♪ Carry me back to old Virginny ♪ ♪ That's where the cotton and the corn and taters grow ♪ ♪ That's where the birds warble sweet ♪ ♪ in the spring-time ♪ ♪ That's where this old darkey's heart am long'd to go ♪ ♪ Oh freedom, oh freedom ♪ ♪ Oh freedom, I love thee ♪ - [Narrator] 1619, Jamestown, Virginia, a dock ship dropped anchor with a cargo of black men and women for sale.

♪ There's where I labored so hard for old Massa ♪ ♪ Day after day in the field of yellow corn ♪ ♪ No place on earth do I love more sincerely ♪ ♪ Oh freedom, oh freedom ♪ ♪ Oh freedom, I love thee ♪ - In the 18th century, 7 million black people were abducted from Africa.

The slave trade was one of the world's biggest businesses.

♪ Carry me back to old Virginny ♪ ♪ There's where the cotton and the corn and taters grow ♪ ♪ There's where the birds warble sweet in the spring-time ♪ ♪ There's where this old darkey's heart am long'd to go.

♪ ♪ Oh freedom, oh freedom ♪ ♪ Oh freedom, I love thee ♪ ♪ And before I'd be a slave ♪ ♪ I'll be buried in my grave ♪ ♪ And go home to my Lord and be free ♪ ♪ Oh freedom, oh freedom ♪ - [Narrator] 1860, New Orleans, a prime field hand sold for $1,800.

♪ Oh freedom, I love thee ♪ ♪ And before I'd be a slave, ♪ ♪ I'll be buried in my grave ♪ ♪ And go home to my Lord and be free ♪ ♪ Oh freedom, oh freedom ♪ ♪ Oh freedom, I love thee ♪ ♪ And before I'd be a slave, ♪ ♪ I'll be buried in my grave ♪ ♪ And go home to my Lord and be free ♪ - You asked me how it was with us during slavery time.

Well, I'll tell you.

Everything I tell you is the truth, but there's some things I can't tell you.

[church bell ringing] - Sunday.

- Yeah, that was our best day, wasn't it?

- That was the only time we had to ourselves.

First, we went to the white folk's church where we sit in the back on the floor.

[bell ringing] They allowed us to join their church whenever anyone else has got ready to join.

or felt that the Lord had forgiven us of our sins then the white preacher would ask all mistress and master what they thought about it and if they could see any change.

- I noticed you don't steal.

- And I noticed you don't lie as much.

- And I noticed she works better.

- Then they let us join.

We served our mistress and master in slavery time.

Not God.

- They used to lock my grandmother up in the seed house when she was a girl, because she wouldn't go to church.

And she used to cuss out the preacher so loud that he could hear her.

"Let me out of here, master," she'd say.

"You want to go to church?"

he'd say.

"Hell no", she'd say.

"I don't want to hear that old sermon."

Don't go into your master's henhouse and don't steal your master's chickens.

Don't break into your master's smoke house and don't steal your master's meat.

I don't steal nothing and I don't need no damn preacher to tell me not to.

[group chuckles] - You know, one time, this old white man came along who wanted to preach, so the white folks decided to try them out on us Negroes first.

So he came down to the quarters and this is what the sermon was.

Now, when you servants, are working for your masters, you must be honest.

When you go to the mill, don't carry along extra stack and put a little meal in it and a little flour in it for yourself.

And when you women are cooking in the big house, don't make a big pocket under your apron and put a stack of sugar and a stack of coffee and anything else you want in it.

Don't do that.

[group laughing] They took him out and hanged him for corrupting the morals of us, slaves.

♪ Good news ♪ ♪ Good news, chariot comin' ♪ ♪ Good news ♪ ♪ Good news, chariot comin' ♪ ♪ Good news ♪ - [Narrator] Early 18th century, slave codes were adopted throughout the South.

♪ Good news ♪ ♪ Good news, chariot comin' ♪ No slaves could leave the plantation without written permission.

No slave could strike a white person.

♪ Good news ♪ ♪ Good news, chariot comin' ♪ ♪ Good news ♪ ♪ Good news, chariot comin' ♪ No slaves could be taught to read or write.

- The week between Christmas and New Year's, there was a lot of holidays and we weren't required to work then.

- And those of us who had families at a distance was generally allowed to spend the whole six days with them.

- That's right.

- Oh, yes.

- [Narrator] 1793, one slave could seed and clean one pound of cotton in one day.

Slavery was uneconomical.

It seemed to be dying.

- [Ossie] Any of you all ever drive the ox?

- Oh no, man.

- No.

- Well, now the mule ain't settlin' nowhere near the oxen.

I tell you, the ox is stubborn and then some.

One day I'm holding fence rails, you know, and the oxen starts to turn gee.

Well I wanted them to go straight ahead.

So naturally, I called out for the oxen to turn home.

They don't pay no attention to me.

They keep right on in turning gee.

And then the overseer, he comes shouting, "Where are you going?"

And I shout right back at him.

"I ain't going.

I'm being took."

[group laughing] - [Narrator] 1794, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin.

One slave could seed and clean 50 pounds of cotton in one day.

- Yes, I recall.

Old master told Tom that he couldn't go to the frolic.

"Clean up some dishes and go to bed", he said.

Tom said, "Yes."

But the master watched on through the door and sur enough, after a while, Tom slipped out and went on to the frolic anyway, with the master right behind.

When the master got to the frolic, he found Tom cutting the ground, shuffle big as anybody, and he say, "Tom, didn't I tell you you couldn't come to this frolic."

And Tom say, "Yes, sir, you sure did.

I just come to tell him I couldn't come."

[group laughing] - [Narrator] Steam was harnessed to the cotton gin.

One slave could seed and clean 1,000 pounds of cotton in one day.

- My mama told me about a master that almost starved his slaves to death.

One time, he had seven hogs, fat and ready for hog killing time.

But the day before them hogs were supposed to be killed, something awful happened to every last one of them.

A field hand found them and come running to tell the master, "The hogs is dead, master, the hogs is dead and we ain't got no more meat on the plantation."

When the master got to where the hogs was laying, a whole lot of slaves was standing around, looking sad and hungry, eyein' at that wasted meat.

The master said, "What's wrong with him?"

They said, "Myelitis," and they acted like they didn't want to touch them hogs.

The old master said, "Let's scald 'em and cut them up anyway, 'cause that's all the meat we going to have for the winter."

Now, old master wasn't about to eat them hogs hisself.

They had myelitis and he was scared.

So he gave them to the slaves to eat.

But the slave didn't mind.

Well, they knowed what myelitis was.

Early that morning, one of the biggest of 'em had skidded up to the hog bin and knocked each one of them hogs dead in the center of his head with a great big old mallet.

And that's how the hogs caught myelitis.

[group laughing] That's how all the slaves had their belly full of pork that winter and old master didn't have none.

♪ Hear that good news ♪ ♪ I'm tellin' you good news ♪ ♪ Good news ♪ ♪ I'm gonna lay down this world ♪ ♪ And shoulder up my cause ♪ ♪ Takin' home to a-Jesus ♪ ♪ Takin' that good news ♪ ♪ Good news ♪ ♪ I've got ahold of that good kingdom ♪ ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ ♪ I got ahold of that kingdom ♪ ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ ♪ I'm gonna lay down ♪ ♪ I'm gonna lay down this world ♪ - [Narrator] 1859, 2/3 of all slaves were engaged in the production of cotton, the foundation of a Southern family.

♪ Ain't that good news ♪ ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ ♪ I'm gonna lay down this world ♪ ♪ And shoulder up my cross ♪ ♪ Take it home to my Jesus ♪ ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ - I knew a woman, mother of several children, and when her babies would get to be about a year or two of age, master would sell them and it would break her heart.

When her fourth child was born, she just sit and study all the time about how she was going to have to give it up.

And one day she say, "I ain't gonna let old master sell this baby.

I ain't gonna do it."

And she got up, give it something out of a bottle.

Pretty soon, it was dead.

- You know, Colonel Jessie Cheney, he was my master, and his wife, Ms. Sally was my mistress.

- She was a Christian.

- I can hear her praying yet.

- But just before the war, this white preacher came down to talk to us slaves, and he says, "Do you want to keep your homes and raise your children and eat?

Or do you want to be free to roam around like wild animals?"

He said, "Now, if you want to keep your home, you better pray for the South to win."

All you all who's gonna pray for the South to win, raise your hand.

- [All] We all raise our hands.

- [laughs] We were scared not to.

- That night down in the hollow, we slaves had a meeting, and Uncle Mackey stands up and he says, "We got to pray for the South to win, as long as we're in the white folk's church.

But as soon as they turn their backs, we is gonna turn them prayers around."

- All right.

That's what we're gonna do.

- [Narrator] For each five slaves delivered to the Americas, one died, committed suicide, was shot or beaten to death on shipboard.

- You know, Colonel Cheney had a lot of slaves, and all their houses was in a row.

All one room cabins.

- And clean.

They kept them cabins and yard spotless.

- Everything happened happened in that one room, birth, sickness, death.

- But it was a home.

It looked like a little old town.

And late of an evening, as you'd go by the doors, you could smell the meat a-frying, the coffee a-making, and good things a-cooking.

- Now, the 4th of July was always our special day.

- Independence Day.

- Yeah, master and missus give us our rations early on that day.

- Yeah, and we was allowed to go to a big barbecue after we'd done all the work.

- We had pigs barbecued, goats barbecued.

- And the missus would let us bake pies and cakes and custards.

- The younguns acting like colts a-frolicking in the pasture until they done got so full of victuals, they couldn't eat another bite.

- And after, you know, some of 'em sort of roam off somewheres to sit in the shade of the trees.

- When the sun started to go down then the old folks started getting ready to move on back to their plantations.

- We had the chickens to feed.

- Not to mention the cows.

- Of course.

♪ Swing low, sweet chariot ♪ ♪ Comin' for to carry me home ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Sweet chariot ♪ ♪ Comin' for to carry me home ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ - Sometimes, the mistress would heist the window and ask us to sing something for her.

- And we'd open up.

♪ Comin' for to carry me home ♪ ♪ I looked over the Jordan ♪ ♪ And what do I see ♪ ♪ Comin' for the carry me home ♪ - [Narrator] 1741, New York City, 18 Negroes were hanged, 13 burned at the stake and 70 sold into the South for plotting to strike at their masters.

♪ Comin' for to carry me home ♪ - Every time somebody asks me about slavery and whether it done any good for the race, I think about the story of the coon and the dog that met up one day.

The coon said to the dog, "Well, how come you're so fat and I'm so cold and we both is animals?"

The dog grinned and said, "Well I just stay around master's house and let him beat me and cuss me and kick me whenever he likes.

So he likes me.

He gives me bread right off the table."

The coon thought a minute and said, "Better I should be free."

- My pa never had a beatin' in his life.

He was helping the master one day and something come up between him and the master say, "Cy, you got to have a whooping."

Pa studied for a minute and say, "I ain't never had a whooping before and I can't let you whoop me now."

The master started at Pa and he changed his mind because my pa, like I said, was a great big man.

And master said, "Well, maybe I can't whip you but I can kill you."

And he shot my pa down dead.

♪ Oh, oh, Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, my Lord ♪ - [Narrator] August 1822, South Carolina, Denmark Veasey, a Negro slave was hanged for having organized an insurrection aimed at capturing Charleston.

- We had a white overseer, the meanest man God ever put breath in.

One day the field hands was burning logs and trash.

And this overseer knock this old man down for nothing and made us hold him while he beat him with a bull whip.

That old man got up off that ground and took a stick and hit that overseer upside his head and laid him out cold.

And then he took an ax and started in to chop off his hands and his feet.

We tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Master never wanted a white overseer on that place since that time.

- [Narrator] November, 1831, Virginia.

Nat Turner, a Negro slave, was hanged for leading a band of 70 slaves on a 20 mile march during which 57 whites were killed.

- This old woman was chopping cotton in the field and the overseer come by and hollered at her for being so slow.

She gave him some backtalk and he took out his long close wall bull whip and started in to lash her across her back.

And that old woman got mad and she took her hoe and chopped that man to a bloody death.

- [Narrator] 1859, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

John Brown attacked an arsenal to capture arms and start a Negro revolt.

He was tried and hanged.

- Whenever one of us died, they let the field hands come in and look at him.

But they always buried him before sundown.

They take a big plank and bust it in the middle so it could bend back.

And then they'd shove his body up in that.

And then they'd cart it down to the slave's graveyard and bury it sometimes so shallow that buzzards would circle around.

- My mother had 12 of us children and it troubled her in her heart, you know, the way we was treated.

And she'd pray every night for the Lord to get her and her children off that place.

Well, one day she was plowing in the field and all of a sudden she let out a big yell and started singing and shouting and whooping and hollerin'.

And Master Jim came a-running and he says, "What's all this going on out in the field?

You think I sent you out here just to whoop and yell?

No sirree, I sent you out here to work and you better work or I'll put this tie across your black back."

And my mama, she just smiled all over her face.

And she said, "The Lord has showed me the way.

I ain't gonna grieve no more no matter how you all them treat me and my children.

The Lord has showed me the way and someday we ain't gonna never be slaves no more.

That old master took that bull whip and started lashing mama across her back.

But she didn't say nothing.

She just got up, went on back to the field, singing and a-shouting.

"I'm free!

I'm free!

I'm free!

I'm free!"

- [Narrator] April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter.

The Civil War had begun.

♪ Mine eyes have seen the glory ♪ ♪ Of the coming of the Lord ♪ ♪ He is trampling out the vintage ♪ ♪ Where the grapes of wrath are stored ♪ ♪ He hath loosed the fateful lightning ♪ ♪ Of His terrible swift sword ♪ ♪ His truth is marching on ♪ ♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ ♪ His truth is marching on ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ - When I used to hear the old folks, you know, talk about the Yankees was coming.

I was scared.

I thought they was talking about some kind of animal.

But my old auntie wasn't scared.

She was glad to hear about the Yankees comin' and she'd sit and talk for hours about how good everything was gonna be when the Yankees come.

Well somethin' awful happened though, to one of the slaves when the Yankees did come.

One of the young girls, you know, told the soldiers where missus had her money and jewelry and silver hid and they got it all.

I know she did wrong, but I hated to see her suffer so awful for it.

And after the Yankees had gone, Missus and Master had that poor girl hung.

- Soldiers out in the country were looking for Jeff Davis and they told me that I was free.

I didn't have a master or a mistress no more.

I helped fix dinner for him.

And after that one of them said, "Now bring your hat we gonna pay you."

And they passed it.

And they give me a hat full of money.

- I seen all the Wheelers Confederate Calvary.

Sherman come through first though.

And he stayed the whole night, thousands and thousands of soldiers passed through during the night.

The Confederate Cavalry though was about three days before Sherman, but they caught up with him.

But it would have been better if they hadn't, 'cause Sherman turned, whipped 'em and drove 'em back and went right on marchin', don't you know.

[laughs] - Old master called us all in the kitchen the day before he went to war and he said, "Boys, I got to go up there and whoop me some Yankees, but don't worry.

I'll be back before breakfast."

We've been waiting breakfast for that old man for two years.

- The prettiest thing I ever saw was the Yankees traveling with the drums and the kettle drums and them horses.

Them horses know their business too.

They had gold bits in their mouths and it looked like their bridles was covered with silver and gold.

And the Yankees, God bless 'em, are sitting up there with them long shiny swords.

Prettiest sight in this world, I'm here to tell you.

- We was at Pamplin and this great big battle between the Yankees and the Rebels.

And they was fighting against each other.

And they were shooting something awful, something terrible.

And there was shooting all over the place.

- And all of a sudden, they struck off that "Yankee Doodle" song and a soldier come along and called to me, "Which way to the Rebel?"

Scared to death I was.

So I went behind a house where nobody could see me.

And I pointed out the directions.

Those were the Union soldiers going after Lee at Appomattox.

- And the colored regiment come bashing up behind.

And when the Rebels saw that colored regiment, they put up that white flag and that flag was the token that Lee had finally surrendered - The end of the war.

It come, just like that.

[fingers snapping] Just like you snap your fingers.

How'd we know it?

Hallelujah broke out.

♪ Oh, freedom ♪ ♪ Oh, freedom, I love thee ♪ ♪ And before I'd be a slave ♪ ♪ I'll be buried in my grave ♪ ♪ And go home to my Lord and be free ♪ - Suddenly there was soldiers everywhere, coming in bunches, crossin', walkin', ridin'.

Everybody was singing.

Everybody was walking on the golden cloud.

Everybody went wild.

We all felt like, that we were heroes.

We were free, just like that.

We were free.

- We seemed to want to get closer to freedom.

- So we could know, really know just what it was.

- Like freedom was place or a city.

- And we, we just had to be there or die.

♪ And before I'll be a slave ♪ ♪ I'll be buried in my grave ♪ ♪ And go home to my Lord and be free ♪ ♪ Oh, freedom ♪ ♪ Oh, freedom ♪ ♪ Oh, freedom, I love thee ♪ ♪ And before I'd be a slave ♪ ♪ I'd be buried in my grave ♪ ♪ And go home to my Lord and be free ♪ ♪ Oh, freedom ♪ ♪ Oh, freedom ♪ ♪ Oh, freedom, I love thee ♪ [bright music] - [Narrator] This is NET, the National Educational Television Network.