This work " ... rescues from oblivion and loss, the very words and thoughts of scores of American Negroes who lived slavery, serfdom and quasi-freedom in the United States of America from the seventeenth to the twentieth century."--Preface.

A towering work of scholarship, this first volume presents material from 1861 until the conclusion of the Civil War. The source and historical significance of each document is explained in the editor's remarks and notes. This work has been critically acclaimed and has been accepted as the definitive work in the field. **Lightning Print On Demand Title

Contains primary source material.