Oral History

Between 1936-1938, seventeen interviewers talked to formerly-enslaved people in various states. The collection is held by the Library of Congress. Click the image to read more about the history of the collection, the Black presence in the Writer's Project, how they were compiled, their limitations, and to also search by state or name. There are 129 for Alabama, but keep in mind that someone could have originally been in Tuscaloosa but left for another state after Emancipation. Use the "About the Collection" to search the interviews/narratives.

This resource offers a variety of different narratives that can be researched as a way to gain understanding on the institution of slavery. It includes antebellum fiction, travel logs from visitors coming to the South, slave narratives, abolition writings, as well as materials from the Reconstruction Era. 

This is an excellent resource if you are interested in conducting your own oral history interviews with relatives and family members. Oral history is a wonderful way to preserve family history and to diversify collections. The stories that families share are a treasure because they often illustrate parts of someone's life and experiences that documents cannot. 

Between 1936-1940, the Works Progress Adminsitration, another one of Roosevelt's New Deal programs, initiated an Alabama Writer's Project. In this collection from the Alabama Department of Archives and History, none of the narratives of formerly enslaved people are listed for Tuscaloosa. However, there are several from nearby Hale County and other counties. In the event your ancestor moved or relocated after Emancipation, this is still a good resource to consider.