Former American Slave Voices

Hear the actual voices of former American Slaves along with their stories of bondage here in the United States of America.   These recordings are made courtesy of the Library of Congress.

In listening to these authentic audio tapes please take into consideration the life experiences of those being interviewed and the interviewers.  BlackHistory.Today does not endorse the use of the “N” word under any circumstances, but condemns its use in the past and present.  Most of these interviews occurred from the early to the Mid Twentieth Century.  This was the era of Jim Crow and it can be detected in the interviews.  Please remember the times and fear that may have still existed by the former slaves in their relationships with Whites in society and this possibly could tender their responses to some of the questions by the interviewers.