218 Culture, Identity, and Community: From Slavery to the Presentcatch John in a lie. Th e next day aft er breakfast, the traveler
instructed Ole Master to put a live mouse in a covered dish
on the breakfast table and tell John that he could eat any
left overs on the table but not to open the dish. Aft er the
men returned, Ole Master asked John if he had obeyed his
orders, and John swore he had. Th e traveler then uncovered
the dish, but the mouse was gone. He then boasted to Ole
Master that John was lying to him all the time. Ole Master
was proven wrong and undoubtedly humiliated in front of
the stranger.
African American folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, in
particular, refers to him as “High John the Conqueror,” an
African prince and root doctor enslaved in the Americas.
Hurston was among the fi rst to record John Tales in 1927
from rural black interviewees in Alabama and Florida.
John the Slave Tales provided enslaved Africans with
pride, humor, and ideas about how to resist slavery. Th e
tales are a signifi cant part of African American folklore, and
John remains a celebrated hero among African Americans.
See also: Black Folk Culture; Hurston, Zora Neale; Slave
CultureZawadi I. BarskileBibliography
Hurston, Zora Neale. Every Tongue Got to Confess: Negro Folk-
tales from the Gulf States. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Th e Sanctifi ed Church: Th e Folklore Writings
of Zora Neale Hurston. Berkeley, CA: Turtle Island, 1981.
Levine, Lawrence W. Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-
American Folk Th ought from Slavery to Freedom. New York:
Oxford Press, 1977.Joplin, Scott
Scott Joplin (1868–1917) was born in Texas, the son of Flor-
ence Givens and Giles Joplin, during the period in Ameri-
can history when the peculiar institution of slavery was
being dismantled, with the resultant violence against Afri-
can Americans during this period being pervasive.
Th rough his parents, a young Scott Joplin learned the
importance of possessing a strong work ethic, as well as
a formal education. Th e condition of African American
lives during the Reconstruction period necessitated that
the African American rise above the imposed illiteracy
and other forms of subjugation in order to preserve theHodeir, Andre. Jazz: Its Evolution and Essence. New York: Grove,
1956.
Ogren, Kathy J. Th e Jazz Revolution: Twenties America and the
Meaning of Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
Townsend, Peter. Jazz in American Culture. Jackson: University
Press of Mississippi, 2000.
John the Slave Tales
John the Slave Tales or John Tales are a type of African
American folklore that focuses on the enslaved trickster
character, John. In these stories John, also named “High
John” or “Jack,” frequently outsmarts and humiliates his
oppressor, Ole Master, and sometimes his fellow laborers.
Although John’s acquisition for food, clothing, and leisure
time are highlighted in the tales, a common theme is his
ability, sometimes unintentional, to outwit his oppressor. In
some instances, John is successful in his eff orts and over-
comes punishment, whereas in others, he is not portrayed
as the victor and instead suff ers the wrath of Ole Master.
Th e varying achievements of John in these stories represent
a more realistic representation of the experience of slav-
ery for African Americans than animal trickster tales. Al-
though scholars are uncertain of the origin of these stories,
they believe that enslaved Africans told John the Slave Tales
among themselves for entertainment.
Whereas the characters in animal stories pursued ma-
terial acquisitions, John the Slave Tales focused more on
John’s sometimes-unknowing ability to defy white superi-
ority. One such story recounts John telling Ole Master that
he could tell fortunes. Ole Master told another man, who,
in disbelief, bet his entire plantation that John was lying. In
preparation, the man got a raccoon and put it in a box. Th e
next morning, John and Ole Master came to the man’s plan-
tation. John, who was lying about his ability to tell fortunes,
slowly conceded and reluctantly stated, “Well, white folks,
you got the old coon at last.” Even though he was referring
to himself, everyone cheered and claimed that John could
tell fortunes. Aft er the spectacle, John told Ole Master that
he would never tell fortunes again, and Ole Master did not
care because John had made him a rich man.
John also oft en embarrasses Ole Master in front of his
counterparts. For example, one day, Ole Master claimed to
a traveler that John had never lied to him in his life. Th e
man bet Ole Master 100 dollars to 50 cents that he could