Status
Available
Publication
Simon & Schuster (2022), 960 pages
Description
"A brilliant synthesis of African and African-American history that shows how slavery differed in different regions of the country, and how the Africans and their descendants influenced the culture, commerce, and laws of the early United States"--
Media reviews
An excerpt from the book on "How Empirical Databases Have Changed Our Understanding of Early American Slavery" -- In historical scholarship during the early 21st century, some of these new methods and tools of truth-seeking have been put to work on a large scale in the history of slavery and race
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in America. [...] Many answers have flowed from this database, and some have become questions in their turn. For example, its data show that of approximately 10.7 million Africans who survived the Middle Passage in the Atlantic slave trade, about 4.8 million went to South America, 4.7 million to the Caribbean islands, 800,000 to Central America, and only about 400,000 to North America within the present boundaries of the United States. These differences of scale pose large questions about the diversity of slavery in different parts of the New World, and its variations in space and time. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member scottjpearson
African-American contributions to American history are often pushed to the side and either given a lower priority when presented or segregated into its own area. These stories are often discussed during Black History Month, but then forgotten in the remaining eleven months of the year. In this
Fischer admits that the story of African contributions varies regionally. Thus, he divides his narrative into nine regions, each with its own story, cultural influences, and main actors. Intellectual and spiritual New England fares differently than French/Spanish Louisiana, and Charleston’s Gullah culture varies from Pennsylvania’s Quakers. Organizing this story into regions allows Fischer to describe America in all its diversity. Then he describes how each region was made vitally better by African contributions, in a way that you could not imagine the history existing without these contributions.
Importantly, Fischer traces African-American cultural history back to Africa. Into the historical narrative, he integrates information about the names of enslaved people along with where boats transported from. Then he reconstructs the culture of the tribes and countries that these people came from. Thus, the prior lives of enslaved African are respected as they use these skills in a new setting. For example, African boat-making skills, formed especially by one African tribe, added to European boats in the Chesapeake Bay region of America. This technological innovation allowed the region to better conduct commerce among dispersed towns.
The tales of individual African-Americans are told here. Some were names I knew, but Fischer still introduced me to so many characters. Even though many whites sought to oppress blacks, enslaved Africans persisted to contribute their knowledge to construct America. Fischer proves that thesis exhaustively, with detail after detail, as he makes the case that American history and American ideals simply could not be without their African roots.
I’m not a historian, only a fan of history, so I cannot critically judge the quality of historiography in this book. I trust Fischer’s Pulitzer and distinguished academic credentials (a university professor at Brandeis) are fairly earned. Nonetheless, this book is one of the best histories I have ever read (and I’ve read hundreds). It breaks down an important, complex issue in detailed fashion, and then rebuilds it in a new way that advances the conversation. Words like brilliant and ingenious come to mind. I sincerely hope that Fischer’s take on race in America will achieve its potential in bringing a richer, more diverse, and more honest discussion of who we Americans are.
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book, a (white) Pulitzer Prize-winning author seeks to make a comprehensive, foundational case that enslaved people significantly enriched the cultural course of America – all before the Civil War. He does so in just under 1,000 pages with meticulous research and engaging prose.Fischer admits that the story of African contributions varies regionally. Thus, he divides his narrative into nine regions, each with its own story, cultural influences, and main actors. Intellectual and spiritual New England fares differently than French/Spanish Louisiana, and Charleston’s Gullah culture varies from Pennsylvania’s Quakers. Organizing this story into regions allows Fischer to describe America in all its diversity. Then he describes how each region was made vitally better by African contributions, in a way that you could not imagine the history existing without these contributions.
Importantly, Fischer traces African-American cultural history back to Africa. Into the historical narrative, he integrates information about the names of enslaved people along with where boats transported from. Then he reconstructs the culture of the tribes and countries that these people came from. Thus, the prior lives of enslaved African are respected as they use these skills in a new setting. For example, African boat-making skills, formed especially by one African tribe, added to European boats in the Chesapeake Bay region of America. This technological innovation allowed the region to better conduct commerce among dispersed towns.
The tales of individual African-Americans are told here. Some were names I knew, but Fischer still introduced me to so many characters. Even though many whites sought to oppress blacks, enslaved Africans persisted to contribute their knowledge to construct America. Fischer proves that thesis exhaustively, with detail after detail, as he makes the case that American history and American ideals simply could not be without their African roots.
I’m not a historian, only a fan of history, so I cannot critically judge the quality of historiography in this book. I trust Fischer’s Pulitzer and distinguished academic credentials (a university professor at Brandeis) are fairly earned. Nonetheless, this book is one of the best histories I have ever read (and I’ve read hundreds). It breaks down an important, complex issue in detailed fashion, and then rebuilds it in a new way that advances the conversation. Words like brilliant and ingenious come to mind. I sincerely hope that Fischer’s take on race in America will achieve its potential in bringing a richer, more diverse, and more honest discussion of who we Americans are.
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LibraryThing member tuckerresearch
David Hackett Fischer is a fine, old-school, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian. Heretofore, his most influential work (Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America) focused on the folkways of the English/British in colonial America and their influence on the history of the British colonies and
Fischer splits his book into three major regions: northern, southern, and frontiers; and then into nine smaller areas: New England; Hudson Valley; Delaware Valley in the North; Chesapeake Virginia and Maryland; Coastal Carolina, Georgia, and Florida; Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Gulf Coast in the South; and Western Frontiers; Maritime Frontiers; Southern Frontiers on the frontier. Such subdivisions allow Fischer to highlight the differences and similarities in each region over time. There are, of course, wide differences between slavery in the North, the Chesapeake, Carolina, and Louisiana. Much of the book also covers free blacks, which the subtitle of the books erases with "enslaved people."* The contributions that Black Americans made to the history of the United States of America is shown in its depth and breadth. And it's not just the brute physical force that slaves used to build up America, clear the land, create the wealth, though those things are important, vital contributions. It's the ideas and ideals, it's business, trade, exploration, building, boats, cattle ranching, farming, revolutions, striving, soldiering, rights, rights rights. Et cetera, ad infinitum. The ideas and ideals. It is a great book and an important story.
Fischer does have some missteps. In a book this wide, he is going to miss some research. The endnotes are great and sometimes expansive, but chock-full of more readings and more sources. I understand from a publishing standpoint why there is no separate bibliography or, at least, a selected bibliography. I should be happy they decided to include endnotes at all. Fischer's role as an old-fashioned liberal (I'm sure he's not a progressive 1619 type) shows through in his glaring omission about Gullah-Geechees in the present-day. He mentions (twice! pp. 454-455, 731) the Gullah roots of Michelle Obama's family. Okay. But he ignores the second black justice of the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas, whose first language was Gullah! A Gullah Supreme Court Justice! But, Thomas, bête noire of the liberalati, does not merit a mention by Fischer. Fischer also wildly misinterprets Frederick Douglass (as his most recent biographer, David Blight does too), saying (p. 747) that "Frederick Douglass believed that the diversity of American population was one of its greatest strengths."† He then quotes from Douglass:
"He wrote that the United States is 'the most conspicuous example of composite nationality in the world.... Our greatness and grandeur will be found in the faithful application of the principle of perfect civil equality to the people of all races and creeds.'"
Of course, Fischer's interpretation of Douglass is wrong. Douglass isn't praising racial (and credal) diversity—the skin-deep racialist DIVERSITY fetish that progressives idolize today—he is saying that despite the diversity of America's races and creeds, what makes a true American, what makes America great and grand is that all these diverse people composite themselves, compose themselves, together "in the faithful application of the principle of perfect civil equality to the people." THAT is what makes America great according to Douglass: treating everyone as an equal before the law despite diversity. Not, as Fischer and others would have it, treat all diversity as equal for the sake of diversity. E pluribus unum: "out of many, one"; NOT e pluribus pluribus: "out of many, many." My point, and Douglass's, and, I think, Fischer's before this misstep, is that all races, colors, creeds, whatever, we all—the "diversity" of us—all contributed and contribute something to America. But, I digress. Such minor foibles in no way distract from the book in any major way. It is a great and important book that deserves to be influential.
Images, maps, tables; endnotes, index. Well-written, engaging, excellent.
* Though the subtitle of the book uses the present-day 1619ish euphemism "enslaved persons" instead of "slaves" (look up the "euphemism treadmill"), Fischer uses "slaves" mostly.
† [Sic] if you think that that sentence is missing a "the" after the first "of,": ""Frederick Douglass believed that the diversity of [the] American population was one of its greatest strengths."
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the United States. This book takes a similar form for African folkways and influence in what would become the United States. It is well-researched, well-written, engaging, and will be influential. And, it is a perfect scholarly, historical antidote to the politico-economo-marxian twaddle of the 1619 Project. For Fischer, unlike Hannah-Jones and her ilk, African Americans were not merely put upon victims and America is not a rights-less, dictatorial, racialist, capitalist hellscape. Africans, Fischer notes, contributed to from the beginning to what makes America America, strived and survived despite slavery and racism, and forced America to live up to its values and promises. Reading each book in succession will highlight the difference. As such, this book deserves, nay demands, to be read by every professor or teacher of U.S. history, every political pundit, every CRTer, and every person interested in American history. It is that good and I foresee it winning numerous awards.Fischer splits his book into three major regions: northern, southern, and frontiers; and then into nine smaller areas: New England; Hudson Valley; Delaware Valley in the North; Chesapeake Virginia and Maryland; Coastal Carolina, Georgia, and Florida; Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Gulf Coast in the South; and Western Frontiers; Maritime Frontiers; Southern Frontiers on the frontier. Such subdivisions allow Fischer to highlight the differences and similarities in each region over time. There are, of course, wide differences between slavery in the North, the Chesapeake, Carolina, and Louisiana. Much of the book also covers free blacks, which the subtitle of the books erases with "enslaved people."* The contributions that Black Americans made to the history of the United States of America is shown in its depth and breadth. And it's not just the brute physical force that slaves used to build up America, clear the land, create the wealth, though those things are important, vital contributions. It's the ideas and ideals, it's business, trade, exploration, building, boats, cattle ranching, farming, revolutions, striving, soldiering, rights, rights rights. Et cetera, ad infinitum. The ideas and ideals. It is a great book and an important story.
Fischer does have some missteps. In a book this wide, he is going to miss some research. The endnotes are great and sometimes expansive, but chock-full of more readings and more sources. I understand from a publishing standpoint why there is no separate bibliography or, at least, a selected bibliography. I should be happy they decided to include endnotes at all. Fischer's role as an old-fashioned liberal (I'm sure he's not a progressive 1619 type) shows through in his glaring omission about Gullah-Geechees in the present-day. He mentions (twice! pp. 454-455, 731) the Gullah roots of Michelle Obama's family. Okay. But he ignores the second black justice of the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas, whose first language was Gullah! A Gullah Supreme Court Justice! But, Thomas, bête noire of the liberalati, does not merit a mention by Fischer. Fischer also wildly misinterprets Frederick Douglass (as his most recent biographer, David Blight does too), saying (p. 747) that "Frederick Douglass believed that the diversity of American population was one of its greatest strengths."† He then quotes from Douglass:
"He wrote that the United States is 'the most conspicuous example of composite nationality in the world.... Our greatness and grandeur will be found in the faithful application of the principle of perfect civil equality to the people of all races and creeds.'"
Of course, Fischer's interpretation of Douglass is wrong. Douglass isn't praising racial (and credal) diversity—the skin-deep racialist DIVERSITY fetish that progressives idolize today—he is saying that despite the diversity of America's races and creeds, what makes a true American, what makes America great and grand is that all these diverse people composite themselves, compose themselves, together "in the faithful application of the principle of perfect civil equality to the people." THAT is what makes America great according to Douglass: treating everyone as an equal before the law despite diversity. Not, as Fischer and others would have it, treat all diversity as equal for the sake of diversity. E pluribus unum: "out of many, one"; NOT e pluribus pluribus: "out of many, many." My point, and Douglass's, and, I think, Fischer's before this misstep, is that all races, colors, creeds, whatever, we all—the "diversity" of us—all contributed and contribute something to America. But, I digress. Such minor foibles in no way distract from the book in any major way. It is a great and important book that deserves to be influential.
Images, maps, tables; endnotes, index. Well-written, engaging, excellent.
* Though the subtitle of the book uses the present-day 1619ish euphemism "enslaved persons" instead of "slaves" (look up the "euphemism treadmill"), Fischer uses "slaves" mostly.
† [Sic] if you think that that sentence is missing a "the" after the first "of,": ""Frederick Douglass believed that the diversity of [the] American population was one of its greatest strengths."
Show Less
Awards
Language
Original language
English