can be
comprehensive or fully representative?
- What are some of the problems with the transcribed interviews and
tape recordings that the introduction mentions? How might the interviewers'
beliefs and assumptions influence the content of the interview? How might
editing or rewriting parts of the interview affect its content?
- Why, despite these problems, do you think the narratives have, in the
editors' words, "great historic value"? What do they have to show us or teach
us? How can we use and learn from them while still keeping their limitations in
mind?
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES: Here are some activities that build upon the
questions raised in the introduction to encourage you to pursue your own
interests and questions. Teachers should note that these activities make good
assignments and projects for students.
- Tape record a brief interview with a friend or family member in which
you ask him or her to recount some specific experience (such as the first day
of school; a special occasion; celebrating a particular holiday). After taping the
interview, write down as much of the interview as you can remember
WITHOUT listening to the tape. Then, try to transcribe the interview verbatim,
writing down every word you hear as you listen to the tape. When you're
finished, read through and compare the two accounts of the interview. Do they
both cover the same material? What is included in the verbatim transcript that
is not in your first attempt to document the content of the interview? You also
might try listening to the tape and reading over your "verbatim" transcript. How
accurate was your transcription? Were you in fact able to get down every
word? What does this exercise tell you about the strengths and weaknesses
of using interviews as historical sources?
- Based on this exercise, write your own manifesto titled "Being a
Responsible Historian and Reader of History." What are the specific duties
and concerns of a responsible historian? What should be the main goals and
concerns of a historian? What must a historian keep in mind as he or she
conducts research and begins constructing an account of a historical period?
What should readers of history keep in mind as they study history?
- Read more about the Works Projects Administration Federal Writers'
Project. Why was it instituted? What were the various projects undertaken?
What artists and writers were involved? Why would interviewing former slaves
be part of its agenda?
- Read more about and conduct research into the history of sound
recording. What recording devices would the interviewers in the 1930s and
1940s have been using? What changes in technology since then have
improved the quality and accessibility of these recordings?
- Examine two different primary sources that address some aspect of
slavery (such as editorials in Northern and Southern newspapers, or diaries by
slave masters and mistresses as compared to slave narratives). What beliefs,
biases and assumptions are evident in each document? What, if anything, can
be taken as a "fact" and what is an "opinion"? How can one read these
materials "critically" and still learn from them?
IDENTIFYING YOURSELF AS A READER/LISTENER
One of the most important issues the introduction raises is how historian
and interviewers' beliefs and assumptions affected the interviews and/or the
way in which they were interpreted, sometimes inadvertently. This highlights
the importance of acknowledging how our own backgrounds, experiences, and
personal biases can influence the way we read, listen, and interpret just about
anything we encounter.
After reading the introduction, take some time to think and write about
yourself and your own relationship to slavery and the Civil War. Begin by
writing a brief profile or biography of yourself in which you describe your:
ethnicity, culture, religion, nationality, region, family background, knowledge,
and experiences. Then consider these questions:
- How do you think the factors listed above (such as your ethnicity and
culture) influence the way you see the world? How do they influence the way
you view history? How might these factors specifically influence the way you
respond to the interviews with former slaves?
- Do you have some personal or family connection to this material?
Were your family members themselves slaves or slaveholders? What part, if
any, did your family play in the Civil War?
- What information and images do you assume you'll read or hear
about in Remembering Slavery? What led to those assumptions? How might
you compensate for these assumptions and biases as you read and/or listen to
Remembering Slavery?