African-Americans in the Colonies

by Jean Kinney Williams

Describes the beginnings of African American slavery in the United States.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

48 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[wovenpink · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is deeply problematic and I can’t believe it’s being used as an educational source. This book whitewashes the brutal realities of slavery and misrepresents the systemic violence inflicted on black people from Africa before and after the Civil War. Instead of truthfully recounting the horrors on Africans such as whippings, rape and forced labor, it glosses over these atrocities in favor of a softened version of history. It minimizes white supremacy’s role in the shaping of the colonies and severely minimizes the resilience and resistance of enslaved Africans leaving students with a very distorted view of American history.

To describe slavery in this whitewashed form is an extreme falsehood and need to be withdrawn from any and all schools that endorses this piece of garbage. Any educational text that fail to reference first hand accounts of the violence and terror is misleading young readers. This book fails to prepare students to understand systemic racism in America and denies them an accurate foundation for grappling with present-day inequities and injustices. I’m appalled that this textbook is even in use. Beware parents.

[Madeline Belling · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a disgusting white washing of a history of systemic injustice, abuse, and dehumanization. “Fear and sometimes severe punishment” refers to practices like buck breaking, whipping, physical torture, sexual assault and slavery, and the literally skinning and sale of the skin of slaves for leather. To disregard these horrific realities and act as though slavery was a natural state of expansion is poorly thought out, disengaging, down right disrespectful and flat out deceitful and harmful. Shame.

[Ariel K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute trash. Whitewashing to the max. The way they describe Slavery and “if you pull yourself up by your bootstraps” philosophy is disgusting. Shame on the author and illustrators connected to this propaganda.

Give me Liberty or Give me Death. Not “Slavery isn’t bad”. No Jean Williams, your garbage book is not acceptable for children. You purposefully left out the slave who bought his freedom lost his land because the government at the time didn’t see/count him as a citizen. You continue the dribble by Nazi White Supremacist by saying “but the AA sold Africans to the White Slave Traders — but left out the system was propped up by the WST!

Do not let your children read this book.
It’s dangerous propaganda that attempts to Whitewash history by being disingenuous. It’s evil rhetoric that downplays the tragedy of the Slave Trade.

[Gabbie Plang · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a shameful piece created to skew slavery into a simple and almost wholesome story. People suffered and died for over 200 years. Slavery was a horrific period in American history, therefore it needs to be correctly portrayed as nothing less than what it was. History is pivotal to society so we remember and ponder some of the most atrocious parts of our history while remembering the impact and significance these things had on real human beings and real lives so that we may never repeat such things. Shame on you, shame on everyone trying to whitewash history. Children deserve truth and transparency not lies and propaganda.

[teese · Rating 1 out of 5]

White washing history. DO NOT SUPPORT THE GARBAGE

[Symone · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very shameful and grotesque depiction of slavery.

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is despicable! The most white-washed history book I’ve ever seen. I cannot believe this is even allowed in schools.

[Rachel Woolsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

white washed version of slavery. if you want an actual history book about settlements of the US, avoid this book at all costs.

[Tzofia Griffith · Rating 1 out of 5]

The lies, the whitewashing. This book belongs in the trash

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

How is this even legal? I thought the point of history books was so that we could learn from our mistakes.

[Tenika Clemmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent but it was definitely a white washed version of slavery

[Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very sterilized, and non-threatening history of the origins of slavery in the colonies of North America.

[Kaj · Rating 1 out of 5]

White washed, embellished misrepresented view of slavery and the dehumanising reality of what the slave trade actually entailed, deeply problematic and cannot believe this book is still available to read.

[Jessica Marie Rodriguez · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is disgusting. Reducing the harm and struggles that black people faced as slaves to this dribble is RACIST AF and it should not be taught to children. This is like people saying "the holocaust wasn't that bad" if I could burn, ban, destroy, keep this book from ever seeing the light of day i would. The lower I can give this is 1 star but I would go lower if I could. Just like this author did.

[Drea Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is probably the most audacious claim about slavery I have come across. Shame on the author, shame on the editor, shame on the publisher and shame on any public facility that keeps this in rotation.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am shocked this is in circulation in a child’s school, and the fact that it was published in 2002 is absolutely horrific. This book should not be on school shelves. This is not even close to accurate and is obviously white washed.

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly informative - eye opening with contemporary illustrations and documents.

[NyKia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not enjoy the watered down depiction of slavery.

[Rachel Braun · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a terrible representation of slavery and what African Americans went through. It puts a bandage over a gaping wound and hides it in the corner behind soft cuddly things.

[Kenyatta Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Total misinformation

[Mila Bee · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is extremely inaccurate.

[Katelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

100% inaccurate.

[Sara Nolan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a whitewashed account, full of misinformation.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Filled with misinformation. A sad attempt at white washing American history.

[Mommy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is full of half-truths lies and misinformation.

[Tailia Shelborne · Rating 1 out of 5]

terrible book with misinformation about slavery in the early americas… too many assumptions and no facts needs to be burned

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book shows that slavery started early but wasn't quite as nasty as it became later, especially in the South. In the Jamestown colony, for example, a slave could work hard, buy his freedom, establish his own trade and be on a pretty much equal footing with the other colonists.

The book also examines the economics behind slavery, and how slavery tied in closely to an agricultural economy but wasn't as necessary in an industrialist economy like the North had. There weren't enough white workers to do all the farm work so slaves were brought in to fill the labor shortage. The problem, of course, was that the slaves were not seen as workers-for-hire; they were seen as things, far inferior to whites, and they were treated in that manner.

The book also goes into how Blacks fought in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, the early history of slavery and other things.