Book Summary

The “Pre-United States” Days (1513-1774)
What good could ever come out of people who were bought as slaves and taken miles away from their homes to an unknown land? Did they even stand a chance of survival?
  • In this time period, discover how people who were perceived as nothing but slaves were able to stand up as equally capable and intelligent as other human beings;
  • Learn how the slaves severely suffered loss of human dignity and freedom, sometimes even facing death in a strange land.
  • This time period reveals how in spite of their ordeal, African Americans still stood out in literature, the arts, science, math and every other aspect of life.
  • Discover how African Americans were a significant part of attaining independence in the United States of America.
  • What was the journey to change like? What did their freedom cost? Did it really give them the change they desired?

The New Country (1775-1800)
Not only did they put their lives at a risk, but some African Americans lost their lives to fighting for the independence for their colonies. What did they get in return?
  • In this time period, learn about how the African Americans actively participated in the revolution that led to the independence of the colonies.
  • See how this was a step towards ending the prevalent practice of slavery. Was this a successful move?
  • In this time period, uncover a different fight for freedom that had just started for the African Americans -- a fight against an ideology that had held so many in bondage for a long time; a fight against the practice that had continuously ruined families, love and life; a fight against slavery.
  • While leaders and even the Constitution of the newly formed states were not in their favor, what was to be hoped for?

Antebellum and the Civil War (1891-1865)
The more the government and white Americans kept working against the freedom of African Americans, the harder the African Americans fought against their slavery with everything they had.
  • In this time period, you can discover the challenges the African Americans faced at the peak of their journey to freedom in the United States.
  • Learn how the period was characterized by numerous deaths of remarkable abolitionists, several bloody slaves revolts, and the secession of some parts of the independent nation, which led to a civil war, and ultimately, the loss of thousands of lives.
  • Realize that the fights were not just in arms and ammunition. Instead, the African Americans used the arts and science as notable weapons.
  • In this time period, discover that, in the end, all of these battles sufficed to grant the African American race freedom from servitude.
  • Were they going to sing a new song? Was their life of misery about to come to an end? Find out in the pages that dive deeply into this time period.

Reconstruction (1866-1900)
After the African Americans had the victory of making slavery illegal in the United States, there was yet another fight they had to win.
  • In this period, learn how the phrase "all men are born equal’" gradually began to become a reality for African Americans.
  • Find out that the journey had not come to an end. Although the fight had ceased and the freedom of the African Americans had been guaranteed at the national level, they had just started another journey, one that was going to take many years.
  • Discover how African Americans began recognizing, enforcing, and expanding their freedom at local levels.
  • Was this also characterized by bloody revolutions? What was their weapon this time?

The Road to Greater Equality (1901-1976)
The resilience of the African  American race is highly commendable. Against all odds, they consistently fought for the implementation of their civil rights in law and in action, ultimately succeeding.
  • During this time period, explore the ways that extreme racism played out in the United States against African Americans. This was a period in which they contended not against slavery, but rather against hatred from white citizens. This racial hatred seeped into every aspect of their lives, from language and being referred to as "colored," to a distinct lack of employment and educational opportunities, to the violent attacks they endured.
  • While this time period will reveal the ordeal of the African Americans, it also explains the power of their fight against discrimination. Like the biblical history of the Israelites, the more the African American race suffered, the stronger they became. They excelled in sports, arts, literature, and music, while seizing every opportunity they could lay their hands on, even gaining international recognition. What was their defense strategy?

The Age of Reckoning (1977-2019)
From chains, and shackles to freedom; from hate and abuse to love and justice; from rejection to acceptance and support: This is the progressive story of the African Americans in the United States.
  • In this time period, discover how the African Americans finally became victorious after their fight through the revolution for the independence of today’s United States of America, through the wars for the end of their servitude, to the battle against ongoing racism.
  • Learn about the strongest weapon of the African Americans, which was not just for defense, but also a winning support mechanism for the race.
  • Find out what this weapon was and how it led to a complete turnaround in mindset of majority of the whites in the United States of America during this period.
  • Although it did not become a perfect world in which blacks and whites integrated completely, this period birthed the beginning of the "happily ever after" the African Americans had long fought for.
  • What was this winning mechanism? To what extent did it turn things around?

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