Who are we, and where do we come from? The fundamental drive to answer these questions is at the heart of Finding Your Roots , the companion book to the PBS documentary series seen by 30 million people. As Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. shows us, the tools of cutting-edge genomics and deep genealogical research now allow us to learn more about our roots, looking further back in time than ever before. Gates's investigations take on the personal...

Gates (African-American studies, humanities, Harvard U.) discusses the achievements of Wheatley (1753-84), America's first black poet; Jefferson's harsh critique of her ability in the context of slavery; and her less than stellar reputation among African- Americans. Based on a 2002 Library of Congress lecture.

"This is a story about America during and after Reconstruction, one of history's most pivotal and misunderstood chapters. In a stirring account of emancipation, the struggle for citizenship and national reunion, and the advent of racial segregation, the renowned Harvard scholar delivers a book that is illuminating and timely. Real-life accounts drive the narrative, spanning the half century between the Civil War and Birth of a Nation. Here, you will...

"A powerful new history of the Black church in America as the Black community's abiding rock and its fortress"--

How Black Americans have shaped our country.

"From one of our premier writers, scholars, and public intellectuals: a surprising, inspiring, often boldly infuriating, highly instructive and entertaining compendium of curiosities regarding African Americans. In 1934, 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro With Complete Proof: A Short Cut to the World History of the Negro was published by Joel A. Rogers, a largely self-educated black journalist and historian. Now with élan and erudition--and winning...

"Born a free man in New York State in 1808, Solomon Northup was kidnapped in Washington, D.C., in 1841. He spent the next twelve harrowing years of his life as a slave on a Louisiana cotton plantation. During this time he was frequently abused and often afraid for his life. After regaining his freedom in 1853, Northup decided to publish this gripping autobiographical account of his captivity. As an educated man, Northup was able to present an exceptionally...

Before the end of the civil war, over one hundred former slaves had written moving stories of their captivity and by 1944, when George Washington Carver published his autobiography, over six thousand ex-slaves had written what are called slave narratives. No group of slaves anywhere, in any other era, has left such prolific testimony to the horror of bondage and servitude.