CIVIL+war+SLAVES

I was very young, a little girl and I found out we had to go to America. I was confused; I was only 2 years old. I remember getting there and my parents were crying and I didn’t know why. When I turned 3 years old, my dad said he had to go. I asked where but my mom said he had to go to work. I just thought that he would be back later. He never came back and I never said goodbye. My mother and I lived in a little shack. We were alone, just us trying to survive. When I was nine, my mother said that it was time for me to go, and that she was sorry she couldn't protect me. Protect me from what? I became a slave when I was 9 years old. My name is Keisha Jackson. I was born in 1859, and I am the only child of my parents Linda and Fred Jackson. My owner's name is George Russell. By the time I was 22 I had 4 kids. We lived in a 3 bedroom home, in Athens, Georgia, with a big kitchen and a huge yard. All my kids slept in one room, then my owner in another and I had my own room. My kids did the farming, when they were old enough, set the table for meals and made the beds. I on the other hand cleaned the house and did a lot of cooking. While my kids did the farming, I would water the plants and cut the grass. Every three months, my family got a day of rest. My owner would play games with us and we would talk and laugh. He wasn't that mean. He didn't push us around. As long as we did what we had to and never tried to run away he would be nice to us and give us little work. When we were all done with our chores we got to go inside and play a game or talk to him. He was very nice. When he started getting older, I would help him around and give him things he needed. I never gave him a hard time, never tried to run away and I always listened to him. My kids did too. He died when I was 44. he was 74. Then, I didn't know what to do. I didn't want my kids to go away, but we were now free. I lived in that home for my whole life. I am now 69 years old and happy to say my four kids and I live together and stay on the down low. All I want to know now is where my parents are, but I have a feeling I will never know.