On Bret Rabbit and the Wolf Richard Smith

On Bret Rabbit and the Wolf Richard Smith (1953): in Levine, 371. Once upon a time they was a wolf and a rabbit…they was friends all right, but the wolf was more friend to the rabbit more so because he wanted to get a chance to eat the rabbit up, but the rabbit was watchable, and the rabbit thought that was what he wanted, but he always watched Mr. Wolf and Mr. Wolf he jest tried every way he could to make friends with Mr. Rabbit so Mr. Rabbit would trust him, you know, but Mr. Rabbit never would trust him ‘cause he jest always felt that was what Mr. Wolf wanted to do him.

Sermon of a Black preacher delivered to congregation of slaves (Georgia, 1851): from Lawrence Levine, Black Culture and Black Consciousness , (1977), 49. I remember on one occasion that the President of the United States came to Georgia and to our town of Savannah [He visited a house]. But a cord was drawn around the house to keep us negroes and other poor folks from coming too near. We had to stand outside and only get a sight of the President as he sat at the window. But the great gentlemen and the rich folks went freely up the steps and in through the door and shook hands with him. Now, did Christ come in this way? Did He come only to the rich? Did He shake hands only with tem? No! Blessed be the Lord! He came to the poor! He came to us, and four sakes, my brothers and sisters.

“Meanwhile, the captives communicated among themselves and fought back, individually and collectively, which meant that each ship contained within it a process of culture stripping from above and an oppositional process of culture creation from below. ” Rediker, The Slave Ship, 265.

Shackles, force-feed instrument, and cato-nine whip.

Voyage Length and Mortality (Brazil 17761830)

Voyage Length and Mortality (United States, 16631860)

Force dancing on the main deck

Malungo = Portuguese (from Kikongo, Malungu=canoe, but also Kimbundu for “friend”, then “friend in suffering”) Carabela = Spanish, type of ship; Cuba, for Shipmates “Very soon after breakfast, we were divided into several of the vessels around. This was now cause of new fears, not knowing where our misery would end. Being now, as it were, one family, we began to take leave of those who were first transshipped, not knowing what would become of them and ourselves. ” Samuel Ajayi Crowther, 1837 (on events of 1821)