Lerone Bennett (1928–2018)

This well-written book tells the story of black Americans from before the settlement of the Plymouth Colony to the late 20th century. It is a story of suffering and despair, struggle and hope, achievements and setbacks, lynching and community self-defense and Christian fortitude and stoicism. It is a broad history that includes necessarily the relationship with white America, both North and South, but also African beginnings and the impact of the international context, which begins to bear show more on domestic race relations with the end of colonialism and the competition of the United States with the Soviet Union for the moral high ground in the 20th century. Along the way we learn of the roles of famous black Americans and the white Americans who were their allies as well as the part played by the black “masses”, especially during the Civil War in ending slavery and in the Great Migration and protests of the 20th century. The central theme is the continuing struggle of African-Americans towards freedom and equality and the numerous setbacks along the way. It often seems that when the prospects are darkest, and African-Americans are becoming most despairing, progress suddenly occurs from an unexpected source, such as the end of slavery when the South brought the Civil War upon itself in its ambitions to protect and grow the institution of slavery. And direct action in the 1960s dealt a body blow to segregation at a time when in many ways it was reaching its pinnacle of development (despite the growing number of court decisions striking down such laws). It tells of how entrenched minority interests would encourage racism as a technique to divide and conquer the majority of the population who in actuality shared the same goals, such as in undermining the achievements of Black Reconstruction. The book also relates how at despairing times when the prospects for African Americans seemed most grim, the appeal of black nationalism would wax, with the goals of separateness or even departure from the United States as the preferred solutions. This book is an excellent narrative of the history of slavery and its progeny over almost 400 years of American history. It should go without saying that every American should be aware of this history and its continued presence with us today. This history is a testimony to the human spirit and its refusal to accept injustice. When in the thick of civil rights battles, African-American leaders were asked by their opponents what they wanted, they would reply they wanted the implementation of the US Constitution. show less

This is a solid 3.5 on my scale of ratings, tipping to 4, as the mood changes. This book is a nice, solid primer for those who don't know anything about Black History ... or American History for that matter, for it is impossible to distinguish, and absurd to split hairs.

It is to be noted that this book was first published in 1961, when it truly was a landmark for American culture. It has been revised at least 3 times since; and in this revision Lerone Bennett states he re-wrote many of the show more sections to update it to encompass present knowledge (as opposed to the earlier editions that were 'revised' simply by making a few editorial changes.)

The book is encyclopaedic: Bennett moves back in time in order to be able to deliver context, travelling as far back as history will allow and then takes it to 2007, when this last edition was printed. As one can imagine, needs must move this narrative by leaps and bounds: so one travels from 7th C BC Timbuktu to 15th century AD, in about 30 pages. A nice sweeping coverage for the uninitiated, but I was hoping for something more; something more scholarly perhaps. The other minor quibble I have with it is that Bennett relies mainly on secondary source material -- all fine and good for a survey for general consumption but leaves a mild disappointment for seeking the unadorned, unfiltered truth.

It's a must-read and a fascinating overview.

To be noted: the book is not quite as daunting as its 700 pages might suggest. Only 430 or so pages of narrative, with lots of photographs to enhance the storyline; the next three hundred pages can be used as a quick reference chronology which begins in AD 1300 -- little snippets of important events that one can fly through with ease. (I think it might be quite a handy tool for high school teachers, for instance; and for those kids who prefer to get their information in Twitter-sized notes. Better to ingest it this way, than not at all, imho.) There is a nice section entitled Black Firsts -- giving voice to those moments in time when Black Americans were finally able to break through the various social and cultural prisons carved out for them. It's humbling to see life in that way: that one's merits had to be judged on the colour of the skin, and not the colours in their hearts and minds.

In the end, a very quick (and informative) read from a hefty five pound book. show less

A little dated since it only goes up to 1962, but it made me astonished how much was left out of history class.

A pioneering work in African-American history, and still very useful.