The Best African American History Books 2026

1. Dover Thrift Editions: Black History Book of African-American Quotations, (Paperback)

"In America, black is a country," declared Amiri Baraka, who insisted that the lives and destinies of the nation's white and black citizens are inseparably intertwined. His statement, like many others in this compilation of quotations, reflects the black experience in America and touches upon the role of racial identity. Other citations voice a broader perspective, including Maya Angelou's remark, "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." This original collection of quotations cites approximately 100 well-known African-Americans from all walks of life. Twentieth-century notables include Louis Armstrong, Muhammad Ali, Julian Bond, and Ralph Ellison, in addition to earlier figures such as George Washington Carver and Frederick Douglass. Sources include poetry and works of fiction as well as song lyrics. Arranged alphabetically by author, the quotations cover a wide variety of subjects. Brief captions identify the quoted individuals and the achievements for which they are best known.

Dover Thrift Editions: Black History Book of African-American Quotations, (Paperback) Author: Dover Publications ISBN: 9780486475899 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2011-01-14 Page Count: 224

2. Dover Thrift Editions: Black History Great Speeches by Frederick Douglass, (Paperback)

Author, abolitionist, political activist, and philosopher, Frederick Douglass was a pivotal figure in the decades of struggle leading up to the Civil War and the Reconstruction era. This inexpensive compilation of his speeches adds vital detail to the portrait of a great historical figure. Featured addresses include "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" which was delivered on July 5, 1852, more than ten years before the Emancipation Proclamation. "Had I the ability, and could reach the nation's ear, I would, today, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke," Douglass assured his listeners, "For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake." Other eloquent and dramatic orations include "Self-Made Men," first delivered in 1859, which defines the principles behind individual success, and "The Church and Prejudice," delivered at the Plymouth County Anti-Slavery Society in 1841.

Dover Thrift Editions: Black History Great Speeches by Frederick Douglass, (Paperback) Author: Dover Publications ISBN: 9780486498829 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2013-01-16 Page Count: 160

3. Silver Rights (Hardcover)

In the face of adversity on the front lines of the civil rights struggle, the Carter family sent seven of their children to the formerly all-white schools in Drew, Mississippi, in 1965. "This deeply moving book chronicles . . . the lives of sharcroppers, their extraordinary grit, courage and endurance".--Marian Wright Edelman. Photos. With an introduction by Marian Wright Edelman. This is a true story from the front lines of the civil rights struggle--the story of the Carter family of Sunflower County, Mississippi. African-American sharecroppers and the parents of thirteen children, Mae Bertha and Matthew Carter accepted their school district's 1965 "Freedom of Choice" offer at its face value and enrolled their seven school-age children in the formerly all-white schools of tiny Drew, Mississippi. SILVER RIGHTS tells what happened to them next. As noted civil rights activist and Children's Defense Fund president, Marian Wright Edelman says in her introduction, "This deeply moving book chronicles the pain and poverty in the lives of sharecroppers, their extraordinary grit, courage, and endurance." "We should be grateful to and inspired by the lives of the Carter family."--Booklist; "A book teeming with loud voices and heat and faith, and backbreaking work and timeless courage and honor."--Melissa Fay Greene, author of PRAYING FOR SHEETROCK. A LITERARY GUILD SELECTION.

With an introduction by Marian Wright Edelman. This is a true story from the front lines of the civil rights struggle--the story of the Carter family of Sunflower County, Mississippi. African-American sharecroppers and the parents of thirteen children, Mae Bertha and Matthew Carter accepted their school district's 1965 "Freedom of Choice" offer at its face value and enrolled their seven school-age children in the formerly all-white schools of tiny Drew, Mississippi. SILVER RIGHTS tells what happened to them next. As noted civil rights activist and Children's Defense Fund president, Marian Wright Edelman says in her introduction, "This deeply moving book chronicles the pain and poverty in the lives of sharecroppers, their extraordinary grit, courage, and endurance." "We should be grateful to and inspired by the lives of the Carter family."--Booklist; "A book teeming with loud voices and heat and faith, and backbreaking work and timeless courage and honor."--Melissa Fay Greene, author of PRAYING FOR SHEETROCK. A LITERARY GUILD SELECTION.

4. At the Edge of the Precipice: Henry Clay and the Compromise That Saved the Union, (Paperback)

In 1850, America hovered on the brink of disunion. Tensions between slave-holders and abolitionists mounted, as the debate over slavery grew rancorous. An influx of new territory prompted Northern politicians to demand that new states remain free; in response, Southerners baldly threatened to secede from the Union. Only Henry Clay could keep the nation together. At the Edge of the Precipice is historian Robert V. Remini's fascinating recounting of the Compromise of 1850, a titanic act of political will that only a skillful statesman like Clay could broker. Although the Compromise would collapse ten years later, plunging the nation into civil war, Clay's victory in 1850 ultimately saved the Union by giving the North an extra decade to industrialize and prepare. A masterful narrative by an eminent historian, At the Edge of the Precipice also offers a timely reminder of the importance of bipartisanship in a bellicose age.

At the Edge of the Precipice: Henry Clay and the Compromise That Saved the Union, (Paperback) Author: Basic Books ISBN: 9780465024896 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2011-09-06 Page Count: 200

5. The Slave Ship: A Human History, (Paperback)

In a chilling exploration of a nearly forgotten chapter of history, Marcus Rediker delves into the dark depths of slave ships in the 18th century. In this widely praised history of an infamous institution, award-winning scholar Marcus Rediker shines a light into the darkest corners of the British and American slave ships of the eighteenth century. With meticulous detail, Rediker uncovers the harsh realities of the slave trade, shedding light on the inhumane treatment of captives and the power dynamics aboard the ships. From the economic motivations driving the trade to the efforts of abolitionists, this book reveals the birth of African American culture amidst a backdrop of horror and despair. Drawing on thirty years of research in maritime archives, court records, diaries, and firsthand accounts, The Slave Ship is riveting and sobering in its revelations, reconstructing in chilling detail a world nearly lost to history: the "floating dungeons" at the forefront of the birth of African American culture. This is a powerful and important addition to the study of history, shedding light on a tragedy that should never be forgotten.

The Slave Ship: A Human History, (Paperback) Author: Penguin Books ISBN: 9780143114253 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2008-10-01 Page Count: 464

6. Dover Thrift Editions: Black History When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection, (Paperback)

In an effort to provide unemployed writers with work during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the United States Government, through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), funded the Federal Writers' Project. One of the group's most noteworthy and enduring achievements was the Slave Narrative Collection, consisting of more than 2,000 transcripts of interviews with former slaves, who, in blunt, simple words, provided often-startling first-person accounts of their lives in bondage. This book reprints some of the most detailed and engrossing life histories in the collection. Each narrative is complete. Thirty-four gripping testimonies are included, with all slave occupations represented -- from field hand and cook to French tutor and seamstress. Personal treatment reported by these individuals also encompassed a wide range -- from the most harsh and exploitative to living and working conditions that were intimate and benevolent. An illuminating and unique source of information about life in the South before, during, and after the Civil War, these memoirs, most importantly, preserve the opinions and perspective of those who were enslaved. Invaluable to students, teachers, and specialists in Southern history, this compelling book will intrigue anyone interested in the African-American experience.

Dover Thrift Editions: Black History When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection, (Paperback) Author: Dover Publications ISBN: 9780486420707 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2002-07-01 Page Count: 160

7. Letters to President Obama : Americans Share Their Hopes and Dreams with the First African-American President (Hardcover)

This collection, which will total between 300 and 500 letters from Americans of all walks of life, will become an important piece of history as it describes the variety of feelings and emotions of Americans about the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. Central to the book is the African-American experience and the long road from slavery to the civil rights era to the twenty-first century, but Americans of every race, color, gender, and age will be represented. From children and seniors, from cities and farms, all we have something to say and much to share about how Barack Obama's election was special to them.

This collection, which will total between 300 and 500 letters from Americans of all walks of life, will become an important piece of history as it describes the variety of feelings and emotions of Americans about the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. Central to the book is the African-American experience and the long road from slavery to the civil rights era to the twenty-first century, but Americans of every race, color, gender, and age will be represented. From children and seniors, from cities and farms, all we have something to say and much to share about how Barack Obama’s election was special to them.

8. The Divine Nine

Details Coming Soon

National Bestseller! America’s black fraternities and sororities are a unique and vital part of 20th century African American history, providing young black achievers with opportunities to support each other while they serve their communities and the nation. From pioneering work in the suffragette movement to extraordinary strides during the Civil Rights era to life-changing inner-city mentoring programs in the 1990s, members of these organizations share a proud and vital history of brotherhood, sisterhood, and service. Today, America’s nine black fraternities and sororities are almost three million members strong with chapters at major universities and colleges, including Stanford University, Howard University, and University of Chicago. This revised and updated edition includes details highlighting the Centennial celebrations for both Alpha Phi Alpa and Alpha Kappa Alpha; updated photographs; new statistics; celebrity interviews, a new foreword, and much more. Includes Interviews With Famous Members Of The Divine Nine— From John H. Johnson and Dr. Gwendolyn Goldsby-Grant to Star Jones and Shaquille O’Neal Plus Inspiring Profiles Of Other Famous Members— From Langston Hughes and Ella Fitzgerald to Toni Morrison and Colin Powell Fully Illustrated With Fascinating Photographs!

9. Exodusters: Black Migration to Kansas After Reconstruction, (Paperback)

The first major migration to the North of ex-slaves.

Exodusters: Black Migration to Kansas After Reconstruction, (Paperback) Author: W. W. Norton & Company ISBN: 9780393009514 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 1992-05-01 Page Count: 318

10. An American Beach for African Americans, (Paperback)

"I am excited by this book. It is a great addition to the woefully scant scholarly materials that deal with the African American contribution to Florida history and culture. . . . Original and significant."--Patricia Waterman, University of South Florida "The most detailed study that has been done on the history of American Beach. . . . A work of quality . . . very much welcomed."--Isiah J. Williams III, publisher and editor, Jacksonville Advocate In the only complete history of Florida's American Beach to date, Marsha Dean Phelts draws together personal interviews, photos, newspaper articles, memoirs, maps, and official documents to reconstruct the character and traditions of Amelia Island's 200-acre African American community. In its heyday, when other beaches grudgingly provided only limited access, black vacationers traveled as many as 1,000 miles down the east coast of the United States and hundreds of miles along the Gulf coast to a beachfront that welcomed their business. Beginning in 1781 with the Samuel Harrison homestead on the southern end of Amelia Island, Phelts traces the birth of the community to General Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15, in which the Union granted many former Confederate coastal holdings, including Harrison's property, to former slaves. She then follows the lineage of the first African American families known to have settled in the area to descendants remaining there today, including those of Zephaniah Kingsley and his wife, Anna Jai. Moving through the Jim Crow era, Phelts describes the development of American Beach's predecessors in the early 1900s. Finally, she provides the fullest account to date of the life and contributions of Abraham Lincoln Lewis, the wealthy African American businessman who in 1935, as president of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company, initiated the purchase and development of the tract of seashore known as American Beach. From Lewis's arrival on the scene, Phelts follows the community's sustained development and growth, highlighting landmarks like the Ocean-Vu-Inn and the Blue Palace and concluding with a stirring plea for the preservation of American Beach, which is currently threatened by encroaching development. In a narrative full of firsthand accounts and "old-timer" stories, Phelts, who has vacationed at American Beach since she was four and now lives there, frequently adopts the style of an oral historian to paint what is ultimately a personal and intimate portrait of a community rich in heritage and culture.

An American Beach for African Americans, (Paperback) Author: University Press of Florida ISBN: 9780813035086 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2010-05-25 Page Count: 202