What the Slaves Believed

Drawing from the WPA Slave Narrative Collection, this volume sifts through more than 2,300 interviews with survivors of slavery in order to document their religious lives through primary sources.

The best way to find out what the slaves believed was to ask them. Between 1936 and 1938, more than 2,300 former slaves were interviewed by writers working for the Roosevelt administration's Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the only large-scale oral history of African American slavery ever conducted. From baptisms to funerals, from traditional expressions of Christianity to secret West African traditions, these survivors gave voice to the lives of millions of slaves, depicting, among other things, a unique religious tradition the story of which had not previously been told.



The only volume on the religious lives of slaves to prioritize primary sources, this book enables students and scholars alike to hear the voices of former slaves by compiling and contextualizing what they had to say about religion. A unique resource, the work collects a variety of faith-related excerpts from the WPA slave narratives and places them in their historical and cultural contexts. Seven topical sections focus on specific aspects of slave life as they related to religion. In addition, there is an introduction that sets the stage for the narratives, a helpful feature on how to evaluate primary sources, a timeline, and a selected bibliography.


* Provides a comprehensive survey of the religious beliefs of slaves in their own words

* Explains, describes, and anthologizes the religious lives of slaves on a scale not realized in earlier works

* Shows how the information gleaned from the WPA narratives fit within the larger historical context of African American religious life

* Provides introductory material for readers who are not familiar with the topics discussed

* Offers additional references for those who want to learn more