Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves, Volume XV, Tennessee Narratives

These recorded testimonies bring the voices of Tennessean enslaved people to life, letting listeners hear their own words as they recalled childhood, work, and the upheavals of the Civil War. The interviews capture the cadence of regional speech, the harshness of daily chores, and the small moments of community—songs sung while washing, stories of secret gatherings, and the bittersweet recollections of family ties strained by forced separations.

Listeners will encounter a range of experiences, from the sorrow of a mother’s loss to the tentative hope that arrived with Union troops. The narratives reveal how enslaved families navigated a world of shifting loyalties, hidden resistance, and the uncertain promise of freedom, all while preserving the cultural rhythms that sustained them. This collection offers an intimate, unvarnished window into a pivotal era of American history, told directly by those who lived it.