Slave Narrative
Period of slavery was an extremely difficult time in the life of the United States. Even though everyone might have some opinion about it, the truth can be heard only from people who had come through all horrors of servitude. Charlie Moses, from Lincoln County, Mississippi, was born in a family of slaves and had to overcome all challenges of lack of personal freedom before the Civil War. For this reason, he shared some memories such as attitude to master, punishment experienced, and work routines in order to make everyone see the true side of being enslaved.
The most impressive memories Charlie shared referred to his master. Mr. Moses recalled that most slave owners had been similar to his one, so one can use the evidence he gave to make general assumptions about slavery. The ex-slave did not feel afraid to say anything bad about his former master as that person had died many years ago. The only thing Charlie feared was to meet him in the world beyond, as the master was extremely cruel, ruthless as treated his dogs better than the slaves (USWPA, n.d., p. 113). People were whipped, kicked, and shot on any occasion according to their owner’s will without any reason for punishment. Slaves, according to Moses’ master, were meant to work, so they were forced to be in the field from early dawn until late evening with a little break for lunch. Everyone was constrained to work, irrespective of his/her age and state of health. Charlie Moses implied that most masters had no mercy and exploited people in every way they could, often forgetting that they need food, rest, clothes, and shelter. After these implications, one may assume that slaves were treated worse than the animals were, and slavery was a real nightmare for them.
To conclude, slavery in the Southern states of the USA before the Civil War is an unforgettable page in the history of the country since many people suffered then from unfair treatment. Recollections of Charlie Moses, the ex-slave, enable one to make assumptions regarding the horrors the enslaved people overcame before Lincoln released them. Masters were mean and cruel, slaves had to work hard without getting anything in reward, and punishments were inflicted without any good reason. Clearly, slavery was a pitiless exploitation of people.
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