The purpose of this thesis is to present the period of slavery and some hardships that African American people were faced with. But even more importantly, to show the awakening of their unique voice through slave narratives, inspired by African origins mixed with new American surroundings, not to mention fashioned by the life in bondage, being considered less worthy than whites, and finally the black resistance. In my research, I relied mostly on the works encompassed in The Cambridge companion to the African American Slave Narrative and the Encyclopedia of African American History. For a better comprehension of the history of slavery I also used the book Slavery and anti-slavery A history of the great struggle in both hemispheres, along with a few internet sources. Finally, the work River flows on helped me trace the origins of African American culture and identity.