This anthology of black writers traces the evolution of African-American perspectives throughout American history; from the early years of slavery to the end of the twentieth century. The essays; manifestos; interviews; and documents assembled here; contextualized with critical commentaries from Marable and Mullings; introduce the reader to the character and important controversies of each period of black history. The selections represent a broad spectrum of ideology. Conservative; radical; nationalistic; and integrationist approaches can be found in almost every period; yet there have been striking shifts in the evolution of social thought and activism. The editors judiciously illustrate how both continuity and change affected the African-American community in terms of its internal divisions; class structure; migration; social problems; leadership; and protest movements. They also show how gender; spirituality; literature; music; and connections to Africa and the Caribbean played a prominent role in black life and history.
#885158 in Books Rowman Littlefield Publishers 2005-03-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.09 x .40 x 6.09l; .50 #File Name: 0742544192131 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I found this to be a nice supplement to the course itselfBy Nico VelaHaving read this book for a class on Colonial and Revolutionary U.S. History; I found this to be a nice supplement to the course itself; and very enlightening on a subject that has; apparently; been ignored during the time period.9 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Good summary of slavery; but her theories are a little iffy.By T. PangleThe light in which slavery is commonly looked at in the United States is as a precursor to the American Civil War; however; British historian Betty Wood takes a different approach to the institution in the book Slavery in Colonial America; 1619-1776. In this text; Wood takes a look at slavery in the colonies and it's implications on the American Revolution; as opposed to the Civil War. Wood proclaims that Slavery in Colonial America is intended to be a book "for those coming to the subject for the first time"(p. vii); a beginners guide to American slavery. The first part of the book deals with why Africans were chosen as the preferred race of slaves. Author's purpose in writing this book is to show the reader that the colonists in America decided upon African slaves as the basis for the institution based on race; rather than economy. This theory is a little shaky and outdated. It completely disregards the fact that freed blacks also owned African slaves. It is hard as an outsider to look into American society and see anything other than racial tensions; but in early colonial America race was not the most important factor; Christianity most probably trumped race. During the second part of the book; Wood focuses on the question: "could the American Patriots who were demanding their own freedom; and resting their case for that freedom on natural rights and equality of all mankind; legitimately hold 20 percent of the colonial population in perpetual; heritable slavery?" Wood goes into detail to explain how the compromise allowing slavery was labored over in colonial America. She briefs over the American Revolution and focuses on the role of the enslaved people in the conflict; both as aid to the colonists and as aid to the British. Wood shows how the American Revolution and the continuance of slavery shaped the future of the nation. Betty Wood hails from Great Britain and is currently a reader in American history at the University of Cambridge. She has a PhD in history and focuses on slavery; race and gender issues in colonial America. In addition to Slavery in Colonial America; Wood published Slavery in Colonial Georgia; 1730-1775 in 1984; Women's Work; Men's Work: The Informal Slave Economies of Lowcountry Georgia; 1750-1830 in 1995; The Origins of American Slavery: The English Colonies; 1607-1700 in 1997 and Gender; Race and Rank in a Revolutionary Age: The Georgia Lowcountry; 1750-1820 in 2000. She has also co-authored many textbooks dealing with the subject of American slavery and gender. Although Betty Wood has seemed to make the subject of slavery in colonial American her life's work; there is an alarming lack of primary sources in this book. There is a brief section at the end of the book including over twenty primary source documents; however; most of her citations in the bibliographic essay are secondhand. It is doubtful that Wood has slacked in research; it is a plausible conclusion therefore that Wood has skimmed her other books and research and pulled out only the basics of colonial slavery. She did state that this book was a beginner's look at American slavery. She may have simply just found the briefest and most frugal way to tell the bare essentials and give the reader an accurate picture of American colonial slavery without overburdening them with deciphers of primary sources. While Wood makes a blatant statement that she believes race; not economy was the primary reason of choosing Africans for American slavery; many other historians would disagree. Robert William Fogel's Without Consent or Contract: The Rise and Fall of American Slavery; as well as his foregoing; notorious duet with Stanley L. Engerman; Time on the Cross; went into profound detail describing the economic benefits of slavery as an institution. While spending a very brief time on race; Without Consent or Contract demonstrates that racial problems evolved from African slavery; not that racial problems caused the enslavement of Africans. In this case; Betty Wood seems to be looking at the effect and trying to turn it into the cause. In a similarity; both Wood and Fogel agree that politics played a huge role in both the continuance and the demise of slavery. Wood spends a particular amount of time instilling in her reader that revolutionary politicians fought hard to keep slavery alive; whereas Fogel demonstrates that had in not be the veracious political fight against slavery; the institution would have continued to prosper. With the retail price of $19.95; this book as a beginners guide seems to get the job done. One must be warned that Wood's emotional tongue could mislead people into romanticizing slavery; rather then portraying in as it truly was on the day to day level. There was a lack of depiction of slave life and an abundance of ideological theorization. However; through her work Wood is able to give a very basic description of slavery in colonial America as an institution and describe how it led up to and influence the American Revolution.Teresa PangleNovember 20060 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Book for college class.By ghybel1975School book; not bad.
