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Creating Black Americans: African-American History and Its Meanings, 1619 to the Present
Here is a magnificent account of a past rich in beauty and creativity, but also in tragedy and trauma. Eminent historian Nell Irvin Painter blends a vivid narrative based on the latest research with a wonderful array of artwork by African American artists, works which add a new depth to our understanding of black history.
Painter offers a history written for a new generation of African Americans, stretching from life in Africa before slavery to today's hip-hop culture. The book describes the staggering number of Africans--over ten million--forcibly transported to the New World, most doomed to brutal servitude in Brazil and the Caribbean. Painter looks at the free black population, numbering close to half a million by 1860 (compared to almost four million slaves), and provides a gripping account of the horrible conditions of slavery itself. The book examines the Civil War, revealing that it only slowly became a war to end slavery, and shows how Reconstruction, after a promising start, was shut down by terrorism by white supremacists. Painter traces how through the long Jim Crow decades, blacks succeeded against enormous odds, creating schools and businesses and laying the foundations of our popular culture. We read about the glorious outburst of artistic creativity of the Harlem Renaissance, the
courageous struggles for Civil Rights in the 1960s, the rise and fall of Black Power, the modern hip-hop movement, and two black Secretaries of State. Painter concludes that African Americans today are wealthier and better educated, but the disadvantaged are as vulnerable as ever.
Painter deeply enriches her narrative with a series of striking works of art--more than 150 in total, most in full color--works that profoundly engage with black history and that add a vital dimension to the story, a new form of witness that testifies to the passion and creativity of the African-American experience.
* Among the dozens of artists featured are Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Beauford Delaney, Jacob Lawrence, and Kara Walker
* Filled with sharp portraits of important African Americans, from Olaudah Equiano (one of the first African slaves to leave a record of his captivity) and Toussaint L'Ouverture (who led the Haitian revolution), to Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X
Painter offers a history written for a new generation of African Americans, stretching from life in Africa before slavery to today's hip-hop culture. The book describes the staggering number of Africans--over ten million--forcibly transported to the New World, most doomed to brutal servitude in Brazil and the Caribbean. Painter looks at the free black population, numbering close to half a million by 1860 (compared to almost four million slaves), and provides a gripping account of the horrible conditions of slavery itself. The book examines the Civil War, revealing that it only slowly became a war to end slavery, and shows how Reconstruction, after a promising start, was shut down by terrorism by white supremacists. Painter traces how through the long Jim Crow decades, blacks succeeded against enormous odds, creating schools and businesses and laying the foundations of our popular culture. We read about the glorious outburst of artistic creativity of the Harlem Renaissance, the
courageous struggles for Civil Rights in the 1960s, the rise and fall of Black Power, the modern hip-hop movement, and two black Secretaries of State. Painter concludes that African Americans today are wealthier and better educated, but the disadvantaged are as vulnerable as ever.
Painter deeply enriches her narrative with a series of striking works of art--more than 150 in total, most in full color--works that profoundly engage with black history and that add a vital dimension to the story, a new form of witness that testifies to the passion and creativity of the African-American experience.
* Among the dozens of artists featured are Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Beauford Delaney, Jacob Lawrence, and Kara Walker
* Filled with sharp portraits of important African Americans, from Olaudah Equiano (one of the first African slaves to leave a record of his captivity) and Toussaint L'Ouverture (who led the Haitian revolution), to Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X
496 pages, Paperback
First published August 9, 2005
21 people are currently reading
1163 people want to read
About the author
Nell Irvin Painter
34 books400 followersNell Irvin Painter is an American historian notable for her works on southern history of the nineteenth century. She is retired from Princeton University, and served as president of the Organization of American Historians. She also served as president of the Southern Historical Association.
She was born Nell Irvin to Dona and Frank E. Irvin, Sr. She had an older brother Frank who died young. Her family moved from Houston, Texas, to Oakland, California when she was ten weeks old. This was part of the second wave of the Great Migration of millions of African Americans from the Deep South to urban centers. Some of their relatives had been in California since the 1920s. The Irvins went to California in the 1940s with the pull of increasing jobs in the defense industry. Nell attended the Oakland Public Schools.
Her mother Dona Irvin held a degree from Houston College for Negroes (1937), and later taught in the public schools of Oakland. Her father had to drop out of college in 1937 during the Great Depression; he eventually trained for work as a laboratory technician. He worked for years at the University of California at Berkeley, where he trained many students in lab techniques.
Painter earned her B.A. - Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley in 1964. During her undergraduate years, she studied French medieval history at the University of Bordeaux, France, 1962–63. She also studied abroad at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana, 1965–66. In 1967, she completed an M.A. at the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1974, she earned an M.A. and Ph.D. at Harvard University. She returned to study and earned a B.F.A. at Rutgers University in 2009. Painter has received honorary degrees from Dartmouth College, Wesleyan University, and Yale University, among other institutions.
In 1989, Painter married the mathematician Glenn Shafer, co-creator of the Dempster–Shafer theory.
(from Wikipedia)
She was born Nell Irvin to Dona and Frank E. Irvin, Sr. She had an older brother Frank who died young. Her family moved from Houston, Texas, to Oakland, California when she was ten weeks old. This was part of the second wave of the Great Migration of millions of African Americans from the Deep South to urban centers. Some of their relatives had been in California since the 1920s. The Irvins went to California in the 1940s with the pull of increasing jobs in the defense industry. Nell attended the Oakland Public Schools.
Her mother Dona Irvin held a degree from Houston College for Negroes (1937), and later taught in the public schools of Oakland. Her father had to drop out of college in 1937 during the Great Depression; he eventually trained for work as a laboratory technician. He worked for years at the University of California at Berkeley, where he trained many students in lab techniques.
Painter earned her B.A. - Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley in 1964. During her undergraduate years, she studied French medieval history at the University of Bordeaux, France, 1962–63. She also studied abroad at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana, 1965–66. In 1967, she completed an M.A. at the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1974, she earned an M.A. and Ph.D. at Harvard University. She returned to study and earned a B.F.A. at Rutgers University in 2009. Painter has received honorary degrees from Dartmouth College, Wesleyan University, and Yale University, among other institutions.
In 1989, Painter married the mathematician Glenn Shafer, co-creator of the Dempster–Shafer theory.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 10, 2020
Very helpful book for me in understanding many current issues; also, especially enjoyed the art pieces included and explained.
May 3, 2022
If white people genuinely want to contend with the america they’ve created, then this book is a must read. It provides a cursory glance of black life since it was created on the slave ships and ends with contemporary black politics. The book is good at dispelling common myths surrounding slavery, and the Jim Crow Era; and to the critical reader offers insights into the contemporary black plight. While this is a great book for beginners, it is only that: an introduction into the history of black life in the USA.
February 14, 2018
Nell Irvin Painter is masterful in framing thought-provoking explorations of identity within comprehensive historical research. Her book "The History of White People" was an excellent examination of race as a social construct, as well as the inherent fluidity of ethnic identity in relation to ingroups and outgroups throughout Western history. With "Creating Black Americans," she is able to convey a complex history of a diverse and heterogeneous group, illustrating the variability and dynamic nature of the black experience in the United States.
Each chapter punctuates key historic events and how they impacted peoples lives and identifies. She conveys the horrifying history of enslavement and Jim Crow with accounts of resistance and highlights the agency of African American figures. Additionally, Painter's treatment of people from differing time periods with equal respect allowed for interesting insights into the impact of social movements ranging from the Civil Rights era to hip-hop culture.
While textbooks are not popular go-to reading material, this one is definitely worth reading. The format allowed for a lengthy examination from the time of the first Africans arrival to the New World up util the time of the volume's publication (2006). Furthermore, each chapter contained ample imagery that helped to convey the tone of each section of history, which included both historical images as well as artistic interpretations from other time periods. The choice of including artwork also helped to bridge stretches of time and see the ripple effects of historic events.
If you are interested in American history, identity, or just really good non-fiction, do not let the textbook format deter you from giving this volume a chance.
Each chapter punctuates key historic events and how they impacted peoples lives and identifies. She conveys the horrifying history of enslavement and Jim Crow with accounts of resistance and highlights the agency of African American figures. Additionally, Painter's treatment of people from differing time periods with equal respect allowed for interesting insights into the impact of social movements ranging from the Civil Rights era to hip-hop culture.
While textbooks are not popular go-to reading material, this one is definitely worth reading. The format allowed for a lengthy examination from the time of the first Africans arrival to the New World up util the time of the volume's publication (2006). Furthermore, each chapter contained ample imagery that helped to convey the tone of each section of history, which included both historical images as well as artistic interpretations from other time periods. The choice of including artwork also helped to bridge stretches of time and see the ripple effects of historic events.
If you are interested in American history, identity, or just really good non-fiction, do not let the textbook format deter you from giving this volume a chance.
April 15, 2020
A great introduction to thinking beyond what we are taught in school. This should get the juices flowing and the thirst for exploration. We live in an age of information, where there is so much available simply by asking the computer. Start with this book and then continue exploring. Don't read what everyone else is reading just because...chart your own course and see things from a different lens. This is a great introduction for young adults and don't be wedded to the author's analysis...
April 30, 2021
I've used this book in my African American history course for the past seven or eight years. The narrative history is wonderful -- and the artwork adds tremendous richness to the Black American story. I do think the text should be updated. The nation has been through many challenges since the Obama presidency (which is where the book now ends), and contemporary Black artists continue to create powerful responses and elucidating visions.
June 20, 2024
This was my African American history textbook, but I actually read pretty much the whole thing and stayed engaged with course material. Would definitely recommend for any AAH course, it was very informative and seemed to cover as much as possible with a relatively manageable page count. I really loved how much art was used to help contextualize moments in history and show how the culture has evolved alongside political movements.
August 20, 2017
An amazing text book introduction into "black" history in America from the beginning to now. There are, of course, some minor disputes that some historians can responsibly make, but it's a fantastic book overall. I would recommend this book for those needed an introduction to black American history. Highly recommended.
July 17, 2022
amazing
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March 20, 2023Textbook for African/African American History. Spring semester 2022.
October 26, 2013
This is a very detailed survey text about the manufacture of racial identity. Easier to digest the cultural, social, political, historical and economic implications by reading a section or chapter per reading session with a few days or a week between stints. It's a riveting non-fiction narrative.
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January 12, 2008Just saw this author on BookTV and now I have to get my hands on a copy of this book!
May 22, 2013
The book is well written and the history is well captured and the artwork is Amazing; it sits on my art bookshelf in my studio as a reference point. I really love this book.
July 4, 2016
This was the right book to finish on July 4th, in order to remember some of the ways our nation's freedom has failed to be for everyone.
April 26, 2017
Assigned reading for my African-American History course at Augusta University and I am so glad that it was. Every chapter was a well-detailed exploration of the struggle (and it is still a struggle) African-Americans have faced since the Civil War (the period covered by this book). One historical event is missing. The book is dated 2007, so it ends before the election of Barack Obama as President. It does cover his Senate win, though. I recommend this textbook just as an educational read for historians.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews