▁ex - s la ves ▁( known ▁as ▁slave ▁narr atives ) ▁and ▁the ▁W PA ▁S lave ▁N arr ative ▁Collection , ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁inter views ▁conducted ▁with ▁former ▁slave ▁inter views ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s ▁by ▁the ▁Federal ▁Writ ers ' ▁Project ▁of ▁the ▁Franklin ▁D . ▁Ro ose vel t ▁administration , ▁histor ians ▁described ▁sla very ▁as ▁the ▁slaves ▁experienced ▁it . ▁Far ▁from ▁slaves ' ▁being ▁strictly ▁vict ims ▁or ▁content , ▁histor ians ▁showed ▁slaves ▁as ▁both ▁res il ient ▁and ▁autonom ous ▁in ▁many ▁of ▁their ▁activities . ▁Despite ▁their ▁exercise ▁of ▁aut onomy ▁and ▁their ▁efforts ▁to ▁make ▁a ▁life ▁within ▁sla very , ▁current ▁histor ians ▁recognize ▁the ▁prec ari ous ness ▁of ▁the ▁slave ' s ▁situation . ▁S lave ▁children ▁quickly ▁learned ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁subject ▁to ▁the ▁direction ▁of ▁both ▁their ▁parents ▁and ▁their ▁own ers . ▁They ▁saw ▁their ▁parents ▁discipl ined ▁just ▁as ▁they ▁came ▁to ▁realize ▁that ▁they ▁also ▁could ▁be ▁phys ically ▁or ▁verb ally ▁ab used ▁by ▁their ▁own ers . ▁Histor ians ▁writing ▁during ▁this ▁era ▁include ▁John ▁B lass ing ame ▁( S lave ▁Community ), ▁Eug ene ▁Gen ov ese ▁( R oll , ▁Jordan , ▁Roll ), ▁Les lie ▁Howard ▁O w ens ▁( This ▁Species ▁of ▁Property ), ▁and ▁Herbert ▁Gut man ▁( The ▁Black ▁Family ▁in ▁S la very ▁and ▁Fre edom ). ▁ ▁Import ant ▁work ▁on ▁sla very ▁has ▁continued ; ▁for ▁instance