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Excerpt from William H. Robinson slave narrative

William H. Robinson was born into slavery in Wilmington, North Carolina, one of 12 siblings. After slavery ended in 1865, he worked for many years as a traveling singer and banjo player, then attended Central Tennessee College and became a minister. In this excerpt, he writes about the secret meanings of many spirituals. From William H. Robinson, b. 1848 From Log Cabin to the Pulpit, or, Fifteen Years in Slavery. Eau Clair, Wis.: James H. Tifft, 1913.Original source available from UNC Libraries / Documenting the American South.