The Use of Oral History in Historical Text: The WPA Narratives

Abstract

Authenticity and accuracy are highly contested issues among historians, especially when dealing with the ex-slave narratives. The Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federal agency created the Federal Writers' Project during the 1930s as an oral history initiative. The purpose of the Federal Writer's Project was to document the experiences of ex-slaves. The essay analyzes the ways the stories of former enslaved men and women were recorded and represented. At the center of the debate are questions about agency and oral literacy.