I thought it might be time to get back to the opening topic.
Here's a picture of slaves picking cotton before the Civil War.
http://cghs.dade.k12.fl.us/slavery/antebellum_slavery/plantation_slave_life/diet_religion/picking_cotton.htm
I learned something from the History Channel last night that I had never known before: that some Indians owned slaves.

Here is a fascinating site, where you can hear recordings of actual former slaves telling their stories. The ones about cotton picking are about 3/4 of the way down. Good luck to some of you, understanding these people!
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/vfshtml/afcesnbibSubjects1.html
Musick--there's one on blues music, from Mississippi.