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Destruction of Black Civilization : Great…
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Destruction of Black Civilization : Great Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C to 2000 A.D. (edition 1987)

by Chancellor Williams

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329678,421 (4.67)8
The Destruction of Black Civilization took Chancellor Williams sixteen years of research and field study to compile. The book, which was to serve as a reinterpretation of the history of the African race, was intended to be ""a general rebellion against the subtle message from even the most 'liberal' white authors (and their Negro disciples): 'You belong to a race of nobodies. You have no worthwhile history to point to with pride.'"" The book was written at a time when many black students, educators, and scholars were starting to piece together the connection between the way their history was taught and the way they were perceived by others and by themselves. They began to question assumptions made about their history and took it upon themselves to create a new body of historical research. The book is premised on the question: ""If the Blacks were among the very first builders of civilization and their land the birthplace of civilization, what has happened to them that has left them since then, at the bottom of world society, precisely what happened? The Caucasian answer is simple and well-known: The Blacks have always been at the bottom."" Williams instead contends that many elements--nature, imperialism, and stolen legacies-- have aided in the destruction of the black civilization. The Destruction of Black Civilization is revelatory and revolutionary because it offers a new approach to the research, teaching, and study of African history by shifting the main focus from the history of Arabs and Europeans in Africa to the Africans themselves, offering instead ""a history of blacks that is a history of blacks. Because only from history can we learn what our strengths were and, especially, in what particular aspect we are weak and vulnerable. Our history can then become at once the foundation and guiding light for united efforts in serious[ly] planning what we should be about now."" It was part of the evolution of the black revolution that took place in the 1970s, as the focus shifted from politics to matters of the mind.… (more)
Member:darkman065
Title:Destruction of Black Civilization : Great Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C to 2000 A.D.
Authors:Chancellor Williams
Info:Third World Press (1987), Paperback, 384 pages
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Destruction of Black Civilization : Great Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C to 2000 A.D. by Chancellor Williams

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Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
It's a shame this text was only available as a cheap electrophotographic print full of odd printing artifacts ("4" instead of "A") and lack of footnotes, which may be intentional due to Chancellor Williams' own field research.

Part I aims to establish a modern foundational account of Black African civilization in the same vein that the many excessive and voluminous editions have already done on Western developments (eg. "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", Gibbon) – full of absolutes and glorifying interpretations expressing the many conscious and unconscious biases of the historian (and reader, perhaps). Essential simply because of the dominant Western skew on general history (at the time of publication and even now) and complete lack of any popular foundational texts from other perspectives (specifically in the US) period.

Part II was much more interesting – a blunt but well written summation of the former which reads with a fluidity that I hadn't quite caught earlier on. Lots of interesting ideas here, many of them focusing on organization and scaling tactics. ( )
  mitchanderson | Jan 17, 2021 |
This is a VERY informative book that takes you through the history of the various dynasties and transitions of power between the races. It sheds light on the luxurious lifestyle that black people/people of color and their mixed progeny enjoyed for so many years before their demise. It, also, describes how the life of the Egyptian lived many years ago and how the lightening and darkening of the races came about. It is so very interesting that anyone can and will enjoy learning from it. ( )
  DeirdrieLoVerso | Jun 3, 2018 |
i am currently reading this book. I have to say it is just amazing what europeans did to Africa. This book fills in a lot of historical holes for me. I can say that i have been mis-educated in the American education system. People condemned books like this because they have something to hide, otherwise they wouldn't spend so much time trying to discredit truth. I know that in all books there is bias but the wouldn't stop me from reading them. Somewhere between bias vs bias is the truth. This book makes you think and ponder and I look forward to finishing it. To people of African decent, wake up and learn the truth. The question that looms large with me is what motives whites from the world population to commit such heinous, demon, evil atrocities against people of color. Now before someone condemns this book, it also details the problems within African continent and why they were so easily conquered by outsiders. This book is not historical nonsense but is FILLED WITH FACTS hidden from the people who need it most, black people around the world. All i can say is that people of color have been robbed of culture and billions of dollars of wealth which now resides in the hands of Caucasians around the globe. The ponzi scheme began early on the continent of Africa eons ago. This book is informative so far. ( )
  pacof-1234 | Sep 4, 2016 |
Outdated, of course but very interesting historically, the perspective a strong voice in the (then) developing field of black studies that came out of the cultural revolution of the 60s & 70s. I'm not familiar enough with the particularities of ancient African history to have any comment on factual accuracy. Lump summing all the different African peoples under the label of black (vs. eurasian whites) was annoying. A particularly interesting point was made about the hemming in of Africans off of the coastal lands, control of access of intercontinental market exchange (sort of a la Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, Steel). ( )
  uptownbookwormnyc | Apr 3, 2013 |
Revised Edition.
  orchard52 | Nov 23, 2015 |
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The Destruction of Black Civilization took Chancellor Williams sixteen years of research and field study to compile. The book, which was to serve as a reinterpretation of the history of the African race, was intended to be ""a general rebellion against the subtle message from even the most 'liberal' white authors (and their Negro disciples): 'You belong to a race of nobodies. You have no worthwhile history to point to with pride.'"" The book was written at a time when many black students, educators, and scholars were starting to piece together the connection between the way their history was taught and the way they were perceived by others and by themselves. They began to question assumptions made about their history and took it upon themselves to create a new body of historical research. The book is premised on the question: ""If the Blacks were among the very first builders of civilization and their land the birthplace of civilization, what has happened to them that has left them since then, at the bottom of world society, precisely what happened? The Caucasian answer is simple and well-known: The Blacks have always been at the bottom."" Williams instead contends that many elements--nature, imperialism, and stolen legacies-- have aided in the destruction of the black civilization. The Destruction of Black Civilization is revelatory and revolutionary because it offers a new approach to the research, teaching, and study of African history by shifting the main focus from the history of Arabs and Europeans in Africa to the Africans themselves, offering instead ""a history of blacks that is a history of blacks. Because only from history can we learn what our strengths were and, especially, in what particular aspect we are weak and vulnerable. Our history can then become at once the foundation and guiding light for united efforts in serious[ly] planning what we should be about now."" It was part of the evolution of the black revolution that took place in the 1970s, as the focus shifted from politics to matters of the mind.

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