Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery

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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1999 - History - 494 pages
A riveting narrative history of America, from the 1607 landing in Jamestown to the brink of the Civil War, Africans in America tells the shared history of Africans and Europeans as seen through the lens of slavery. It is told from the point of view of the Africans who arrived in shackles and endured the terrible dichotomy of this new land founded on the ideal of liberty but dedicated to the perpetuation of slavery. Meticulously researched, this book weaves together the experiences of the colonists, slaves, free and fugitive blacks, and abolitionists to present an utterly original document, a startling and moving drama of the effects of slavery and racism on our conflicted national identity. The result transcends history as we were taught it and transforms the way we see our past.
 

Contents

Prologue I
1
PART ONETerrible Transformation
13
Chapter Four
129
Poetry and Politics
145
Chapter Five
155
A Soldier for the Crown
171
Chapter Six
181
Marthas Dilemma
205
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About the author (1999)

Charles Johnson, recipient of a 1998 MacArthur Foundation Award, is the author of five works of fiction, including Dreamer. He has received many honors and awards, including the National Book Award. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington.

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