For this reflection, I decided to listen to the oral history interview of Fountain Hughes, interviewed by Hermond Norwood. This 29 minute long interview was recorded on June 11th, 1949, and is digitally preserved by the Library of Congress. Hughes was born into slavery before the American Civil War and recounts his experiences working for a slaver in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the time of this interview, he was an astounding 101 years old. He was emancipated from slavery during the Civil War and recounted the lack of resources given to newly freed people during reconstruction. “After we got freed and they turned us out like cattle, we could, we didn't have nowhere to go. And we didn't have nobody to boss us, and, uh, we didn't know nothing. There wasn't, wasn't no schools.”, says Hughes. He also remembers how the cost of labor changed with the abolition of slavery. It is extremely interesting to me what he chooses to talk about. A decent portion of the interview ...
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