Mississippi Slave Narratives Prelude to the Blues

Andrew Waters' new book, "Prayin' to Be Set Free: Personal Accounts of Slavery in Mississippi" was published in February 2002 by John F. Blair, Publisher in Winston-Salem, NC. This book is the newest addition in the "Real Voices, Real History" Series from John F. Blair, Publisher.

The last generation of American slaves left a legacy in the form of thousands of interviews collected by out-of-work wordsmiths employed by the Federal Writers Project. These slave narratives" as these interviews have come to be known, are arguably as important a set of historical documents as any housed in the Library of Congress.

For decades, the slave narratives were a well-kept secret accessible only in the Rare Book Room of the library or on microfilm for a $110 fee. In recent years, however, they have been offered in pocket-sized editions, organized geographically by state by North Carolina-based John F. Blair, Publisher. The latest addition to Blairs Real Voices, Real History series is a volume containing 28 interviews with former Mississippi slaves, entitled Prayin to Be Set Free: Personal Accounts of Slavery in Mississippi.

In the books introduction, editor Andrew Waters draws comparisons between the narratives and the early recordings of the blues. The blues recordings from the Great Depression are often described as raw and intense, open and powerful," he writes. The words of the Mississippians in the narratives, all born under slavery, often possess that same raw, intense power."

It sho was terrible times," says James Lucas of his service in the Union army.These old eyes of mine seen more people crippled and dead. Is seen em saw off legs with hacksaw. I tell you, it aint right, what I seen. It aint right at all."

The life of Prince Johnson, who was approximately ninety when interviewed in Coahoma County, also has the makings of a blues song. I expected to spend the rest of my days right there on the same place," he says of the 360-acre farm he purchased from a white man named Armstrong after the Civil War, but you never can tell in this life what's going to happen. During the Cleveland administration, cotton went to a nickel a pound. That was the year I lost my land. Mr. Armstrong went broke, and I went right down with him. We was plum busted."

Mississippi differed from other slave-owning states in several respects. What is now Mississippi wasnt acquired by the United States until 1798, at which time it had fewer than 10,000 residents, excluding Native Americans. By 1860, there were 436,631 slaves in Mississippi, compared to 353,901 whites. It is estimated that just under half of Mississippis white population was involved in the ownership of slaves at the outbreak of the Civil War. Mississippi was considered a slave-buying, frontier state, as opposed to the eastern seaboard states, which typically sold slaves to their western neighbors. This is reflected in several of the narratives. The former slaves rarely trace their Mississippi roots back more than one generation. Many recall coming to the state as children.

My pa, he was sold and traded in Alabama and was brung here in Mississippi and sold with a bunch of other slaves," says Lucy Donald of Puckett, Mississippi. I dont know nothing of my folks way back, for they was sold here and yonder and switched bout til I just knows Is got a pa and ma and thats bout all."

The great folk historian Peter Guralnick noted, 'Blues is a compelling, inspiring, living art, writes Waters. He was writing about Tommy Johnson, Willie Brown, and Booker White, but I believe he could have just as easily been discussing James Lucas, Prince Johnson, and Lucy Donald. It is the aural quality of these narratives that I find so compelling. Without the inflections in the voices, the rhetorical asides, and the lost threads, these narratives would just be words-the dull, lifeless, brittle words too often found in historical texts. But with those qualities intact, they breathe with tone, harmony, and melody, creating an experience that is as akin to music as mere words can possibly be."

    Andrew Waters has worked as an editor for HarperCollins, John F. Blair, Publisher; and Pet Publishing Magazines. He is also the editor of On Jordans Stormy Banks: Personal Accounts of Slavery in Georgia. He lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Title: Prayin to Be Set Free
Author: Andrew Waters
ISBN: 0-89587-256-0
Price: $9.95 paperback
Specs: 5 x 7 1/2, 196 pages
Publication Date: February 2002