What do you think?
Rate this book
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross is the companion book to the six-part, six hour documentary of the same name, airing on national, primetime public television in the fall of 2013. The book chronicles the full sweep of 500 years of African American history, from the origins of slavery on the African continent and the arrival of the first black conquistador, Juan Garrido, in Florida in 1513, through five centuries of remarkable historic events right up to Barack Obama's second term as president. The book explores these topics in even more detail than possible in the television series, and examines many other fascinating matters as well, such as the ethnic origins—and the regional and cultural diversity—of the Africans whose enslavement led to the creation of the African American people. It delves into the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives that African Americans have created in the half a millennium since their African ancestors first arrived on these shores. Like the television series, this book guides readers on an engaging journey through the Black Atlantic world—from Africa and Europe to the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States—to shed new light on what it has meant, and means, to be an African American. By highlighting the complex internal debates and class differences within the Black Experience in this country, readers will learn that the African American community, which black abolitionist Martin R. Delany described as a "nation within a nation," has never been a truly uniform entity, and that its members have been debating their differences of opinion and belief from their very first days in this country. The road to freedom for black people in America has not been linear; rather, much like the course of a river, it has been full of loops and eddies, slowing and occasionally reversing current. Ultimately, this book emphasizes the idea that African American history encompasses multiple continents and venues, and must be viewed through a transnational perspective to be fully understood.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2013
180 people are currently reading
455 people want to read
About the author
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
293 books873 followersHenry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. is a Professor of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. He is well-known as a literary critic, an editor of literature, and a proponent of black literature and black cultural studies.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 20, 2014
The African Americans is the companion piece to the documentary aired on PBS during the fall of 2013 over 6 hourly episodes, covering the 500 year history of blacks on this continent. There is so much information here that it is difficult to summarize what I've read. One aspect of the book that I must mention and compliment is the wide use of cited references even for some of the early years covered. While the reference may not have initially been from the African immigrants themselves, there were diaries of others for documentation.
As the story of the exploration of this continent moves toward colonization, eventually there are freed men of color who are able to provide reports of their own lives. These diaries and photos are wonderful (or sometimes horrific) to experience. The history of this country is a history of promises made and broken, of holding a group of people down to serve the needs of others, financial needs, of identifying an entire population of people as sub-human because of their skin color. While I knew this on some level, reading all of these mounting details makes it even more real.
I had highlighted so many sections to quote but--too many. I think I will end with Gates' parting comments.
While no one could argue that we still have a very
long way to go in terms of the full recognition of
African American history and culture, it would be difficult
to argue that American society has not made dramatic
progress in this direction since the assassination of the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And of course the
election---and maybe more important, the re-election---of
a black president speaks volumes about the growth of
(lower case) black power.
Yet there remain deep social and economic inequalities
that still need to be resolved, that divide black Americans
from white, and black middle-class Americans from their
working-class brothers and sisters. Perhaps building the
bridge that will reach across those divides is the ultimate
challenge of the next chapter in the history of the
African American people.
There is a lengthy bibliography at the end of the text for further reference and the text is footnoted throughout.
Highly recommended.
An copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.
As the story of the exploration of this continent moves toward colonization, eventually there are freed men of color who are able to provide reports of their own lives. These diaries and photos are wonderful (or sometimes horrific) to experience. The history of this country is a history of promises made and broken, of holding a group of people down to serve the needs of others, financial needs, of identifying an entire population of people as sub-human because of their skin color. While I knew this on some level, reading all of these mounting details makes it even more real.
I had highlighted so many sections to quote but--too many. I think I will end with Gates' parting comments.
While no one could argue that we still have a very
long way to go in terms of the full recognition of
African American history and culture, it would be difficult
to argue that American society has not made dramatic
progress in this direction since the assassination of the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And of course the
election---and maybe more important, the re-election---of
a black president speaks volumes about the growth of
(lower case) black power.
Yet there remain deep social and economic inequalities
that still need to be resolved, that divide black Americans
from white, and black middle-class Americans from their
working-class brothers and sisters. Perhaps building the
bridge that will reach across those divides is the ultimate
challenge of the next chapter in the history of the
African American people.
There is a lengthy bibliography at the end of the text for further reference and the text is footnoted throughout.
Highly recommended.
An copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.
February 21, 2016
A companion to the fantastic documentary (with the same name) that aired on PBS; I'd recommend watching the documentary as well as reading this to get a good full picture of African American history. The documentary had me wanting to dive more into African American history, and this was a good first step as it helps reinforce what was discussed in the documentary as well as providing more details. This is a survey history so obviously doesn't delve deeply into any one topic or story, rather discussing ongoing themes and examining significant events, people and movements (including ones that aren't well known now).
Gates does a good job of addressing issues of class, gender and nationality (especially the tension between African immigrants and African Americans).
There are (obviously) parts of the history that are hard to read, especially slave narratives and the horror of lynching, but it's absolutely a worthwhile read.
The book is also very accessible and written for a wider audience (ie. you don't need to be a History PhD to understand it), which makes it the perfect intro to African American history.
Of interesting note: the documentary and the book introduced me to Ella Baker, a key figure in the civil rights movement, especially the student movement who has been sidelined in history because she wasn't a man (nor part of the general Christian male dominant civil rights movement). I'm excited to read more about her. And I think this is the point of the book: a jumping off point to read and learn more about aspects of African American history.
Gates does a good job of addressing issues of class, gender and nationality (especially the tension between African immigrants and African Americans).
There are (obviously) parts of the history that are hard to read, especially slave narratives and the horror of lynching, but it's absolutely a worthwhile read.
The book is also very accessible and written for a wider audience (ie. you don't need to be a History PhD to understand it), which makes it the perfect intro to African American history.
Of interesting note: the documentary and the book introduced me to Ella Baker, a key figure in the civil rights movement, especially the student movement who has been sidelined in history because she wasn't a man (nor part of the general Christian male dominant civil rights movement). I'm excited to read more about her. And I think this is the point of the book: a jumping off point to read and learn more about aspects of African American history.
July 28, 2014
The book, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross chronicles the 500 year history of Blacks in America from the arrival of the first black man, Conquistador Juan Garrido who set foot on the Florida coast in 1513 to the present and the second term of Barack Obama, the first African American President of the United States. It is the companion book to the PBS Documentary of the same name and both complements and expands on the history presented there.
Co-authors Henry Louis Gates Jr and Donald Yacavone give a fascinating and detailed overview of this long, tumultuous, tragic, and very important part of American history. With the use of both secondary and primary sources such as newspapers, letters, and journals, it tells the stories both of black communal history and that of individuals in their own voices, many well-known, but many lost to history until now. It discusses the horrors of slavery, the injustices of Jim Crow, and the terrible rise of the KKK and the spread of lynchings not only throughout the south but in the north right up until the middle of the 20th century. It also discusses the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, the signing of the Civil Rights Act, and finally the election of the first black President. It avoids apportioning blame or creating victims but it never flinches from the worst of the abuses of discrimination and its devastating effects not only in the past but in the present. It makes it clear that the United State’s unprecedented level of affluence was achieved to a very great extent at the expense and on the backs of black people. It shows how poorly African Americans have been portrayed in American culture in the past but it also shows how much African Americans have influenced and contributed to American culture from music to dance to literature as well as in the sciences.
It also contains dozens of beautiful illustrations both in black and white and in colour. As well, there is a list of resources for anyone who would like to learn more about African American history. It is a great complement to the documentary but it is also a great read on its own and it is history that needs to be read. That the authors have made it so readable and so accessible is also a real bonus.
The history of black people in America is not an easy one. It is a history of sorrow and tragedy but also of struggle and achievement, of terrible injustices and great heroes, and of a slow march to freedom that has taken centuries and, as this book shows clearly, there are still more rivers to cross before it’s over. Obviously, a history that covers so much cannot be contained in one book. However, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross does a marvelous job of presenting an overview of one of the most important parts of American history, one that has too long been ignored. It is well-documented, well-researched and well-written. It is also presented in a clear and cogent manner and, unlike many history texts, it avoids the pedantic and the dry. It makes the history come to life and gives it a voice we all should hear.
Co-authors Henry Louis Gates Jr and Donald Yacavone give a fascinating and detailed overview of this long, tumultuous, tragic, and very important part of American history. With the use of both secondary and primary sources such as newspapers, letters, and journals, it tells the stories both of black communal history and that of individuals in their own voices, many well-known, but many lost to history until now. It discusses the horrors of slavery, the injustices of Jim Crow, and the terrible rise of the KKK and the spread of lynchings not only throughout the south but in the north right up until the middle of the 20th century. It also discusses the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, the signing of the Civil Rights Act, and finally the election of the first black President. It avoids apportioning blame or creating victims but it never flinches from the worst of the abuses of discrimination and its devastating effects not only in the past but in the present. It makes it clear that the United State’s unprecedented level of affluence was achieved to a very great extent at the expense and on the backs of black people. It shows how poorly African Americans have been portrayed in American culture in the past but it also shows how much African Americans have influenced and contributed to American culture from music to dance to literature as well as in the sciences.
It also contains dozens of beautiful illustrations both in black and white and in colour. As well, there is a list of resources for anyone who would like to learn more about African American history. It is a great complement to the documentary but it is also a great read on its own and it is history that needs to be read. That the authors have made it so readable and so accessible is also a real bonus.
The history of black people in America is not an easy one. It is a history of sorrow and tragedy but also of struggle and achievement, of terrible injustices and great heroes, and of a slow march to freedom that has taken centuries and, as this book shows clearly, there are still more rivers to cross before it’s over. Obviously, a history that covers so much cannot be contained in one book. However, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross does a marvelous job of presenting an overview of one of the most important parts of American history, one that has too long been ignored. It is well-documented, well-researched and well-written. It is also presented in a clear and cogent manner and, unlike many history texts, it avoids the pedantic and the dry. It makes the history come to life and gives it a voice we all should hear.
February 10, 2014
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross is a companion book to the six-part, six-hour PBS series of the same title…” presents in much greater detail the 500-year history of the African American people…” This book is full of rich history of the African American people. It describles their journey from distant lands to final destinations in the United States. “Ultimately, by 1867….approximately 12.5 million Africans had been sold into New World slavery. Of the 11 million or so Africans who survived the Middle Passage, only about 388,000 were shipped directly to what became the United States.” Twelve million of anything is such an enormously huge number that I could barely grasp that fact. According to World Population Statistics, there are approximately 38 million living in the state of California and 12 million is a third of that number.
The book gives further information regarding great explorers and their contributions to society, such as Juan Garrido, Esteban, Jan Rodrigues, Gaspar Yanga and Juan Beltran. The better known Garrido is chronicled and followed, as is Esteban.
‘The African Americans’ also discusses slavery, “the introduction of slavery into Virginia was neither accidental nor incidental, but reflected a developing Atlantic-wide effort by England to increase its power and extract wealth from the New World.” The numbers in this category were astounding: by 1830, the black populations…. about 2.3 million in North America and 2.4 million in the Caribbean. (Brazil, incredibly, received about five million slaves.)
The book continues up to 2013, “The combination of events that the country celebrated on January 21, 2013, would have been utterly unimaginable to virtually any of the historical figures whose lives and times we have been chronicling between the early 16th century and early 21st century: the second inauguration of the first black president…”
This history book does not miss a beat when it comes to sharing the historical events, whether good, bad or indifferent of a people that helped shaped the New World. Yes, The African Americans did cross many rivers to get here and we are the better for it. I highly recommend this book be read by history buffs and people who want to know the real story.
(I received this book from Hay House Publishing for review purposes)
The book gives further information regarding great explorers and their contributions to society, such as Juan Garrido, Esteban, Jan Rodrigues, Gaspar Yanga and Juan Beltran. The better known Garrido is chronicled and followed, as is Esteban.
‘The African Americans’ also discusses slavery, “the introduction of slavery into Virginia was neither accidental nor incidental, but reflected a developing Atlantic-wide effort by England to increase its power and extract wealth from the New World.” The numbers in this category were astounding: by 1830, the black populations…. about 2.3 million in North America and 2.4 million in the Caribbean. (Brazil, incredibly, received about five million slaves.)
The book continues up to 2013, “The combination of events that the country celebrated on January 21, 2013, would have been utterly unimaginable to virtually any of the historical figures whose lives and times we have been chronicling between the early 16th century and early 21st century: the second inauguration of the first black president…”
This history book does not miss a beat when it comes to sharing the historical events, whether good, bad or indifferent of a people that helped shaped the New World. Yes, The African Americans did cross many rivers to get here and we are the better for it. I highly recommend this book be read by history buffs and people who want to know the real story.
(I received this book from Hay House Publishing for review purposes)
April 2, 2014
Unknown and Rediscovered American and African-American History Resurrected by a Master Historian
Historical text, on any subject matter, should not be attempted without balance - the objective eye - and definitely ought not to be written without passion by those so engaged .... In my estimation, Messrs Gates and Yacovone did a masterful job of making the historical facts outlined in this text- some which were known, others rediscovered and a host of others new - exciting reading ... indeed, I am more impressed with the book than the television series. If at all I have any complaint it has to do with the brevity of certain topics broached but then again the abundance of bibliographical references and the reality of condensing the subject matter in a format that doesn't veer off course taken into consideration strikes the right balance.
Historical text, on any subject matter, should not be attempted without balance - the objective eye - and definitely ought not to be written without passion by those so engaged .... In my estimation, Messrs Gates and Yacovone did a masterful job of making the historical facts outlined in this text- some which were known, others rediscovered and a host of others new - exciting reading ... indeed, I am more impressed with the book than the television series. If at all I have any complaint it has to do with the brevity of certain topics broached but then again the abundance of bibliographical references and the reality of condensing the subject matter in a format that doesn't veer off course taken into consideration strikes the right balance.
January 12, 2015
As an American of many
Ancestries, Native American Cherokee, Irish and African,
it has been difficult to find our roots. Mr. Gates has done an excellent job on filling in some of the history I lived and was taught by my now ancestors, as they have all now gone on to be with the Lord. However, my journey continues and I continue to fill in the missing pieces of our African Heritage. I so remember all years 1955 and forward and the continued struggle for equality. Thank you Mr. Gates and Mr. Yacovone.
Ancestries, Native American Cherokee, Irish and African,
it has been difficult to find our roots. Mr. Gates has done an excellent job on filling in some of the history I lived and was taught by my now ancestors, as they have all now gone on to be with the Lord. However, my journey continues and I continue to fill in the missing pieces of our African Heritage. I so remember all years 1955 and forward and the continued struggle for equality. Thank you Mr. Gates and Mr. Yacovone.
March 13, 2015
Wonderfully researched history of the African-American experience in many of its different and multiple facets. Learned a lot about people I was already familiar with, as well as people who are seldom mentioned.
Excellent resource.
Excellent resource.
August 21, 2018
I love history just as much as I love fiction. The illumination of facts regarding who we are, where we came from, what we did, and how we interacted are just as amazing and fantastic as a story a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. I well written book of history that the tells story for the regular reader, but does not rise above the intense rigor of academia fits the mold perfectly for telling us who we were, in a format readily acceptable by the masses. This book does just that.
Dr. Gates and Donal Yacovone have compiled the tales of the African Americans in a manner that left me folding page after page after page, pulling me in with each word to delve deeper and do my own research. As an aspiring author I freely say four book ideas of my own have come from reading his work, fictionalized histories that would captivate the mind and stir the soul, but let me tell you, this book does that already. The African-Americans, whom I call American-Africans, which I will gladly explain to any who ask, led incredible, amazing, arduous and torturous lives as they helped to build the nation we know today. I highly recommend this book not just for people of color, but anyone interested any knowing the rich history of America beyond what is normally taught in our schools.
Dr. Gates and Donal Yacovone have compiled the tales of the African Americans in a manner that left me folding page after page after page, pulling me in with each word to delve deeper and do my own research. As an aspiring author I freely say four book ideas of my own have come from reading his work, fictionalized histories that would captivate the mind and stir the soul, but let me tell you, this book does that already. The African-Americans, whom I call American-Africans, which I will gladly explain to any who ask, led incredible, amazing, arduous and torturous lives as they helped to build the nation we know today. I highly recommend this book not just for people of color, but anyone interested any knowing the rich history of America beyond what is normally taught in our schools.
April 29, 2022
This book is a companion to the PBS series, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. The first 4 chapters required careful reading for me. I really didn't know a lot about Africans in the Americas: 1500-1540, Slave Trade World Wide up through 1763, or African Americans during the American Revolution. The confusion in America about who was free and who was a slave just made life more complex up to, during, and after the Civil War. The darker ages for African Americans evolved at the end of Reconstruction and the time Jim Crow laws of separate, but never equal. Since I am a Baby Boomer, a remember growing up in the 1950s and the excitement of the March on Washington. in 1963. The later chapters bring forward the Civil Rights struggles up through the election of Barack Obama. If you don't know the contributions of African Americans in all areas of our country's history from inventions to music and literature this book will give you a good overview. Everyone should know who Madame C.J. Walker, W.E.B. Dubois, Ida B. Wells, and Charles Drew were, just to name a very few contributors to American life.
Read
February 23, 2020I half-expected this book to read like a textbook. I suppose it may in some ways, but I found it more engaging than your average text. While I great deal of the book wasn't new information, having the entire story told in one arc helped a great deal. Also, I did learn snippets here and there that I hadn't known, often smaller details that were emphasized.
My greatest regret is that life in American didn't continue in an upward projection after the publication of this book in 2013. Logically, I know that progress has always come in fits and starts. Rationally, I understand that my education glossed over inequalities that hadn't completely been eradicated. That said, there's something particularly demoralizing about reading about all of the process made in the last chapter only to remember where we are today.
My greatest regret is that life in American didn't continue in an upward projection after the publication of this book in 2013. Logically, I know that progress has always come in fits and starts. Rationally, I understand that my education glossed over inequalities that hadn't completely been eradicated. That said, there's something particularly demoralizing about reading about all of the process made in the last chapter only to remember where we are today.
January 15, 2021
An Interesting Academic Approach To Black History
I’m a 70 year old white guy AND a big devotee of Dr. Gates. He offers a balanced portrayal of African American history - the pain and misery of a subjected culture, the soaring high points, the disappointments, and even the missteps.
He also calls my race to account - completely deserved - without making me feel that all black people mistrust and hate me as an individual.
And he also carefully explains that African Americans are multi-faceted and complex, not unlike people of my race who range from professors and artists to unemployed whites down on there luck, or even those who have done great wrongs.
End the end we are all more alike than different, though the races find it hard to admit. Our DNA proves it.
I’m grateful to Dr. Gates for helping me to more fully appreciate what it means to be African American,
I’m a 70 year old white guy AND a big devotee of Dr. Gates. He offers a balanced portrayal of African American history - the pain and misery of a subjected culture, the soaring high points, the disappointments, and even the missteps.
He also calls my race to account - completely deserved - without making me feel that all black people mistrust and hate me as an individual.
And he also carefully explains that African Americans are multi-faceted and complex, not unlike people of my race who range from professors and artists to unemployed whites down on there luck, or even those who have done great wrongs.
End the end we are all more alike than different, though the races find it hard to admit. Our DNA proves it.
I’m grateful to Dr. Gates for helping me to more fully appreciate what it means to be African American,
September 29, 2023
I liked the book. It touches on information about African American History from the time we got here 1619 to at least 2013 when it was published. This goes along with the documentary that encompasses everything in this book and more. You have 6 different splits in African American History from the beginning 1619 to at least till the 1700s and from that time till Pre-Civil war. Then From the civil war to antebellum times. From those times till the great migration and WWI and the entire civil right era and from the end of that until now. I like it because it told me what was able to be put out about AAH. I think any historian or history person would love this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2023
Required reading for my African American Studies class.
September 28, 2018
History is a benchmark, it tells where one has been & where they have the potential to go. For many whose histories were erased via their kidnappings & emboldened by the justifications of the kidnappers - to keep them ignorant and broken. School history says 'Columbus' discovered the Americas, yet Esteban was here before, conservative history would have us believe the right to vote was only fought for & given in the 1960's - when in actuality it was self-evident & outright won upon Emancipation (at least 200 Southern African-American representatives - duly elected), yet many were cheated out of office (or murdered) during 'Reconstruction.'
A people who have persevered since the Cradle of Civilization, as well as the 25th Dynasty 'Kushite' rule of Egypt.
Professor Gates (host of Finding Your Roots) research and well put together manuscript didn't make me "proud" regarding my skin, yet opened my eyes to the 'all' that I have to be "Proud Of" in my skin. I am referred to as a "minority" (in my skin & gender), but it would be on me if
I live a "minoritized" existence esp in "a free & equal nation!"
The book canvases the advent of the African via the Transatlantic people snatching seafaring highway into the Twenty-First Century of 2013 & President Barack Obama's legacy. I believe it should be a prominent text for African-American history period, it's complete and candid composition gives structure and weight to the transient histories (of the ancestors of the kidnapped) often slapped with stero-typing as reflection/history - people whose true character(s) are often offset by bogus labeling which (centuries later) continue to 'disenfranchise' & belittle.
Being descended from Africans has made for "Many Rivers to Cross" in life, history & American landscape, yet it makes for a totally heightened sense/understanding of what 'liberty' means, costs & is worth!
A people who have persevered since the Cradle of Civilization, as well as the 25th Dynasty 'Kushite' rule of Egypt.
Professor Gates (host of Finding Your Roots) research and well put together manuscript didn't make me "proud" regarding my skin, yet opened my eyes to the 'all' that I have to be "Proud Of" in my skin. I am referred to as a "minority" (in my skin & gender), but it would be on me if
I live a "minoritized" existence esp in "a free & equal nation!"
The book canvases the advent of the African via the Transatlantic people snatching seafaring highway into the Twenty-First Century of 2013 & President Barack Obama's legacy. I believe it should be a prominent text for African-American history period, it's complete and candid composition gives structure and weight to the transient histories (of the ancestors of the kidnapped) often slapped with stero-typing as reflection/history - people whose true character(s) are often offset by bogus labeling which (centuries later) continue to 'disenfranchise' & belittle.
Being descended from Africans has made for "Many Rivers to Cross" in life, history & American landscape, yet it makes for a totally heightened sense/understanding of what 'liberty' means, costs & is worth!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews