The thrilling story of a free colored man, kidnapped in Washington in 1841, sold into slavery, and after twelve years of bondage is reclaimed by state authority from a cotton plantation in Louisiana.

This anthology of black writers traces the evolution of African-American perspectives throughout American history, from the early years of slavery to the end of the twentieth century. The essays, manifestos, interviews, and documents assembled here, contextualized with critical commentaries from Marable and Mullings, introduce the reader to the character and important controversies of each period of black history. The selections represent a broad spectrum of ideology. Conservative, radical...