Francis Fedric,  Slave Life in Virginia and Kentucky:

A badge of aristocracy among slaveholders is the number of slaves they hold, and white people of equal fortune are not generally allowed to visit slaveholders, who look down upon them with a species of contempt. One remarkable fact which I wish to impress upon my readers is this, that the white men born in those districts in America where slaves are held, are just as capable of bearing the heat as the black men. And the proof is this, that in the harvest-time, when the two are working together in the fields, the white men can actually beat the negroes at the work, and very often the black man has to give up, and is laughed at by the white labourer. They say, “Only give us sufficient wages, and we will work by the side of any nigger alive.” It is quite shocking to hear slaveholders distorting even the Bible itself to prove that a negro alone was made for hard work. On the cunning of slaves he says; I remember a slave, who was not treated very well with respect to food and other things, when he had done his work being lectured by his mistress on the duties of a slave, she telling him that in proportion to his obedience and servility as a slave he would be loved by God. Slaves are all of them full of this sly, artful, indirect way of conveying what they dare not speak out, and their humour is very often the medium of hinting wholesome truths. Is not cunning always the natural consequence of tyranny?

James Williams, Narrative of James Williams

Out of the two hundred and fourteen slaves who were brought out from Virginia, at least one-third of them were members of the Methodist and Baptist churches in that State. Of this number five or six could read. They had been torn away from the care and discipline of their respective churches, and from the means of instruction, but they retained their love for the exercises of religion, and felt a mournful pleasure in speaking of the privileges and spiritual blessings which they enjoyed in Old Virginia. Three of them had been preachers, or exhorters, viz. Solomon, usually called uncle Solomon, Richard, and David. Uncle Solomon was a grave, elderly man, mild and forgiving in his temper, and greatly esteemed among the more serious portion of our hands. He used to snatch and advise them to fix their minds upon the Savior, as their only helper. Some I have heard curse and swear in answer, and others would say that they could not keep their minds upon God and the devil (meaning Huckstep) at the same time: that it was of no use to try to be religious – they had no time – that the overseer wouldn’t let them meet to pray – and that even uncle Solomon, when he prayed, had to keep one eye open all the time, to see if Huckstep was coming. Uncle Solomon could both read and write, and had brought out with him from Virginia a Bible, a hymn-book, and some other religious books, which he carefully concealed from the overseer.

Peter Randolph’s Sketches of Slave Life:

Now, instead of looking with my real eyes to see my Savior, I felt him in me, and I was happy. The eyes of my mind were open, and I saw things as I never did before. I wanted all the other slaves to see him thus, and feel as happy as I did. I used to talk to others, and tell them of the friend they would have in Jesus, and show them by my experience how I was brought to Christ, and felt his love within my heart,–and love it was, in God’s adapting himself to my capacity. After receiving this revelation from the Lord, I became impressed that I was called of God to preach to the other slaves. I labored under this impression for seven years, but then I could not read the Bible, and I thought I could never preach unless I learned to read the Bible. I thought it was written by the Almighty himself. I loved this book, and prayed over it and labored until I could read it. I used to go to the church to hear the white preacher. When I heard him read his text, I would read mine when I got borne. This is the way, my readers, I learned to read the Word of God when I was a slave. Thus did I labor eleven years under the impression that I was called to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the ever-blessed God.

Louis Hughes, Thirty Years a Slave from Bondage to Freedom

While this preparation for the Sabbath was in progress in most of the cabins, the old men would gather in one for a prayer-meeting. It was not long before the cabin was filled with both old and young, who came in their simple yet sincere way to give praise to God. It was common to have one or two exhorters on the plantation who claimed to be called to do service for God, by teaching their fellow men the principles of religion. God certainly must have revealed himself to these poor souls, for they were very ignorant – they did not know a letter of the Bible. But when they opened their mouths they were filled, and the plan of Salvation was explained in a way that all could receive it. It was always a mystery to the white brethren how the slaves could line out hymns, preach Christ and redemption, yet have no knowledge even of how the name of Christ was spelled. They were illiterate to the last degree, so there is but one theory, they were inspired. I remember very well that there was always a solemnity about the services – a certain harmony, which had a peculiar effect – a certain pathetic tone which quickened the emotions as they sang those old plantation hymns. It mattered not what their troubles had been during the week – how much they had been lashed, the prayer-meeting on Saturday evening never failed to be held. Their faith was tried and true.

Noah Davis, A Narrative of the Life of Rev. Noah Davis

I went to my mother, and asked her the question– “How do people feel, when they get converted?” She replied, “Do you think you are converted?” Now, this was a severe trial; for, although I felt that I was really changed, yet I wanted to hear from her, before I could decide whether I was actually converted, or not. I replied, “No.” Then she said, “My son, the devil makes people think themselves converted, sometimes.” I arose, and left immediately, believing that the devil had made a fool of me. I returned to my shop, more determined to pray than ever before and tried to get under that same weight, that I had felt pressing me down, but a short while before. But I could not; and, instead of feeling sad, I felt joyful in my heart; and while trying to pray, I thought the Saviour appeared to me. I thought I saw God smiling upon me, through Christ, His Son. My soul was filled with love to God and Jesus Christ. I felt, that if I was only converted, I would tell all sinners how precious the Saviour was. But I could not think myself converted yet, because I could not see what I had done, for God to pardon my sins. Still I felt a love to Him for what He had done for my soul. It was several months after that, before I was made to realize this to be the work of God; and when it was made plain, O what joy it did bring to my poor soul!

From Charles Ball, Fifty Years in Chains; IT is impossible to reconcile the mind of the native slave to the idea of living in a state of perfect equality, end boundless affection, with the white people. Heaven will be no heaven to him, if he is not to be avenged of his enemies. I know, from experience, that these are the fundamental rules of his religious creed; because I learned them in the religious meetings of the slaves themselves. A favorite and kind master or mistress, may now and then be admitted into heaven, but this rather as a matter of favor, to the intercession of some slave, than as matter of strict justice to the whites, who will, by no means, be of an equal rank with those who shall be raised from the depths of misery, in this world. The idea of a revolution in the conditions of the whites and the blacks, is the corner-stone of the religion of the latter; and indeed, it seems to me, at least, to be quite natural, if not in strict accordance with the precepts of the Bible; for in that book I find it every where laid down, that those who have possessed an inordinate portion of the good things of this world, and have lived in ease and luxury, at the expense of their fellow men will surely have to render an account of their stewardship, and be punished, for having withheld from others the participation of those blessings, which they themselves enjoyed.

From Octavia V. Rogers Albert’s The House of Bondage:

“Sometimes he would get mad about something going wrong on the place, and he would beat every one of us and lock us up in the jail he made for us.”

“What! Did he put you in jail on Sunday?”

“Yes; ‘most every Sunday morning when we did not have any work to do. The next time I went to see Aunt Jane we had another happy time. She could read right good in the Bible and hymn-book, and she would read to me one or two hymns at a time. I finally got religion, and it was Aunt Jane’s praying and singing them old Virginia hymns that helped me so much. Sometimes she would slip away from her place at night and come to see me and would hold prayer-meeting in my house.”

“Would your marster allow you to hold prayer-meeting on his place?”

“No, my child; if old marster heard us singing and praying he would come out and make us stop. One time, I remember, we all were having a prayer-meeting in my cabin, and marster came up to the door and hollered out, ‘You, Charlotte, what’s all that fuss in there?’ We all had to hush up for that night. I was so afraid old marster would see Aunt Jane. I knew Aunt Jane would have to suffer if her white people knew she was off at night. Marster used to say God was tired of us all hollering to him at night.”

From Aaron’s, The Light and Truth of Slavery

We believe slavery to be a sin–always, every where, and only sin. Sin in itself, apart from the occasional rigors incidental to its administration, and from all those perils, liabilities, and positive inflictions to which its victims are continually exposed. Sin is the nature of the act which created it, and in the elements which constitute it. Sin, because it converts persons into things; men into property; God’s image into merchandize. Because it forbids men from using themselves for the advancement of their own well being, and turns them into mere instruments to be used by others solely for the benefit of the users. Because it constitutes one man the owner of the body, soul, and spirit of other men; gives him power and permission to make his own pecuniary profit, thus striking them out of existence as beings, possessing rights and susceptibilities of happiness, and forcing them to exist merely as appendages to his own existence, in other words, because slavery holds and uses men as mere means for which to accomplish ends, of which end, their own interests are not a part. Thus annihilating the sacred and eternal distinction between a person and a thing; a distinction proclaimed an axiom of all human consciousness; a distinction created by God… This distinction slavery contemns, disannuls, and tramples under foot. The constant exposure of the slaves to outrage and the actual inflictions which they experience in innumerable forms, all result legitimately from this principle, assumed in the theory and embodied in the practice of slave-holding.

From the Narrative of Henry Watson:

He then left me, charging me to go on board precisely at twelve o’clock, if I did not see him before that time. I spent all the rest of the morning in repeating my simple, but important catechism,–quite as much so to me in my situation as ever the famous Shorter Catechism, of Westminster Assembly notoriety, was to a youngster just receiving his first theological lesson from the lips of a Presbyterian parent, anxious to save the soul of his child; well will it be for all who repeat that important religious catechism, if it renders them as effectual service, in saving their souls, as mine did in saving my body and soul from slavery’s cursed hell,–and thinking of the hour, waiting with impatience its approach, and yet dreading its coming; for I had seen so many slaves brought back, and witnessed the dreadful punishment they have received for attempting to get their freedom, that I shuddered at the consequence of detection. The hour at last arrived. My friends had not returned, and I started for the ship; but, as I came in sight of it, my courage forsook me. I feared that I should not be able to appear manly and fearless. Had I not been bought under the lash of the white man? had not everything of a manly nature been beaten out of me? had I not been taught that I was a slave,–that I was ever to remain a slave? that it was the wish of Almighty God that I should be content with my situation?

From The Life of John Thompson:

I started to return to the doctor’s, when suddenly my steps were arrested, and a voice seemed to say, don’t go any farther in that direction. I started on again; but the same feelings returned with redoubled force. So I turned upon my footsteps, and these feelings left me.  I made a third attempt to go home. But I was more effected than before. I became nearly blind, my head swam, and think that had I still persisted to go forward in that direction, I should have fallen dead, in the road. I entered Uncle Harry’s house and he said, “the whole plantation, at the doctor’s, is in an uproar about you, as they say you have been giving passes to slaves, to help them run away. They have offered three hundred dollars for your arrest; so the patrollers will be looking for you.” Now my morning’s feelings were fully explained. I knew it was the hand of God, working in my behalf; it was his voice warning me to escape from danger. I fell upon my knees, and with hands uplifted to heaven, related all the late circumstances to the Great King, besought his protection, and solemnly promised to serve him all the days of my life. I received a spiritual answer of approval; a voice like thunder seeming to enter my soul, saying, I am your God and am with you; though the whole world be against you, I am more than the world; though wicked men hunt you, trust in me, for I am the Rock of your Defence.

From A Narrative of the Life and Labors of the Rev. G. W. Offley: It is often said that we are a degraded people in this country as well as in Africa. Before we consent to the charge, let us look at the word degradation. Walker says it means “deprivation of office or dignity, degeneracy, to lessen, to diminish.” I cannot see that his explanation has anything to do with the charge against us in a moral sense of the term. When properly taken into consideration, if we only number one-sixth part of the population of the United States. Because we have six men against one to vote us out of office; that is not degrading us, it is oppressing us. Paul says, Romans 4; 15: For where there is no law there is no transgression. Then the moral guilt rests on the oppressor and not on the oppressed. We must not feel that we are degraded. The true meaning of the word degrade, is to be low, mean, contemptible, willing to do a mean act that we know is displeasing in the sight of God and man. Therefore we may be oppressed by man, but never morally degraded, only as we are made willing subjects to do sinful acts against what we know or have the power to know is wrong in the sight of God and man. And if any man is accepted with his God, then oppression, nor prejudice, or prisons, or chains, or whips, or anything formed by man, cannot degrade us. No, we must voluntarily subscribe to some mean act before we can be mean or low in the sight of our dear Lord and Master.

From Legh Richmond’s, The Negro Servant in 1815,

I desired him to sit down, and said, “your master informs me that you wish to have some conversation with me respecting Christian baptism.”

“Yes, Sir, me very much wish to be a Christian,” said he.

“Why do you wish so?”

“Because me know that Christian go to heaven when he die.”

“How long have you had that wish?” I said.

“Ever since me hear one goot minister preach

“Where were you born?”

“In Africa. Me was very little boy when me was made slave by de white men.”

“How was that?”

“Me left father and mother one day at home to go get shells by de sea-shore, and as I was stooping down to gather dem up, some white sailors came out of a boat and took me away. Me never see father nor mother again.”

“And what became of you then?”

“Me was put into ship, and brought to Jamaica, and sold to a master, who kept me in his house to serve him some years; when, about three years ago, Captain—-, my master dat spoke to you, brought me to be his servant on board his ship. And he be goot master; he gave me my liberty, and made me free, and me live with him ever since.”

“And what thoughts had you about your soul all that time before you went to America?” I asked him.

“Me no care for my soul at all before den. No man teach me one word about my soul.”