Slave Diary

March 8, 1855

Today I woke up and hardly ate anything. Then I went to the field, to start working. The heat from the sun was killing me, it made me tired but I still continued to work. My back was sore, from bending down, and picking the cotton. My hands were also sore from picking up the cotton pond, the cotton ponds had thorns that went into my fingers. When my master see's that I'm picking less cotton he would beat on me.

April 15, 1855

I can finally write in my diary again. The cabin is horrible, we're crowded, because of the pack of slaves in one cabin. The beds are uncomfortable, at least it's good enough to last the day. They give us food to last the next day, and the cabin's are made from logs. Theirs even holes on the floor of the cabins.

May 12, 1855

Today I witness a man getting whipped. He tired to run away, but they captured him. They beat him up so badly, that his screams haunts me. It was even painful watching the guy getting whipped. I heard more tortures from other slaves, but today was my first time witnessing someone getting whipped.

May 29, 1855

Today was a horrible day, some slaves were killing white people, but in the end they just got whipped. They settled houses on fire, they damaged their crops, and attacked their master. Many decided not to work too, but then the whites would show them control, by whipping them continuously. They even whipped people that did nothing in the Resistance.



June 12, 1855

Today, I witnessed a slave owner, buying someone away from his family. The lady was crying, she wanted the slave owner to buy her and the baby to, and she doesn't want to be separated from the guy. At least the lady knew that she couldn't be separated from her baby, because she needs to take care of it. Plus the mother can teach the baby whatever it needs to know.

June 28, 1855

Things are changing, it's so much fun on Sundays, that's the day were we can play music, sing, dance, and play games. Or you can go to Church, at church you can make friends, my new friends showed me how to make quilts, it's so fun to do. That's what I do in my leisure time.