In the author’s note, Lester articulates a key motivation for writing To Be a Slave: The desire to give a voice to those who have historically been overlooked. This critical look at the writing of history, and the effort to rebalance the historical narrative, is an important part of Lester’s own context writing in the 1960s. Lester seeks to clarify points of history that have often been misunderstood; for example, he spotlights the Africans who, invisible in most history books, participated in the exploration of the Americas “long before the Mayflower” (8).

Lester is clear about the sources of his information and examines the contexts of these sources. Instead of simply accepting history as it is written, Lester emphasizes the context of historians and how their own motivations shape their work. He explains that pre-Civil War narratives were primarily written by abolitionists; in order to combat views of Black people as inferior, these writers deliberately adjusted the language of enslaved people to reflect literary standards. By the 1930s, however, the context was different. The Federal Writers’ Project sought to preserve a history that was quickly disappearing as the generation of former slaves died. Stemming from this context, the Federal Writers’ Project deliberately preserved the language of the former slaves it interviewed. Lester’s view of history itself—not as merely objective, but as shaped by people for specific reasons—is part of the postmodern shift in 1960s culture.

Lester’s description of Indigenous people also signals his historical context. He refers to Indigenous people as “the Indians,” a term that is not acceptable today. He explains: “The Indians came from a society and a way of life that was relatively uncomplicated. This background did not prepare them for the disciplined and complex way of life and work necessary for the plantation system” (8). It’s important to note that Lester’s wording here implies a simplistic view of Indigenous society before the arrival of Europeans.