Assessing memory: Twentieth-century slave narratives reconsidered

Interviews of aged, former slaves conducted in the 1920's-30's were critical documents for historians in the 1970's whose studies on slavery found that the enslaved, far from being docile as previous scholars contended, were independent and resilient. Although a consensus does not yet exist in the psychological studies of the effects of age on memory, the research on memory provides little basis for trusting the accuracy of the narratives. Caution must be exercised in using them.