The First Slave Narrative Of Richard Crump

The first slave narrative I read was about a man named Richard Crump. At the time Richard was interviewed he was 82 years old and he lived in Little Rock, Arkansas. Crump was born in Mississippi by his mother Emily Crump and his father Richard Crump. Crump’s father came from North Carolina and his mother came from Tennessee. Crump had 13 siblings that he say mostly all of them were killed and/or separated from each other. Crump was born into slavery and he remain with his same slave owner Johnnie Crump until slavery was abolished. He said that he has never experience selling or being sold. Crump was married at the age of 21 and had 4 children of his own. He says after slavery he would go away from the family for months at a time just to provide. …show more content…
Zania was married but she said her husband died years ago going to war with her master. Zania had a son and her son was married. She said her daughter in law took good care of her and treated her like a baby. Zania did not work out in the field she said she was lucky enough to work for the master. Her master’s name was Billy and she said he established his farm years ago with his two brothers. Zania admired her master and she said things were way better when he was alive. She stilled lived on the farm at the time of the interview and she had never left the farm for her entire life. Zania’s job in the master’s house was to look after young master Billy. She had taken care of him for all the days of his youth and said her time on the plantation was great. When asked about the field work she said she couldn’t tell the interviewer because she didn’t know. She said they always looked busy and most of the workers would pick potatoes and onions. She said she even used to eat in the masters house and all other the other slave’s food came from the house. She said the slaves made the best of what they had and use to gather around to eat. She finishes up by telling the interviewer that she missed the good old days and that things were much better as a …show more content…
Zania had nothing but good things to say about her master and even said she misses slavery. She said that everyone on the plantation was well taken care of and that she didn’t have anything bad to say. I think her view on slavery goes back to their dependency of the Master. She thinks that having a place to stay and just enough food to eat is all that matters in life. She doesn’t have no want for self-flourishing, meaning that she doesn’t want to advance in life. Like Mr. Crump she is ok with being ordered around and giving just enough to stay alive. I also found it interesting how Zania referred to the slaves as them. She seemed to separate herself from the general population because she worked in the house and didn’t have to do field work. For Zania this is an accomplishment and it seems like she feels as if she is better than the others. I think situations like this still exist in the black community because there is always someone who thinks their better than the other. These type of situations contribute to the black on black violence because they can never see one doing better than the other. Inequality starts inside our own race before it goes to other races. Some peoples parents tell their children not to act like certain people and to behave like other people because some things black people do aren’t socially accepted. Things like this are the reason our culture is fading way. Were