Slavery played a prominent role in the history of the United States of America. The antebellum South is particularly known for its reliance on the institution of slavery. Today, Americans have access to many slave narratives that contain first-hand memories of what this country's culture was like if they want to better understand their heritage. The slave narratives of Mary Reynolds and Walter Calloway illustrate that some slave masters provided their slaves with the necessities of life, did not represent the cruelty of slaves, and were concerned for the spiritual well-being of their slaves, while others did just the opposite. the early part of his life as a slave in Louisiana and Walter Calloway, who spent most of his life on a plantation in Alabama, both spoke of the difficulty of working on their master's plantations. Walter worked in the fields. He said, “At the age of ten I was making an areg'lar han' 'hin of a plow” (Jordan 59). Children learned to work very early. Mary also worked in the field. “The times I hated the most were picking cotton when the bolls were frozen. My hands are sore, tearing open and bleeding” (“Mary Reynolds,” p. 239). A slave's days were long and filled with hard work. Work on the plantations was hard and tedious. Walter's needs were met daily, while where Mary lived, slaves were only met at Christmas time. Walter says, “They have treated us well, but we are used to working hard...Marse John has done us enough good and we have plenty to eat” (Jordan 59). Mr. John, Walter's master, ensured that his slaves were provided for and well fed (Jordan 59). Mary ... middle of paper ... Hello, Jim. “Perdue OK's New Georgia Flag; May fly soon. Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the Web April 5, 2003. April 8, 200308218do7500fl.html>.Jordan, WP The American Slaves, Vol. 6:51-4.10 August 1997. 8 April 2003. “Mary Reynolds”. The American Slave, Vol. 5:236-46. August 10, 1997. April 26, 2003. Pain's Torch. “Grateful slave.” April 7, 2003. Raboteau, Albert J. Slave religion: “the invisible institution” in the Antebellum South. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. “Slavery.” Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2003. April 23, 2003 http://encarta.msn.com/encet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761556943>