Speaking of Slavery

The Georgia Slave Narratives: A Historical Conundrum

“…84 Rawick, "Notes on the Ex-Slave Narrative Collection," 1980, Rawick Papers, Box 11. was no difference. 85 Likewise the age of the interviewee, often cited as a weakness of the narratives, was dismissed as irrelevant by Escott. Citing social scientific studies, he argued that "aging does not impair the recollection of the elderly" and that intellectual function could even improve with age.…”

“…Indeed much of the good treatment that so many of the ex-slaves describe could be ascribed to enlightened self-interest by their owners. 57 55 Rawick, The American Slave, XII, part 1, 57, 85;part 2,353;and XIII,part 4,309. 56 Typifying this perspective is the scholarship of Orlando Patterson, who makes extensive use of the narratives.…”