Africans in the Americas: A History of the Black Diaspora

by Michael L. Conniff

This book seeks to explore, in a single, short convenient text, the complex relationship between Africa and the Americas from the early sixteenth century through the end of the twentieth century. Beginning with a preview of the relations between Africa and Europe prior to 1500, the work covers chronologically the transatlantic slave trade, domestic slave trading, slave systems, the abolition movements, and the aftermath of emancipation throughout the Americas. Several chapters provide sweeping surveys of broad regions such as British North America, the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, the Andean countries and Latin America. Others deal with specific territories such as the United States, Venezuela, Cuba or Brazil. The book begins with a chapter on African antiquity and early contacts with Europe. It continues with a comparative history of the slave trade and emancipation. Other topics include the role of free blacks throughout the Americas, women and gender relations, and African-American relations with Europeans and Native American populations. Finally, the book concludes with chapters on modern race and economic relations in the Americas and a chapter on the continuing ties between African Americans and Africa. "On the whole Africans in the Americas accomplishes its purpose well, there is a great deal of fascinating information here. A very useful text." The International Journal of African Historical Studies 28, 633-65 (1995) Michael L. Conniff earned degrees at UC-Berkeley and Stanford (Ph.D. 1976) and has published a number of books on modern Latin American history, most recently A History of Modern Latin America (with Lawrence Clayton) and Populism in Latin America. Thomas J. Davis, Ph.D., J.D., teaches history and law at Arizona State University in Tempe, focusing on race and the law, civil rights, and U.S. constitutional and legal history. His most recent publications include "Race, Identity, and the Law: Underlying Questions in Plessy v. Ferguson," in Race on Trial: Law and Justice in American History (2002); "The Community of Africans in the Americas: Colonialism to CARICOM and TransAfrica" Research and Diversity Journal (2002) and "Conspiracy and Credibility," William and Mary Quarterly (2002). CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS Patrick Carroll ▪ David Eltis ▪ Patience Essah ▪ Alfred Frederick ▪ Dale Graden ▪ Linda Heywood ▪ Richard Lobban ▪ Colin Palmer ▪ Joseph Reidy ▪ John Thornton ▪ Ronald Walters ▪ Ashton Welch ▪ Winthrop Wright TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface PART I - Africa, Europe, and the Americas 1. Africa to 1500 2. Africa and Europe before 1700 3. Early African Experiences in the Americas PART II - The Slave Trade and Slavery in the Americas 4. Africans in the Caribbean 5. Africans in Brazil 6. Africans in Mainland Spanish America 7. Africans in the Thirteen British Colonies PART III - Ending the Slave Trade and Slavery 8. Abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade 9. Emancipation in the Caribbean and Spanish America 10. Emancipation in the United States 11. Emancipation in Brazil PART IV - Africans in the Americas since Abolition 12. African Americans in Postemancipation Economies 13. Race and Politics in the United States 14. Race and Politics in Latin America 15. The Americas' Continuing Ties with Africa AFTERWORD GLOSSARY BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAY INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Genres: History

356 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

Reviews

[Craig Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoy this book, thus far, an interesting discussion of Africans in the Diaspora, specifcally as it relates to North and South America, and of course the Carribean. However, the author begins the text with a comprehensive history of the first Homo Sapiens established in Africa 50,000 years ago.From that the text moves to Kerma ruling Ancient Nubia in 2250 B.C. and moves through the period in which the Moors establish civilization in spain in 711 A.D. I really am enjoying every page of this text

[Cardyn Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a detailed overview of the evolution of the global trafficking of Africans in the New World. Watching the first episode of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s 6-part PBS documentary called The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross reminded me of Africans in the Americas as a complementary text. Dr. Gates's treatment seems to include more of a focus on personalizing this saga of man's inhumanity to man with tales of specific individuals.