Written and oral testimony to the conditions and experiences of slavery reveal the everyday lives and extraordinary culture of black slaves.

Letters, 1736-1864 -- Speeches, 1837-1862 -- Newspaper and magazine interviews, 1827-1863 -- American Freedmen's Inquiry Commission interviews, 1863 -- Newspaper and magazine interviews, 1864-1938 -- Interviews by scholars, 1872-1938 -- Autobiographies published in periodicals and books, 1828-1878.