My mammy she was sold when I was a youngun’. I kinna remember her.

Nightjohn comin’ here is the best thing that’s happened. He taught me my letters and numbers.

The Missus and that doctor have me sendin’ their love notes to each other. Doctor he gives me a penny for my troubles.

For a while, though, Delie wouldn’t let John teach me. I had to steal my letters from Waller’s boy.

Old Waller he found out ‘bout the teachin’ an’ he cut off Nightjohn’s finger.

Then he started to teachin’ letters to us all. Right there. Waller he come back and he’s ‘bout to shoot John ‘cept his boy done hit ‘im in the back of the head with a rifle. Had John sold off to another plantation.

Ol’ Waller, though, he payin’ too much attention to us slaves and not enough to the Missus. She go be with that doctor one day.

Waller found out ‘bout the passes me an’ John wrote and come up to the church with his big gun. He was wantin’ to shoot all of us. Demandin’ to know who wrote the other pass.

And I told ‘im. I told e’rybody. Told Delie and the other slaves just how much theys worth. Told ‘em Waller cain’t shoot us ‘cause we’s his money. We’s all he got.

I ask the Missus to talk for me an’ she told Waller to go ‘head an’ shoot me! But the doctor he spoke up. He says it was his fault ‘bout all the readin’ goin’ on.

An’ since I could be readin’ they didn’t want me there no more. They sold me. An’ I’m gonna teach e’rybody. Just like John.

• My wife she killed the overseer. Chopped him up into little pieces. ‘Cause he was gonna whip our boy.

• I like the letter B. Reminds me of my wife. I be lookin’ for her. I be with her someday.

• I was free once. Made it clear up North. But I came back. Came back to teach. We need to learn our letters. Cause letters is power. White folks don’t want us to know what they got. Afraid that then we’ll want it, too.

• I came here and I met Sarny. She a quick learner. Got herself a bit of an attitude but she got the need to learn.

• And Delie. She a pretty woman but I ain’t wantin’ another family. Still hurtin’ for the one I lost.

• I promised Delie I wouldn’t be teachin’ Sarny no more. So Sarny come say she stole letters. Stole them from Waller’s boy she says.

• So Delie let me start teachin’ her again. Sarny mad. Think I lied to her bout teachin’ all the letters. Cause she saw some numbers. So I taught her those, too. Delie even wantin’ to learn the numbers.

• Outlaw an’ Egypt done been married at the party. Now they wantin’ to leave. So me an’ Sarny wrote some fake passes from Waller. They should get far enough with those.

• Waller found out ‘bout all the teachin’ been happenin’. He cut off my finger. But I learned my lesson. I taught ‘em all my lesson. Taught them a, b, and c but Waller came back. He want to shoot me. Soon I’m bein’ hit in the back of the head and dragged out to the road. Sold me off. Never saw Sarny again.

• Sarny’s mama she was a beautiful woman. Sad to see her hauled off like a bag of crops. Even sadder to hear little Sarny ask when her mammy was comin’ back.

• I take care of all the little chilluns. Theys my life. Wish Sarny’s mama could see how she growed up. See how good I’ve raised her.

• John he came in here. Totally bare ‘cept the ugly scars on his back. Everyone knows those kinna scars don’t come from nothin’ good.

• He be teachin’ Sarny behind my back. Made him promise to stop. Slaves get parts cut off for that. Don’t want Sarny to get hurt. End up scarred bad like him.

• Sarny got that spirit in her. Make her want to learn. She say she stole letters from Waller’s little boy. Make me sick. Somethin’ gonna happen. Sarny gonna get hurt.

• She stole a bible from Waller’s older boy. Cain’t believe her. Waller’s boy he friends with Outlaw. Come to our quarters to talk with us. He a nice boy. He afraid he gonna end up like his daddy. I can see it in his eyes when he watch Waller. That some bad fear. But he saw the bible. Took a lickin’ from his daddy he told us. Awful mad ‘bout it. Hurt, too. Told his daddy ‘bout it.

• Waller come say whoever stole the bible is knowin’ how to read. Ain’t no reason to steal it if they don’t. I say I stole it. Cover up for Sarny. Only thing I could do keep her from getting’ hurt. Waller whip me a good one cross my back. John he say he did it. Guess he cain’t stand to see me get whipped for his teachin’.

• Waller he chop off John’s finger. John he go crazy there for a minute. Writin’ letters in front of everyone. Waller was ‘bout to shoot him but his boy already hit John up side the head with his gun! Say he take care of this. Tryin’ to be a big man in front of a his daddy.

• So John is sold somewhere and we never saw him again. He was a good man. I miss him.

• We all at church an’ Waller come bustin’ through the doors with a gun ready to fire. He say somebody wrote one of the passes and they know how to read. He gets right angry and red in the face yellin’ at us all.

• Sarny she fessed up but she wasn’t quiet ‘bout it. She was loud and proud of it. She say he won’t shoot us ‘cause we’s his money. Girl tell me I’m worth $1000. Can you believe that? $1000! Says Old Waller is broke an’ got nothin’ but us. We all quiet not sure what to think.

• Sarny she fessed up but she wasn’t quiet ‘bout it. She was loud and proud of it. She say he won’t shoot us ‘cause we’s his money. Girl tell me I’m worth $1000. Can you believe that? $1000! Says Old Waller is broke an’ got nothin’ but us. We all quiet not sure what to think.

• He wantin’ to know how she learned. Sarny she threatened the Missus sayin’ she tell Waller her little secret. And you know what the Missus did? She said to shoot her! Thank God for that doctor. He says he’s the reason they know how to read. Says he’s sorry. Waller couldn’t do nothing ‘cept sell Sarny.

• I’m a miss that girl. Told her she better say hello to her mammy for me if she see her on the way. I know Sarny. She gonna get there an’ she gonna teach others how to read. She gonna keep it goin’.

• Now that gal told me the baby would be a boy. She’s costing me money! I don’t like being lied to. One way or another Delie got me to promise I wouldn’t sell the Sarny. So I sold her mama.

• I had my brother, a doctor, and his lady friend over for dinner. She was from England. I didn’t like her. She don’t even believe in slavery!

• I bought a slave for $50. He had a lot of scars on his back. I got a feeling he’ll be trouble. But he looks strong and he was mighty cheap.

• Outlaw asked for a pass so he could go see his girl. I told him that I might as well put money into my brother’s pocket.

• I got to get in as much crop as I can over these next couple days. The more cotton, the more money. Everybody works. The slaves, my kids, and even me. We’re gonna work long and hard.

• My wife was mad at me for having the kids work in the fields like slaves. But I was proud of them.

• I decided we would have a party. I was watching the slaves some. They’ve been acting different lately. I drank a bit, too.

• Someone brought me some papers that had my name on them. They were passes for one of my slaves and his little girlfriend. Somebody knows how to read!

• So I went to that church and I woulda shot them all except I couldn’t. That slave girl knew how much they was worth to me.

• The doctor said it was his fault. He said he was sorry about it all. He said he would pay for everything. Didn’t nothing matter to me as long as he paid me my money.

• I had to sell the slave girl. I told someone I just needed some money. They bought her. Now the reading will be gone.

• Slaves only got 2 meals a day.• Their fingers, toes, or other parts

could be cut off for reading.• Sometimes owners forced their

women slaves to do things they didn’t want to. It usually resulted in children.

• Dogs were used to chase runaway slaves and eat them alive.

• It wasn’t that unusual for slave groups to rebel and kill many whites. They were always caught and killed for it.

• Few owners actually treated their slaves humanely.

• Slaves were money to owners. If they kill them, they’re throwing away money. Instead, they would just cut off something or beat them. That way, they could still work.