In the late 1700s to the mid-1800s, former and fugitive slaves began writing and publishing accounts based on what they had to endure as an enslaved person. These first-hand accounts were called slave narratives. Through these stories and detailed illustrations, abolitionists were able to uncover the untold truth of the life of a slave. In addition, they were able to give northerners insight into what slavery truly was in the South, while also spreading the antislavery message. In the present day, these narratives not only serve as essential historical sources; they created a new form of American literature that would be an inspiration to authors for years to come.

By the 1830s, slavery in America had been going on for over 200 years. Approximately 400,000 slaves were transported to America from Africa. A large majority of these slaves wound up in the southern regions of the Americas. In the South — the slave states — slaves proved to be very useful. With an agriculturally based society, slave owners in the South saw slaves as an opportunity to get hard farm labor done without having to pay anyone. They could work their slaves in the field for long hours in excessive heat without having to do any work themselves. In the North, things were significantly different from the South. The industrial society of the North had no use for slaves. Their economy was largely based on the workforce — factory labor instead of slave labor.

After the northern states became free states in 1820, many northerners started to form their own opinions on the matter of slavery. They began to believe that slavery should be no more. This belief soon formed into the abolitionist movement: a movement created to push for the abolishment of slavery. Abolitionists were not all white — some of the most well-known abolitionists were freed or escaped slaves, like Fredrick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Jacobs. These former slaves used their voices to spread their message of freedom throughout the states. They stood as symbols of hope and a new future for Black people in America. Their activism and courage left footprints in many aspects of American history.

One goal for these abolitionists was to inform unaware white people on the pain and suffering that came along with slavery. To truly spread their message and change the minds of those who opposed them, several former slaves released personal narratives telling their stories and their truths. These narratives became known as the slave narratives. Slave narratives not only gave white northerners detailed insights on slavery, but also served as undeniable evidence to the counterargument that was pro-slavery.

Between the 18th and 19th centuries, it’s believed that nearly 200 slave narratives were written. The first slave narrative was written by Olaudah Equiano. In his narrative, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Olaudah describes life in Nigeria and his journey during the Middle Passage. His narrative became a bestseller and is proclaimed as the original slave narrative.

In the early 19th century, with the rising tensions over slavery between the North and South, there was a growing demand for first-hand accounts of slavery in the United States. Former slaves, now abolitionists, wrote their narratives in response. Fredrick Douglass, an escaped slave, wrote the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. In his narrative, Douglass describes the death of his mother, songs sung by slaves, the limited education for slaves, and the tactics used to make men slaves. Douglass describes how slavery transformed him. He says, “My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me, and behold a man transformed into a brute!” The narratives describe how life is ripped away from you as soon as you become a slave. Narratives like Twelve Years a Slave, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, The Narrative of William W. Brown, and so many others describe realizing the soul-crushing truth that they are not human beings, but property.

The slave narratives grew extremely popular with the public soon after they were published. Hundreds of thousands of copies were being sold around the world, and many narratives were being translated into different languages, such as French, Russian, German, and Dutch. Some narrative authors like Douglass and William Brown went on tour throughout the North and Europe. They wanted to lecture those who needed to be educated and share their stories with those who were willing to listen.

In the South, they were, to say the least, outraged by these narratives, which thickened the tension between the North and the South. The South claimed the narratives to be completely untrue and an act of criminalization. Some white southerners went as far as writing their own novels, describing the slave life as “happy.” Any southerner who supported the narratives were often threatened or even killed. Harriet Beecher Stowe, the famous author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, received hundreds of threats for her work. She even received a package containing the ear of a Black man from one of her threateners.

Slave narratives provoked questions of racism, justice, equality, and freedom in America. Since readers now had a glimpse in the life of a slave, many in the North, and even the South, began to wonder whether slavery was morally and lawfully right. They started to wonder whether, under the Declaration of Independence, every person was getting the opportunity to pursue their natural-born right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Even after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, more and more slave narratives continued to be written and published. In the early 1900s, the Library of Congress set out to collect slave narratives that were never published. They were able to collect over 2,300 personal accounts of slavery and about 500 photographs from former slaves. This collection became known as Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project.

Slave narratives inspired a whole new era for African-American literature. The slave narratives became their own genre and one of the most talked-about forms of African American literature. They served as an inspiration to the next generation of African American writers. Black autobiographies from the 20th and 21st centuries have to give some credibility to the slave narratives: especially ones written during the civil rights movement. Slave narratives inspired some of America’s classic novels, like Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Huckleberry Finn. They also influenced novels like The Confessions of Nat Turner and Beloved; both directly based on the slave narratives.

Historically, slave narratives provide first-hand accounts of slavery in the United States. They help us understand how slavery came about and remained intact for so long. Also, it allows us to have a deeper understanding of the relationship between Black people and white people during the 18th and 19th centuries. Slave narratives and fictional writings based on them have played major roles in creating a picture of slavery for those who now get to celebrate being free.

Slave narratives led people to question the meaning of freedom. It led them to question the unjust act of slavery and the ethical values of their own country. The doubt and uneasiness these questions created would help in the push against slavery and would eventually lead to its abolishment. By sharing their stories of slavery, these authors left a legacy in American literature, and they gave light to some of America’s darkest secrets. Their impact lives on in the lives of African Americans today and will continue to for generations to come.