General History

No one present at the Battle of Cape Lopez off the coast of West Africa in 1722 could have known that they were on the edge of history. This obscure yet fierce naval battle would have a monumental impact on British colonies and the future of slavery in...

This is the true story of a young guerrilla commander brought up in a Christian family in Rhodesia, a former colony of Britain. Exposed to the excesses of a colonial regime where race and racism determined one's status in society, and influenced by the...

A sociological approach to appreciating the heroism and legacy of the Gullah statesmanOn May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls (1839-1915) commandeered a Confederate warship, the Planter, from Charleston harbor and piloted the vessel to cheering seamen of the...

All-Black institutions and local community groups have been at the forefront of the freedom struggle since the beginning. Lifting the Chains is a history of the Black experience in America since the Civil War, told by one of our mostdistinguished...

A STIRRING GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION The end of slavery started in what was then San Domingo. In 1791, the enslaved people of themost prized French sugar plantation colony revolted against their masters. For over twelveyears, against a...

"Charlayne Hunter-Gault is an eminent Dean of American journalism, a vital voice whose work chronicled the civil rights movement and so much of what has transpired since then. My People is the definitive collection of her reportage and commentary...

A collection of essays celebrating the influential former first lady, by an array of acclaimed contributors and with a foreword by Lena Dunham. Michelle Obama's legacy transcends categorization. Mrs. Obama was not only our first black first lady; she...

Winner of the Jules and Frances Landry Award Historians have long considered the diary of William Johnson, a wealthy free Black barber in Natchez, Mississippi, to be among the most significant sources on free African Americans living in the antebellum...

Vivid, first-hand account of a unique and significant World War II all-black U.S. Army unit--the 597th Field Artillery Battalion, 92nd Division.The 597th Field Artillery Battalion, 92nd Division, was the first, last, and only all-black officered direct...

In July of 1866, Congress passed the Army Reorganization Act, establishing six all-Black cavalry and infantry regiments. While African Americans had fought in every prior American military conflict, these units, which became known as Buffalo Soldiers,...