In this cohesive narrative; Edward Countryman explores the American Revolution in the context of the African American experience; asking a question that blacks have raised since the Revolution: What does the revolutionary promise of freedom and democracy mean for African Americans? Countryman; a Bancroft Prize-winning historian; draws on extensive research and primary sources to help him answer this question. He emphasizes the agency of blacks and explores the immense task facing slaves who wanted freedom; as well as looking at the revolutionary nature of abolitionist sentiment. Countryman focuses on how slaves remembered the Revolution and used its rhetoric to help further their cause of freedom.Many contend that it is the American Revolution that defines us as Americans. Edward Countryman gives the reader the chance to explore this notion as it is reflected in the African American experience.
#1110653 in Books Continuum 2011-05-05 2011-05-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 228.60 x .73 x 6.00l; 1.20 #File Name: 1441124187352 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy ArleneMy daughter ordered this for a college class.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Mystification of the Holocaust in Holocaust Filmography. Marian Marzynski’s Misconduct AnalyzedBy Jan PeczkisThis book examines scores of Holocaust films; dissecting them from every angle imaginable. [Needless to say; no other genocide of any other people gets anywhere this kind of attention; reflection; and sacraclization.] Many materials on the Shoah give a little cursory mention of the many non-Jewish genocides that had taken place. Not this one. A search of the index yields not even one entry on the Armenian Genocide (AGHET) or the Romani Genocide (PORAJMOS). So the reader who wants a completely Judeocentric version of historical events will very much find it in this book.MARIAN MARZYNSKI’S ANTI-POLISH DOCUMENTARY SHTETL; AND HIS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE POLE ZBIGNIEW ROMANIUKAuthor Aaron Kerner gets it right as he describes the situation involving Polish Jew Marian Marzynski and his interaction with Zbigniew Romaniuk; a Pole of good will (and perhaps a little naivete) who wanted to learn about Poland’s Jewish past. (pp. 222-224).Film-maker Marian Marzynski admittedly acted in a very inappropriate manner towards Romaniuk. Author Kerner acknowledges as much; “Marzynski invites himself to one of the town meetings in preparation for the town celebration. There; he unfairly torpedoes Romaniuk in a public forum; by challenging the young public official to incorporate Jewish history into the program…Certainly; the questions are legitimate; but Marzynski’s vitriol does not serve him well; as he attacks the one Pole who exhibits sympathy; even enthusiastic interest in Jewish history in Poland. Marzynski adds fodder to that Polish refrain often tinged with anti-Semitism: ‘We were victims too.’†(p. 224). [Since when has the remembrance of Polish suffering become a form of anti-Semitism? Oh well; nothing new.]For more on all this; please click on [read my detailed review] of: Shtetl: A Journal of the Holocaust [VHS].5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book covering films on the HolocaustBy Megan VrolijkThis book is hands down the best resource on films about the Holocaust and the many ways they represent this "unrepresentable" event. The clear writing impressively covers different genres; and the interesting readings of films are really helpful when thinking of representations of other catastrophic events. I highly recommend this book for students and academics alike; since it is clearly written but also presents an impressive survey of Holocaust films and discussion about how each film takes on the burden of representation.
