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Washington

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Gajanan Dukhi
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23 views27 pages

Washington

Uploaded by

Gajanan Dukhi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Contents Chapter I. A Slave among Slaves . I Boyhood Days ‘The Struggle foren Education . Helping Others ‘The Reconsiruciion Period Black Race and Red Race. Early Days at Tuskegee. ‘Anxious Days and Sleepless Nighis . ‘A Harder Task than making Brieks without Sttaw “Making ther Bes before they could lie on them a V. Vv. VI. VIL vill. i. acl XL xi xa XIV. XV. ‘Teaching School in a Stble anda Hen-House + Borker Taek be if Up From § avery Neo Yori: Nevton. Chapter T A Slave among Slaves I wes born a slave on a planation in Franklin County, Virginia, Lam not quite sure of the exact place or exact date of my birth, but at any rate I suspect I must have been bom somewhere and at some time. As nearly a5 T have been able to learn, T was born neat a crossroads post- office calle! Hale's Ford, and the year was 1858 or 1859." I do not know the month or the day. The earliest impressions T can now recall are of the planfation and the slave quarters—the later being the part of the 435 compared with many bout fourteen by sixteen square, In this cabin Tlived with my mother and a brother and sister even later, [heard whispered conve ofthe tortures which the slaves, brother and a half-sister. In the days of slavery not: was given to family history and family records—th records. My mother, I suppose, attracted the atte who wes afterward my owner and hers. Her addition attracted about as much attention as the purchase ofa new horse or cow. Of my father I know even less hi i on one of the near-by plantations. Whoever he ws his taking the Teost interest in me or prov 1. According a Louis H. Hats Boker? Wanton The Maing of Blok Lede, 156 ‘Hor: Wingo ns bon fs 690 net cheese en belonging fase Butugh. 7 8 Ue From Suaveny my tearing. But I do not find especial fault with him. He was simply the institution which the Nation unhap- winter. There was a door led a doom—but the uncer Tage cracks in it, to say tothe cabin—th fain hinges by every mansion or period. The inches, p house at will during the ni the case of our particular cabin {could this convenience, since there were at Ihave aceommo- deep opening covered with boards, which was used asa place ia which to store swect potatoes during the winter. An impression of this potat hole is very distinctly engraved upon my memory, because J recall that during th king them out I would ‘offen come into possession of one or two, which I roasted and thor- the poorly built cabin from the open fireplace in summer was equally tying. ‘The early yea the early moming belote her work began, and at night after the da ‘work was done. One of my earliest recollections is that of my mother cooking a chicken laic at night, and awaker purpose of feeding them. How or where she got ever, it was procured fe is theft. such 2 thing were to happen demn it as theft myself. But taking place atthe time eystern of slavery, Leannot remember having slept in a bed until after our family was declared free by the Emancipation Proclamation. Three children— Cuavren 1 9 John, yoke othe, Arends ny site, and mela a ple and on a bundle of laid upon the dist loo. was asked not long ago to tell something about the sports and pas- times that | engaged in during my youth. Until that question was asked devoted to play. From the time th every day of my life has been occupied in some kind of labour; think I would now be ¢ more useful man if I had had time for sports. During the period that I spent in slavery I was not lage enough to be of much service, stil T was occupied most ofthe time carrying water to the men in the fields, or going to used to take the corn, once a week, to be ground, three miles from the plantation. This work I always dreaded. The heavy bag of com would be thrown across the back ofthe horse, and the corn divided about evenly on each side; exception, on these trips, the com would so shift as to anced and would fll off the horse, and often I would ‘was not strong enough to reload to wait, sometimes for many who would help me out of ides, when I was late in geting home I knew I would always get a severe scolding or « flogging Thad no schocling whatever while I was a slave, though I remember on several occasions T went as far asthe schoolhouse door with one of my young mistresses to carry her books. The picture of several dozen so far as books or newspapers were conc selves s0 accurately and completely informed about the great National 10 ‘Up From Staveny questions thet were agitating the country. From the time that Garrison, Lovejoy,? and athers began to agitate for freedom, the slaves throughout the South kept in close touch with the progress of the movement. heard my mother and the other slaves on the pl ige in, These discussions showed that they understood the situ- ation, and that they kept themselves informed of events by what was termed the “grape-vine” telegraph. During the campaign when Lincoln was frsta candidate forthe Presi- dency, the saves on our far-off plentation, miles from any railroad or Jaage city or daly newspaper, knew whet theisues involved were. When un between the North and the South, every slave on our plantation felt and kn ough other issues were discussed, the en the most ignorant members of my race on the remote plantations felt in their heats, with a ccttainty that «admitted of no doubt, that the freedom of the slaves would be the one ‘ated wih te loca a st ites nent: Olles the dace got eg fhe eal of eat bates eee we peopl received ‘The man who was sent to'the office would linger about the place long

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