Slave Diary

I’m an African slave that is 14 years young. Life is very difficult. I was sold away last year and got separated from my family. Even though I am away from my mother and can’t learn anymore, I would always remember the things she taught me. My mother taught me to be silence around whites and to not talk too much. She also taught me about obedience, caring, kindness, pride, hope, and respect. My mother told me that it was very important to respect everyone in the slave community, especially to the elder slaves. These lessons had been very helpful.

April 13, 1803

Today I woke up early at dawn and barely ate and then started working in the fields. The heat of Georgia’s sun made me very tired but I still worked hard. My hands were extremely tired from picking the cotton. My back was very sore and it seemed like it was about to break. At noon, I ate my dinner then went back to work. I worked in the field until dark. My master noticed that I had picked less cotton then I usually do so he started beating me up. I had bruises and blood all over. It was really painful but after that, I still had to feed the animals, clean the cotton and a lot more. Finally, I was able to go to bed and rest my sore body.

The cabin I lived in was rough and crowded. It was a single room with wooden floors. There was also a fire place. Our beds were made of straws and old rags. Our clothing was very rough and uncomfortable. My master provided us with two shirts, one pair of trousers, one pair of stockings, one jacket, and one pair of shoes once a year. If any of the clothing got ripped or destroyed, we would have to wait till the next time our master gave us clothing. We received a small amount of bacon, cornmeal, and molasses once a week. Some people from my cabin hunted for food and shared with everyone in our cabin.

April 26, 1803

Today, I witnessed the most horrible scene. I saw the next door neighbor’s slave brutally beaten up by his master. The master was beating and whipping the innocent slave. It was very hard to watch. Masters would use cruel punishment to control us. They would try not to whip us because we would worth less if he sold us. Masters tried to keep us from learning anything because they believed that we shouldn’t know anything but to only obey them. They would overwork us. Masters also made us work in any kind of weather condition.

Our master gave us Saturdays and Sundays nights to our own. On Saturday nights’ everyone would gather together and talk to each other. I helped make quilts with other women slaves. Some slaves used bones, brooms, and other thing to make music. Some people also danced to the music. On Sundays, we would go to church and then we had recreation time. We would sing, dance, eat, play games, and many more.

Slaves here had taught me about old African traditions like singing, dancing, folktales, and quilts. We sang songs with rhythm and harmony. We danced to express our emotions. Older slaves told us stories and folktales. Every square on a quilt we made, symbolized how we felt.

April 30, 1803

Today, I sneaked to an “invisible church” with some other slaves. The invisible church was in a secret place in the forest. We sang spirituals and said prayers. We sang about freedom and faith. Our prayers were about our hopes and misery. We sang and prayed all night long.

May 3, 1803

I had recently realized that some slaves pretended to be sick, clumsy, or even dumb. Some slaves broke fences and tools. One slave refused to work and then punched our master. Yesterday, some slaves and I escaped before dawn. We ran as far and quietly as we could. Then after about several miles, we decided to hide and then travel at night. We prayed that we won’t get caught. We hoped to get to Canada.

The Gold Rush Map

Journal Entry: The Chinese

May 20, 1848

Dear Journal,

I am on a boat with a lot of other Chinese people seeking for gold. I was poor and hungry in China. So coming to California is going to be a very special opportunity. We have heard that California was like paradise. We are all very excited and anxious. The boat ride had been a very difficult journey. People say that we would get the finest things when we get there. I can see land and in a few minutes, we will be in San Francisco.

We have finally arrived to San Francisco. We are greeted with some friendly people. We are also treated like guests. Some people brought us to the mountains to start digging for gold. Right now, I am digging for gold. I have found a couple pieces of gold.

Manifest Destiny

The Chinese
By: Angilene, Emily, Eddy, and Simon

Introduction/Scene 1:
We are from Guangdong, China. We are now going into San Francisco Bay. Right now it is spring of 1849 and we are seeking for gold and hope to send money back to our families.
(On a boat)
Blue (Emily): I’m Blue and I’m a very poor pleasant looking for money.
Purple (Angilene): I’m Purple and I’m an orphan.
Black (Simon): I’m Black and I’m a very poor farmer.
Green (Eddy): I’m Green and I’m a very poor China man.

Angilene: I’m looking for a better life.
Eddy: I’m looking for gold.
Emily: I need a job.
Simon: I came for money!
(THE CLASS WELCOMES US!)

Scene 2:
At the gold mines.
Tax Collector: Give me your MONEY!
Simon: NO!
(Tax Collector kills Simon up)
Emily: We should get out of this place!
Angilene: The tax collector is coming!
Eddy: RUN AWAY!
Emily: This place is horrible!
Angilene: We should have stayed in China.

Scene 3:
Chinatown/Restaurant
Waiter: This is our grand opening.
Customer: I’ve never seen this place before.
Waiter: The food we have is as good as the food you have eaten in China.
(THE CLASS SAYS YUMMY or MMMM THE FOOD IS GREAT!)
Customer: mmmm! The food is really good! It brings me memories of my family back in China.
(Angilene is at a table and Emily comes up to her)
Emily: Did you see the newspaper?
Angilene: Of course! Chinatown’s restaurants are a big hit now.
Emily: We have brought a lot of our culture with us.

THE END