The Secret Lives Of Literate Slaves

We explore an unprecedented collection of letters, diaries and transcripts written during the mid-19th century by population who were believed to be illiterate: slaves.

Christopher Hager, assistant professor of  English and American studies at Trinity College and author of "Word by Word: Emancipation and the Act of Writing."

Excerpted from Word By Word, by Christopher Hager. Copyright © 2013 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Used by Permission.  All rights reserved.