The struggle of African Americans to gain the full rights of citizenship lives at the heart of the American experiment in democracy. In this course, you’ll learn about the history of slavery in America and its extreme brutality; how enslaved African Americans endured and worked tirelessly for freedom and justice; the hardships of free Black Americans; the abolition movements; the effects of the Emancipation Proclamation; and much more.
African American History: From the African Coast to the Civil War
Relive the astonishing journey of African Americans, from the dehumanizing experience of slavery to the remarkable chronicle of their endurance, resistance, and passionate battle for liberty and justice.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
ypress from
Captivating
Excellent course and wonderful delivery by the presenter. Strongly recommend.
Date published: 2024-10-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
EngineerinVA from
Must See Course
A while back, I changed my rating system to give four stars to those courses that I think are good and that I recommend. I reserve five stars to “must see” courses that are a cut above “interesting.” This course is a “must see” course.
This is Black Studies at its best – rigorous scholarship in a focused area of academic history with a dash of sociology tossed in. The course conveys knowledge, not judgment. Perhaps every lecture says things that are very hard to hear, but knowledge is to be useful rather than fun. I recommend this course for every American adult. (Although there is no content warning, much content may not be suitable for children or young teens.)
This course describes the history of slavery of those of African descent from the introduction of slavery in the United States to the legal emancipation following the Civil War. Unfortunately, this course overlooks Native American and blacks as slaveholders; I believe an examination of these phenomena would have added depth to the course.
The course begins by describing the West African empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, and the coastal regions to their south, which eventually provided most of the African American slaves. The course then proceeds in a generally chronological manner including the slave trade, slavery in colonial America, the promise and ultimate disappointment of the American Revolution, African American resistance to slavery, the anti-slavery and abolitionist movements, African Americans in Northern states, and the Civil War.
The course focuses on the personal experience of African Americans and is surprisingly muted on the national politics of slavery. That said, Lectures 21-23 on the causes and conduct of the Civil War do shift attention to national politics before returning to personal experience in the concluding lecture on Reconstruction.
Dr. Anderson is fair and factual throughout the course despite its potentially volatile material. The video presentation is mostly her sitting in a chair although there are many illustrations such as drawings of enslaved persons on ships or portraits of notable persons. There are few graphics that actually add value to the lectures. Perhaps this is due to the emphasis on personal experiences, which does not lend itself to maps or tables.
The course guide is slightly above average by The Great Courses (TGC) standards. It is written in narrative format as opposed to bullet or outline format. It averages about 8 pages per lecture, a little more than TGC average. Only one graphic to add value to the written material (a diagram of how slaves were loaded into a slave ship). There are no appendices although there is a recommended reading list at the end of each lecture.
I used the video streaming version. As of 2024, this course is available only in instant video or DVD format. The student can follow the lectures in audio-only mode such as while driving or exercising.
The course was published in 2024.
Date published: 2024-08-22
Rated 2 out of
5
by
Madison curmudgeon from
Interesting, but limited
On the one hand, Ms. Alexander is a dynamic and very well informed professor. However, after an initial nod to history's complexity, this course becomes a harrowing and somewhat narrow pilgrim's (limited)-progress narrative. Alternative, broader perspectives are lacking, e.g., consider Thomas Sowell's "Race and Culture: A World View." Overall, the course can perhaps best be summarized by a phrase taken from a recent Joseph Epstein autobiography; it describes "the proud dignity of a people who had suffered and persisted by an insistence on an angry and immitigable victim status."
Date published: 2024-07-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
nancyjIA from
Outstanding Lecturer
I have viewed a large number of Great Courses in the last 3 years and truly believe that this course is the best one I have viewed. Dr. Alexander is an outstanding lecturer; she is extremely knowledgeable about African American history. Although I know a lot about this topic, I learned a lot from her. Her lecture is well documented, well organized, and presented in a clear and interesting manner. She offers many examples of real events and people that make her lecture come alive. I felt like she was telling me a story rather than giving a college lecture and I truly enjoyed listening to her. I do hope that she will develop other Great Courses as I am eager to learn more from her. I was also excited that the Great Courses was offering a comprehensive course on this important topic.
Date published: 2024-05-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Gerard 105 from
Amazing! I did not know how little I knew.
This is the most amazing course that I have taken from the Great Courses.
Why this material has been left out of the study of US history, I do not know I am of European descent and now have a far greater understanding of the African-American experience.
I look forward to watching this again with my African-American grandson.
Date published: 2024-05-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Ed G from
Passionate delivery.
The impassioned delivery of the lecture material make this course, more or less, riveting to listen to. The information supplied also added much depth to the general sort of information I was already familiar with.
Date published: 2024-03-28
Rated 1 out of
5
by
Colonel Bo from
I don’t give stars
I have tried to avoid writing a review of this course. However I must warn you, if you like this course stay away from the lecture on the Amistad. I would also add three or four lectures on Columbus, Islam and others. I have been to Gambia, South Africa, Kenya, Somalia, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. I stopped listening to this at lecture 10. My ancestors came to America as slaves, they were Irish.
Date published: 2024-03-27
Rated 5 out of
5
by
DonMDPhD from
Disturbing!
At the outset, I must state that never has a course offered by TTC/TGC/Wondrium affected or disturbed me so deeply. I freely admit that I was moved to tears several times during this remarkable series of lectures offered by Dr. Leslie Alexander.
I was born in Texas in 1946 to a White family--far from rich and not too far from poor--and remember "Colored Only" signs by drinking fountains and restrooms, poll taxes to exclude Black voters, Blacks being consigned to the back of the bus, and Black gentlemen doffing their hats and moving off sidewalks to let White people pass. "It's just the way it is," was the answer I always received when, as a child, I asked, "Why?"
Throughout this fascinating course, Dr. Alexander answered my question in every lesson. But for me, it was best answered succinctly in a quote from the 1857 Dred Scott vs Stanford Supreme Case in which Chief Justice Roger B. Taney writing for the majority, stated, "They [the Black race] had for more than a century before been regarded as beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations; and so far inferior, that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect; and that the negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit."
Dr. Alexander takes a well-balanced but firm position throughout the course. I believe that were I her, I could not be so kind. She handles slavery in both the North and the South with an even hand. Throughout, it's people--individually and collectively--that take center stage. And she does not spare us, nor sugarcoat, the atrocities inflicted upon those who were enslaved by their "masters." But she balances these horrors with the determination, grit and heroic acts of the enslaved to win their freedom.
Yes, this is another "talking heads" style which TGC/Wondrium is so enamored with, but all future lecturers would do well to watch and adopt Dr. Alexander's style. She is animated! Her voice is extreme well-modulated, her face shines, her torso and hands move. This is the first time in some years that I didn't mind that a presenter was seated. BRAVA!!!
I purposefully did not go through the various lectures as I could in no way do justice to them. Of all the TTC/TGC/Wondrium courses I have taken since 2001, this ranks among the top three--and it has my highest recommendation! Don't take my word for it, see for yourself. And I sincerely hope we see Dr. Alexander back--and often!
Date published: 2024-03-20
Overview
About
Leslie Alexander is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of History at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She earned a PhD in History from Cornell University. She is the author of African or American? Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784–1861 as well as Fear of a Black Republic: Haiti and the Birth of Black Internationalism. She also coedited the Encyclopedia of African American History and served as president of the Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora.
Trailer
01: The Origins of African Americans
Begin the course with an overview of the civilizations and societies of West Africa before the arrival of Europeans. Investigate the rise and fall of the great empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, and the vast trade networks that sustained them. Then explore the rich and complex societies that thrived along the central African coastline, and how they became vulnerable to invasion.
34 min
02: Europe’s Expansion in the Atlantic World
Trace the rise of European exploration in the 15th century, and the factors that underlaid it. Observe how the Renaissance ideology of humanism drove a desire for expansion and wealth. Take account of the advances in military and seafaring technology that made exploration possible. Follow the first Portuguese incursions into West Africa, beginning a trade in humans that quickly became profitable.
29 min
03: The Transatlantic Trade in Humans
Learn how the Portuguese developed a military presence in West Africa to protect their trade in gold and humans, followed by the Dutch, French, and British. Examine the reasons why African rulers were initially willing to traffic humans—and were, ultimately, forced to do so. Track the European expansion into the Americas, which made the demand for enslaved labor insatiable.
28 min
04: Enslavement from Capture to Sale
Hear firsthand accounts of the kidnapping of Africans who were sold into bondage. Observe the ways in which Africans were captured, including the enslavement of children. Visualize the long, forced marches to the coast, the suffering and death en route, and imprisonment before sale to traders. Finally, witness the dehumanizing process of the sale of captives, and the traders’ astonishing cruelty.
26 min
05: The Middle Passage
The Middle Passage was the brutal sea journey of African captives to slavery in the Americas. Investigate the horrific conditions of life aboard slave ships, and the numerous uprisings by Africans to regain their freedom, against a background of cruel punishments, disease, suicides, and death. Learn how Africans coped, survived, and were “seasoned” to accept a new identity as slaves.
33 min
06: Slavery Takes Root
Explore how slavery developed within North America’s 13 British colonies. Trace the origins of slavery in the Caribbean, and its importation to the mainland to support plantation agriculture. Examine why slavery in America became based entirely on race. Then study the colonial laws and legal codes that defined slavery and denied Africans the most basic human rights and freedoms.
32 min
07: Slavery in Colonial America
Investigate the nature of slavery in America before the American Revolution. Observe how slavery took root in the Chesapeake region through tobacco cultivation, how it thrived in New England, in mostly urban settings, and in the Carolina colony through rice production. Note the differences in the experience of enslaved women from that of men, and the unrelenting cruelty of their treatment.
32 min
08: Black Culture and Revolt in the Colonies
Discover how enslaved Africans managed to retain their heritage, despite the horrors of enslavement. Note how they practiced African methods of agriculture, cooking and consuming food, healing, and medicine, as well as music and dance traditions and religious and celebratory rituals. Learn also how cultural practices undergirded the numerous revolts by enslaved Africans seeking freedom.
33 min
09: Black Protest in the Age of Revolution
Delve into the response by both enslaved and free Africans to the events of the American Revolution. Grasp their dilemma of whether to side with the British or with the American rebels and learn about the outpouring of African American men who served in both armies, hoping for freedom following the conflict. Assess the painful outcome for Africans, as the slave system expanded dramatically after the war.
32 min
10: Black Enlightenment Thought
Trace the lives of Phillis Wheatley and Benjamin Banneker, two African American intellectuals who achieved wide recognition in literature and science. Drawing on the principles of the American Revolution, observe how many enslaved Africans leveraged the legal system to petition for their freedom and human rights, winning lawsuits and setting legal precedents for the abolition of slavery in the North.
31 min
11: Freedom’s Failures
Here, study the process and the aftermath of legal emancipation in the North. See how slavery was legally abolished in northern states, and the economic shifts, religious movements, and currents of thought that influenced abolition. Examine Northern policies of “gradual emancipation,” and the lingering opposition to ending slavery, as well as African American poverty, that plagued northern societies.
30 min
12: How Cotton Revived Slavery
Slavery expanded dramatically in the South following the Revolution. Track the rise of cotton production, its vast need for labor, and the strategies of plantation owners to satisfy the need. Delve into enslaved life on cotton plantations; the routines of cotton cultivation; and the extreme brutality and legal strictures that sustained the slavery system, noting particularly what enslaved women endured.
34 min
13: Black Culture and Resistance in the South
Uncover the ways in which the enslaved created meaningful lives despite their bondage. See how enslaved Africans forged alternative conceptions of family, developed a Christian “liberation theology,” and expressed themselves through humor and music. Observe their many forms of daily resistance, from concealing their feelings and deceiving slaveholders to creatively protecting each other.
31 min
14: Armed Rebellion in the Antebellum Era
Take the measure of the Haitian Revolution, where Africans threw off the yoke of slavery and established an independent Black nation. Grasp how the events in Haiti inspired and influenced numerous armed uprisings in the United States, highlighting the Virginia rebellion of 1800, the Louisiana uprising of 1811, the South Carolina revolt of 1822, and the landmark Nat Turner rebellion of 1831.
32 min
15: Free Black Communities in the North
Examine the hopes of newly emancipated Africans in the North, and why they dissolved into severe hardship and suffering. Following emancipation, track the growth of African American social and political organizations, churches, and schools. Witness the violent backlash of white Northerners, in the massive anti-Black riots of the early 19th century, destroying African American communities in northern cities.
30 min
16: Black Nationalism and Emigration
Chart the rise of emigration movements, as Northern African Americans considered relocation to more welcoming countries. Follow the unfolding of Black emigration to Canada, Sierra Leone, Haiti, and Liberia, and the advent of the American Colonization Society, a white organization aiming to forcibly remove African Americans from the United States. See why emigration movements eventually fell into disrepute.
33 min
17: From Antislavery to Abolition
In the early 19th century, a full-fledged abolition movement emerged in the United States. Learn how African American activists inspired antislavery leaders to call for an immediate end to slavery, and how the work of white abolitionist William Garrison culminated in the American Anti-Slavery Society. Trace the role of women in the abolitionist cause, and the ideological rifts that caused the movement to fracture.
30 min
18: Black Political Thinkers in the North
Follow the development of African American political and intellectual thought in the antebellum North, through the lives of major activists. Begin with David Walker, author of an incendiary treatise against slavery. Continue with Maria Stewart, an impassioned writer and speaker; famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass; and Sojourner Truth, who championed both emancipation and women’s rights.
32 min
19: The Black Struggle for Citizenship
Take account of the deep conflicts over strategy that challenged the abolitionist movement in the 1840s, dividing advocates for moral appeals to white Americans against those favoring direct or violent action in the name of freedom. Then see how African American activists successfully fought segregation in the North and waged a concerted battle for unrestricted voting rights and full rights of citizenship.
29 min
20: Running for Freedom
This lecture follows the stories of fugitives, enslaved people who sacrificed everything to free themselves from bondage. Better understand why fugitivity was a major and ongoing irritant for Southern enslavers. Learn about the severe perils of escape and hear accounts of famous fugitives who used ingenious strategies to gain freedom. Learn about the remarkable organizations that arose to assist fugitives.
31 min
21: Slavery Splinters the Union
In the 1850s, the battles regarding slavery tore the Union apart, leading inexorably to the Civil War. Examine the economic and political debates over slavery, and the conflicts over free versus slave states that deepened the tensions between North and South. Witness the events of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act, and John Brown’s Raid, as the country teetered toward war.
33 min
22: The Politics of Emancipation
Relive the opening of the Civil War and explore how African Americans responded to the conflict. See how enslaved people in the South seized the opportunity to gain their freedom and trace the conflicted impulses of Black Northerners. Grapple with the myth of Abraham Lincoln as the “Great Emancipator” and track his political quandary as he faced increasing pressure to emancipate the enslaved.
27 min
23: Battling the Curse of Slavery
With the Union’s acceptance of African American soldiers, see how African Americans faced severe discrimination in the military. Note their bravery in military actions, turning the tide of the war. Investigate lingering Northern racism, and the horrific anti-Black violence in New York City in retaliation for the draft. Learn how the exodus of the enslaved in the South precipitated the end of the Civil War.
33 min
24: The Fruits and Failures of Reconstruction
Conclude with a look at the conditions for Black Americans in the aftermath of the Civil War. Learn about the policies of Reconstruction, as America adjusted to a post-slavery reality. Observe how African Americans initially made strong advances into business and politics but were impeded by anti-Black sentiment, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, and a stringent re-imposition of white supremacy.
35 min
