Before the Mayflower: A History of Black AmericaThis is the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of a black history classic. First published in 1962, and continuously updated in succeeding years, the sixth edition of Before the Mayflower contains new and expanded material in every chapter and a new section on black pioneers and black firsts. Instead of adding a new chapter to cover contemporary developments, historian Lerone Bennett Jr. has revised the entire book, taking great care to retain the flavor and style of the highly praised original. The new edition begins with The African past and ends with the Second Reconstruction of the seventies and eighties. There are chapters on the Founding of Black America, Slavery, the Civil War, Black Reconstruction and the Freedom movement of the sixties and seventies. There are also in-depth treatments of the Life and Times of Jim Crow and Sex and Race. Interspersed through the chapters are personalized portraits of the seminal figures of black history. The much-copied Landmarks and Milestones section, which consists of significant dates and events from 1619 to 1987, has been reworked and expanded. The new section is essentially an outline of black history and is a handy and invaluable reference tool for students, teachers and laymen. The emphasis throughout the book is on history as revelation and as a means of understanding and transformation. Grounded on the work of specialists, and written in a dramatic and readable style, the book is designed for nonspecialists. Based on the trials and triumphs of black Americans, the book tells a story which is relevant to the lives of all Americans. |
Contents
THE AFRICAN PAST | 1 |
THE FOUNDING OF BLACK AMERICA | 55 |
BEHIND THE COTTON CURTAIN | 86 |
Copyright | |
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abolitionists African Alabama April army Asa Philip Randolph Atlanta August became bishop black Americans black and white black leaders black soldiers black woman Booker Boston called campaign cent century Chicago Church civil rights College colonies color Congress convention County Death Democrats February federal forces former slaves Frederick Douglass free blacks freedmen freedom Georgia governor House hundred James January Jim Crow John Johnson July June killed labor later legislature Lincoln Louisiana Luther King Jr major March married Martin Luther King mayor minister Mississippi movement NAACP named National Negro North November number of black October organized Orleans P. B. S. Pinchback Pinchback plantation planters police political protest Race riot racial Reconstruction Republican segregation September slavery social South Carolina Southern Spingarn Medal struggle thousand tion troops U.S. Senate U.S. Supreme Court Union University Virginia vote W. E. B. Du Bois Washington white women William