Upon these Shores: Themes in the African-American Experience 1600 to the Present [Paperback]

William R. Scott (Editor), William G. Shade (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0415924073 | ISBN-13: 978-0415924078 | Edition: 1

This one-volume, comprehensive overview of African American history brings together original essays by some of the foremost authorities in the field. Arranged both thematically and chronologically, these papers discuss a wide range of topics - from the Middle Passage to the Civil Rights Movement; from abolition to the Great Migration; from issues in religion, class and family to literature, education and politics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Beginning with the horrors of the Middle Passage and following African American history through to modern topcis of post-Civil Rights politics, this volume provides an overview of the African American Experience. 23 historians offer a variety of perspectives on topics sucha as urbanization, religion, family life, class literature, music, and education in articles covering slavery, Reconstruction, the formation of black identity and culture, and the Civil Rights movement.
...a collection of essays by top scholars that makes compelling reading for anyone. -- Morning Call

About the Author

William R. Scott is Professor of History and Director of the African-American Studies Program at Lehigh University. He is author of The Sons of Sheba's Race: African Americans and the Italo-Ethiopian War (1993). William G. Shade is Director of the American Studies Program at Lehigh University and Co-Director of the Gipson Institute for Eighteenth-Century Studies. He is author of Democratizing the Old Dominion (1996) and co-editor, with Sandy Maisel, of Parties and Politics in American History (1994).

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (December 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415924073
• ISBN-13: 978-0415924078
• Product Dimensions: 0.4 x 1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #954,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A quality text for students and the educated public November 10, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This work sets a high standard for college-level edited history surveys. I assigned this work (or the bulk of it at least) for an African American History course in Spring 2001. It's traditional for students to dislike textbooks designed for classroon use, but this is far from the least popular one. There are many good surveys of African American history, and while none is completely satisfactory, "Upon These Shores" has several strong features. The level of expertise and writing of most chapters is extremely high; some of the premier scholars in the field are represented here, including Peter Wood, Gayraud Wilmore, and Charles V. Hamilton among others. The chapter bibliographies are very helpful, & the illustrations nicely complement the text. Ultimately, the deciding factor in assigning this book was the numerous well-chosen excerpts from primary sources embedded in the various chapters. This helped to acquaint students with the raw materials for doing history, gave direct access to Black voices from the past,and--not least--saved students money since they didn't have to buy a separate collection of sources.

"Upon These Shores" does have some drawbacks. It lacks an index, a minor but distinct annoyance. There is a good chapter on Black feminism, but coverage of African American women in other chapters is rather perfunctory, though the section on the antebellum gender division of labor is very insightful. The result is that Black womens' issues seem regrettably segregated largely into one chapter. "Race relations" is mostly defined in black-&-white terms, leaving readers less informed on encounters with other ethnic groups. Still, this work does not claim to be fully comprehensive, and what's here is quite good indeed. The course itself covered almost four centuries of history, really too much to do in one semester. I supplemented "Upon These Shores" with the following works: Olaudah Equiano, "Interesting Narrative;" David Walker, "Appeal to the Colored People of the World;" WEB DuBois, "Souls of Black Folk;" Anne Moody, "Comimg of Age in Mississippi," and shorter writings by Diop, Appiah, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs and Nat Turner.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A quality text for students and the educated public November 10, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This work sets a high standard for college-level edited history surveys. I assigned this work (or the bulk of it at least) for an African American History course in Spring 2001. It's traditional for students to dislike textbooks designed for classroon use, but this is far from the least popular one. There are many good surveys of African American history, and while none is completely satisfactory, "Upon These Shores" has several strong features. The level of expertise and writing of most chapters is extremely high; some of the premier scholars in the field are represented here, including Peter Wood, Joseph Miller, Gayraud Wilmore, and Charles V. Hamilton among others. The chapter bibliographies are very helpful, and the illustrations nicely complement the text. Ultimately, the deciding factor in assigning this book was the numerous well-chosen excerpts from primary sources embedded in the various chapters. This helped to acquaint students with the raw materials for doing history, gave direct access to Black voices from the past, and---not least---saved students money since they didn't have to buy a separate collection of sources.

"Upon These Shores" does have some drawbacks. It lacks an index, a minor but distinct annoyance. There is a good chapter on Black feminism, but coverage of African American women in other chapters is rather perfunctory, though the section on the antebellum gender division of labor is very insightful. The result is that womens' issues regrettably seem largely segregated into one chapter. Contributors mostly define "race rellations" in black-and-white terms, leaving readers less informed on encounters with other ethnic groups. Still, this work does not claim to be fully comprehensive, and what's here is quite good indeed.

The course itself covered four centuries of history, really too much to do in one semester. I supplemented "Upon These Shores" with the following works: Olaudah Equiano, "Interesting Narrative;" David Walker, "Appeal to the Colored People;" WEB DuBois, "Souls of Black Folk;" Anne Moody, "Coming of Age in Mississippi," & shorter writings by Diop, Appiah, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs & Nat Turner.