The First Passage: Blacks in the Americas 1502-1617 (The ^AYoung Oxford History of African Americans) - Hardcover

Palmer, Colin A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195086996 ISBN 13: 9780195086997

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1995

Synopsis

The history of African Americans begins in Africa, a continent that was home to people with different languages, traditions, histories, and religions. They called themselves Twi, Yoruba, Zulu, Ashanti, and Kumba, among other names. In the early sixteenth century Europeans turned to Africa for the labor force needed to mine, cultivate, and process the bounty of natural resources in the newly colonized Americas. As many as 12 million Africans from varied ethnic backgrounds endured forced migration and enslavement. Out of their suffering was forged a new people--no longer simply Twi, Yoruba, Ashanti, or Kumba. In the Americas, they first became Africans and then African Americans.
The First Passage examines the first century of the recorded black presence in the Americas. The ordeal of the Atlantic crossing gave way to the isolation and humiliation of slavery and the loss of friends and family. Some slaves attempted rebellion and escape. Others maintained as many religious and cultural traditions as possible and as the African-American population grew, forged new traditions and new ties of kinship. This history remains at the core of black life in the Americas. Colin Palmer tells a story of extraordinary suffering. But The First Passage is also a timeless lesson in endurance and survival.

About this title

About the Author

About the Author:
Colin A. Palmer is Distinguished Professor of History at the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York.

Reviews

Grade 7 Up?The first title in what will ultimately be an 11-volume series. Palmer's text ranges from detailing differences among African cultures to providing precise information on the changes traditional customs and religions underwent as a result of diaspora and enslavement. Much of the book focuses on the experiences of slaves in Mexico, Brazil, and Peru; this sets it apart from many other works that deal mainly with slavery in the U.S. Just as the author is determined to challenge the standardized image of all Africans being from identical societies, so does he enlarge the concept of all slaves laboring as field hands or domestics; many readers will be surprised to discover that they also worked at pearl-fishing and mining. While this volume presents what is undoubtedly one of the most complete overall studies of slavery, it does not include as many personal accounts as William Evitts's Captive Bodies, Free Spirits (Messner, 1985; o.p.). Also, extracts from outside sources are not footnoted, and there is no bibliography. These concerns aside, The First Passage is still useful for its forceful black-and-white reproductions, large amount of material, and broad-ranging geographical outlook.?Anita Palladino, Finkelstein Memorial Library, Spring Valley, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195086996
• ISBN 13: 9780195086997
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128