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ReVisioning American History #4
An African American and Latinx History of the United States
An intersectional history of the shared struggle for African American and Latinx civil rights
Spanning more than two hundred years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history, arguing that the "Global South" was crucial to the development of America as we know it. Scholar and activist Paul Ortiz challenges the notion of westward progress as exalted by widely taught formulations like "manifest destiny" and "Jacksonian democracy," and shows how placing African American, Latinx, and Indigenous voices unapologetically front and center transforms US history into one of the working class organizing against imperialism.
Drawing on rich narratives and primary source documents, Ortiz links racial segregation in the Southwest and the rise and violent fall of a powerful tradition of Mexican labor organizing in the twentieth century, to May 1, 2006, known as International Workers' Day, when migrant laborers--Chicana/os, Afrocubanos, and immigrants from every continent on earth--united in resistance on the first "Day Without Immigrants." As African American civil rights activists fought Jim Crow laws and Mexican labor organizers warred against the suffocating grip of capitalism, Black and Spanish-language newspapers, abolitionists, and Latin American revolutionaries coalesced around movements built between people from the United States and people from Central America and the Caribbean. In stark contrast to the resurgence of "America First" rhetoric, Black and Latinx intellectuals and organizers today have historically urged the United States to build bridges of solidarity with the nations of the Americas.
Incisive and timely, this bottom-up history, told from the interconnected vantage points of Latinx and African Americans, reveals the radically different ways that people of the diaspora have addressed issues still plaguing the United States today, and it offers a way forward in the continued struggle for universal civil rights.
2018 Winner of the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
Spanning more than two hundred years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history, arguing that the "Global South" was crucial to the development of America as we know it. Scholar and activist Paul Ortiz challenges the notion of westward progress as exalted by widely taught formulations like "manifest destiny" and "Jacksonian democracy," and shows how placing African American, Latinx, and Indigenous voices unapologetically front and center transforms US history into one of the working class organizing against imperialism.
Drawing on rich narratives and primary source documents, Ortiz links racial segregation in the Southwest and the rise and violent fall of a powerful tradition of Mexican labor organizing in the twentieth century, to May 1, 2006, known as International Workers' Day, when migrant laborers--Chicana/os, Afrocubanos, and immigrants from every continent on earth--united in resistance on the first "Day Without Immigrants." As African American civil rights activists fought Jim Crow laws and Mexican labor organizers warred against the suffocating grip of capitalism, Black and Spanish-language newspapers, abolitionists, and Latin American revolutionaries coalesced around movements built between people from the United States and people from Central America and the Caribbean. In stark contrast to the resurgence of "America First" rhetoric, Black and Latinx intellectuals and organizers today have historically urged the United States to build bridges of solidarity with the nations of the Americas.
Incisive and timely, this bottom-up history, told from the interconnected vantage points of Latinx and African Americans, reveals the radically different ways that people of the diaspora have addressed issues still plaguing the United States today, and it offers a way forward in the continued struggle for universal civil rights.
2018 Winner of the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2018
806 people are currently reading
18766 people want to read
About the author
Paul Ortiz
14 books43 followersDr. Paul Ortiz is Director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida.
Before becoming a historian, attending Duke University for graduate school, Ortiz was first a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne, and then an organizer for the United Farm Workers.
Before becoming a historian, attending Duke University for graduate school, Ortiz was first a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne, and then an organizer for the United Farm Workers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews
November 19, 2017
Much like An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, this book is part of the ReVisioning American History series. Having just finished the former, I was stoked to see the latter on Edelweiss available for download and review, and immediately snapped it up.
This book covers the American Revolution through to present day, and covers everything from the juxtaposition of the American Revolution with the Haitian Revolution; the Civil War and Reconstruction; Jim Crow and Juan Crow laws; the New Deal and its aim at creating specifically a white middle class; and across the board, emancipatory internationalism.
Emancipatory internationalism was a new term for me, and I'm kind of in love with it now. (I know I'm a bit late to the game on that one...) Essentially, my understanding is that this pairs internationalism (basically the opposite of insular nationalism, and the idea that we're all global citizens) with emancipation, and the belief that freedom is not possessed by any nation to give or take away from others.
There were a number of larger takeaways, other than being truly schooled in aspects and viewpoints of history that were never covered in my public school education. It's truly a book (and a series, at least the ones I've read so far) that must be read to be truly appreciated. But here are the takeaways for me, in no particular order:
-The true realization that our country was NEVER authentically predicated on the idea of success and equality for everyone. Intellectually, I understood the concept, but don't think that I have come quite so face-to-face with the reality until I started diving deeper into history books not written by white men. (This quote from the book really brings it home: "Inequality in American life today is not the result of abstract market forces, nor is it the consequence of the now-discredited 'culture of poverty' thesis. From the outset, inequality was enforced with the whip, the gun, and the United States Constitution.")
The idea of American exceptionalism (like most ideas of exceptionalism) is a harmful lie. It's been harmful in the past, it continues to be harmful now. ("Make America Great Again" is a prime example.)
-How much all of our movements owe to other movements across the globe. (This relates back to that whole emancipatory internationalism thing.)
-It feels like we are nowhere. So many of the things that were included in this book are events that could have happened yesterday. And it's fucking exhausting to think about.
-The system being stacked against African American and Latinx people of color, especially when it comes to socioeconomics, and specifically how that leads to continued disadvantage, is one of the most frustrating things, and a concept with which a lot of people have a hard time. Personally, my dad is one of them. I've tried to explain to him the concept behind reparations and the lack of inherited wealth, but for someone who came from a lower middle-class background, who didn't inherit actual money when his father died, explaining where that "inherited wealth" comes into his privilege is a frustrating endeavor for both of us.
-Black women have always been the harbingers and drivers of justice movements. FOLLOW BLACK WOMEN. ELECT BLACK WOMEN. SUPPORT BLACK WOMEN.
Definitely snag this book when it's released. It's important and relevant and vital.
This book covers the American Revolution through to present day, and covers everything from the juxtaposition of the American Revolution with the Haitian Revolution; the Civil War and Reconstruction; Jim Crow and Juan Crow laws; the New Deal and its aim at creating specifically a white middle class; and across the board, emancipatory internationalism.
Emancipatory internationalism was a new term for me, and I'm kind of in love with it now. (I know I'm a bit late to the game on that one...) Essentially, my understanding is that this pairs internationalism (basically the opposite of insular nationalism, and the idea that we're all global citizens) with emancipation, and the belief that freedom is not possessed by any nation to give or take away from others.
There were a number of larger takeaways, other than being truly schooled in aspects and viewpoints of history that were never covered in my public school education. It's truly a book (and a series, at least the ones I've read so far) that must be read to be truly appreciated. But here are the takeaways for me, in no particular order:
-The true realization that our country was NEVER authentically predicated on the idea of success and equality for everyone. Intellectually, I understood the concept, but don't think that I have come quite so face-to-face with the reality until I started diving deeper into history books not written by white men. (This quote from the book really brings it home: "Inequality in American life today is not the result of abstract market forces, nor is it the consequence of the now-discredited 'culture of poverty' thesis. From the outset, inequality was enforced with the whip, the gun, and the United States Constitution.")
The idea of American exceptionalism (like most ideas of exceptionalism) is a harmful lie. It's been harmful in the past, it continues to be harmful now. ("Make America Great Again" is a prime example.)
-How much all of our movements owe to other movements across the globe. (This relates back to that whole emancipatory internationalism thing.)
-It feels like we are nowhere. So many of the things that were included in this book are events that could have happened yesterday. And it's fucking exhausting to think about.
-The system being stacked against African American and Latinx people of color, especially when it comes to socioeconomics, and specifically how that leads to continued disadvantage, is one of the most frustrating things, and a concept with which a lot of people have a hard time. Personally, my dad is one of them. I've tried to explain to him the concept behind reparations and the lack of inherited wealth, but for someone who came from a lower middle-class background, who didn't inherit actual money when his father died, explaining where that "inherited wealth" comes into his privilege is a frustrating endeavor for both of us.
-Black women have always been the harbingers and drivers of justice movements. FOLLOW BLACK WOMEN. ELECT BLACK WOMEN. SUPPORT BLACK WOMEN.
Definitely snag this book when it's released. It's important and relevant and vital.
February 28, 2018
It's an important book that highlights the voices of those we don't hear about far too much. Author Ortiz takes the reader through what it says on the cover: from the Hatian Revolution to the international effects of the US Civil War, Ortiz gives us a history that is unfortunately silenced and perhaps lost in favor of another narrative.
Honestly, I felt this wasn't quite what I thought it would be. While I was glad to read a history that took us out of the United States and placed history in a more international context I found the book difficult to read. It could be that I lacked familiarity with several of the events Ortiz describes. But there's another review by Publisher's Weekly that really hits it on the head: the book is clearly well-researched but also reads like a series of articles.
I was surprised that the main text is only about 200 pages and about 20-25% of the book are notes, references, etc. Again, good for research and for looking up stuff but I felt like the book had to be lot thicker to place these events in context and feel less like a series of articles and more of a comprehensive picture. It might not be possible (or the author was constrained by the publisher) to get such a full history but unfortunately I just felt the book didn't quite accomplish what it was trying to do.
Still, it probably makes for a good reference. I'd borrow it from the library before deciding if you really want to add it to your own library, though.
Honestly, I felt this wasn't quite what I thought it would be. While I was glad to read a history that took us out of the United States and placed history in a more international context I found the book difficult to read. It could be that I lacked familiarity with several of the events Ortiz describes. But there's another review by Publisher's Weekly that really hits it on the head: the book is clearly well-researched but also reads like a series of articles.
I was surprised that the main text is only about 200 pages and about 20-25% of the book are notes, references, etc. Again, good for research and for looking up stuff but I felt like the book had to be lot thicker to place these events in context and feel less like a series of articles and more of a comprehensive picture. It might not be possible (or the author was constrained by the publisher) to get such a full history but unfortunately I just felt the book didn't quite accomplish what it was trying to do.
Still, it probably makes for a good reference. I'd borrow it from the library before deciding if you really want to add it to your own library, though.
July 1, 2018
Books like this are very important, for they shine a most valuable light on those corners of history that we tend to miss. And any time you look at history from the perspective of the oppressed and despised you are bound to come away with a new orientation. That orientation is explored here to great effect by Paul Ortiz who deftly demonstrates how African Americans were engaged in freedom struggles beyond their own.
The former enslaved joined with Mexicans in their struggle to throw off the rule of Spain and were instrumental in Cuba’s independence. “The Cuban solidarity campaign launched by Black antislavery abolitionists in the heart of Reconstruction was one of the most remarkable social movements in American history. In placing the liberation of Cuba on the same platform with their desperate struggle for equal citizenship in the United States, African Americans from Key West to California created a new kind of freedom movement.” Mr. Ortiz has painstakingly researched this book, if the abundance of notes are any indication and readers will be duly enriched by engaging this text. What Paul Ortiz makes abundantly clear is the lie of American exceptionalism.
“In a time of increasing diversity, it might be tempting to look beyond the black-white framework that structures race relations and social and economic opportunity. To the contrary, as other racial minorities grow, it becomes increasingly important to address the fundamental question of fairness for African Americans, which affects the fortunes of the other groups. The black-white economic and social divide created by slavery and cemented through years of servitude and subjugation has endured and helped shape America.”
How is it possible to write, “all men are created equal” while simultaneously holding people in bondage? This book is a correction of sorts to the prevailing and popular history that is held in the collective consciousness of America, “historians shrouded the country’s history in a veil of innocence and exceptionalism, which has undermined the nation’s ability to reform itself to this day.” There are many lessons to avail oneself of, from the Haitian revolution to present day, where a look at the modern worker and the struggle for a fair and living wage takes center stage. The change of narrative will be helpful in changing the US and how it is perceived amongst its citizens. “If American exceptionalism is a harmful fable, then what do we replace it with? We can begin by continuing to learn more about ordinary people’s capacity to create democracy in action.” And he has done a great job of demonstrating that capacity in these pages. Thanks to Edelweiss and Beacon Press for a DRC. Book is on sale now.
The former enslaved joined with Mexicans in their struggle to throw off the rule of Spain and were instrumental in Cuba’s independence. “The Cuban solidarity campaign launched by Black antislavery abolitionists in the heart of Reconstruction was one of the most remarkable social movements in American history. In placing the liberation of Cuba on the same platform with their desperate struggle for equal citizenship in the United States, African Americans from Key West to California created a new kind of freedom movement.” Mr. Ortiz has painstakingly researched this book, if the abundance of notes are any indication and readers will be duly enriched by engaging this text. What Paul Ortiz makes abundantly clear is the lie of American exceptionalism.
“In a time of increasing diversity, it might be tempting to look beyond the black-white framework that structures race relations and social and economic opportunity. To the contrary, as other racial minorities grow, it becomes increasingly important to address the fundamental question of fairness for African Americans, which affects the fortunes of the other groups. The black-white economic and social divide created by slavery and cemented through years of servitude and subjugation has endured and helped shape America.”
How is it possible to write, “all men are created equal” while simultaneously holding people in bondage? This book is a correction of sorts to the prevailing and popular history that is held in the collective consciousness of America, “historians shrouded the country’s history in a veil of innocence and exceptionalism, which has undermined the nation’s ability to reform itself to this day.” There are many lessons to avail oneself of, from the Haitian revolution to present day, where a look at the modern worker and the struggle for a fair and living wage takes center stage. The change of narrative will be helpful in changing the US and how it is perceived amongst its citizens. “If American exceptionalism is a harmful fable, then what do we replace it with? We can begin by continuing to learn more about ordinary people’s capacity to create democracy in action.” And he has done a great job of demonstrating that capacity in these pages. Thanks to Edelweiss and Beacon Press for a DRC. Book is on sale now.
November 7, 2018
Really good synopsis of how Black and Brown people similarly struggle against racial capitalism. If you ever want a book that shows just how much organizing and unionizing has helped us, read this book. Comes with tons of citations for further reading too.
September 1, 2020
Whew, this one was a trudge! Ortiz approaches United States history through the lens of emancipatory internationalism, pointing to the ways in which social justice movements were informed by revolutions and movements throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Most of this is history we aren't generally exposed to in school, and is inspiring and illuminating. However, I found much of Ortiz's writing fairly dull, and the granular way that he approaches his subject matter wasn't the best for me. He covers so many large and small movements, initiatives, and demonstrations in the minutiae of their individual leaders and press coverage, sometimes without even telling us whether or not they were successful. Overall, this was less of the survey than I expected, and more of a focused history, down to all the gritty details.
June 1, 2024
This book’s title suggests a focus on the USA, but actually it traces the interaction of social movements among people across Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America. Ortiz traces the origins of modern social democracy movements in Mexico, Haiti, Peru, Cuba, or Venezuela. He shows how those movements helped inspire the anti-slavery and the civil or labor rights movements that have (partly) transformed the USA. Ortiz gives a tribute to “emancipatory internationalism.” He also details the ferocity with which power holders have defended their advantages by almost any violence necessary. Sometimes Ortiz’s story becomes a roll-call of leaders, strikes, conferences, etc., which is not the most action-packed reading. But in other places the story reaches high drama, where the importance of ordinary slaves, migrants, and laborers in changing the world stands clear. Concerning the role of black slaves, escapees, spies, saboteurs, and soldiers in destroying the Confederate slave state, he quotes Frederick Douglas speaking in 1863:
“We are not to be saved by the captain this time, but by the crew. We are not to be saved by Abraham Lincoln, but by the power behind the throne, greater than the throne itself.”
“We are not to be saved by the captain this time, but by the crew. We are not to be saved by Abraham Lincoln, but by the power behind the throne, greater than the throne itself.”
June 7, 2022
3.5 rounded up
Like the other books in this series, this book offers a somewhat broad overview of the intersections of African American and Latinx interests in the struggle against white supremacist capitalist systems within the Americans. I found this one to be a more dense read than some of the others, and it suffers from similar issues in trying to cover a lot of information in relatively little space, so some events are merely mentioned, some are more detailed, and transitions are a bit abrupt, but that's sort of the gig when trying to give an overview on such a vast subject. Interesting starting point, and lots of topics to explore further in more specific books.
Like the other books in this series, this book offers a somewhat broad overview of the intersections of African American and Latinx interests in the struggle against white supremacist capitalist systems within the Americans. I found this one to be a more dense read than some of the others, and it suffers from similar issues in trying to cover a lot of information in relatively little space, so some events are merely mentioned, some are more detailed, and transitions are a bit abrupt, but that's sort of the gig when trying to give an overview on such a vast subject. Interesting starting point, and lots of topics to explore further in more specific books.
March 20, 2021
Five stars because this book got me thinking in all the best ways, starting with the Introduction. I went into it generally aware of the whitewashed American history we're given in school and media, but the author made me realize specific examples.
Ortiz approaches the history and shared struggles of African American and Latinx people in the Americas with a labor organizing lens, which was (to me) unexpectedly helpful. The framing of enslaved persons as essentially some of the USA's first community organizers & strikers was eye-opening. I've also added the term "white business supremacy" to my vocabulary.
I read a single chapter per day (sometimes going a week before picking up the next chapter) and this was a really good way for me to digest/reflect on each period of history covered.
Ortiz approaches the history and shared struggles of African American and Latinx people in the Americas with a labor organizing lens, which was (to me) unexpectedly helpful. The framing of enslaved persons as essentially some of the USA's first community organizers & strikers was eye-opening. I've also added the term "white business supremacy" to my vocabulary.
I read a single chapter per day (sometimes going a week before picking up the next chapter) and this was a really good way for me to digest/reflect on each period of history covered.
July 17, 2020
At its core, America’s history is built on stolen land and fueled by an obsession with cheap labor all in the name of capitalism. Definitely worth reading!
May 24, 2019
What if we reframed the history of the United States through social, cultural, and political lens of Latin America and African history. That is, most U.S. histories work from a European lens, invoking the influences, historical contexts, and politics of Europe in the making of the U.S. It's to be expected given how much U.S. history has been told in a way to appease white people at the cost of marginalizing and ignoring people of color. But Ortiz takes this approach and crafts a powerful narrative that draws upon a great many primary sources that show just how much things like the Haitian Revolution, the political landscape of Mexico, and the strives for freedom throughout Latin American and Africa were intertwined with the struggle for freedom in the US. He moves from the Revolution to the election of Trump to show the ways in which the struggle continues today and how Latinx and African Americans have been at the forefront of workers rights and protections, political fights for freedom, and engaging in the often violent response from white people throughout.
There are moments throughout this book that are just so intriguing and open up an understanding of the struggle for freedom and equality by Latinx and African Americans that I have not found elsewhere. What left an indelible mark upon me was how Ortiz illustrated how conscious and aware such freedom fighters were of their work in the U.S. in relation to other struggles throughout the world and how scared white people were about these types of connections and coalitions. What I love about this book is that I could easily see it being used in a class wherein a supplemental reader compliments a mixture of the primary sources he calls upon with those that are traditionally used in such history courses. There's such an opportunity to draw out the tension between the two.
There are moments throughout this book that are just so intriguing and open up an understanding of the struggle for freedom and equality by Latinx and African Americans that I have not found elsewhere. What left an indelible mark upon me was how Ortiz illustrated how conscious and aware such freedom fighters were of their work in the U.S. in relation to other struggles throughout the world and how scared white people were about these types of connections and coalitions. What I love about this book is that I could easily see it being used in a class wherein a supplemental reader compliments a mixture of the primary sources he calls upon with those that are traditionally used in such history courses. There's such an opportunity to draw out the tension between the two.
August 19, 2020
I loved this book. The author reframes history, not from the point of view of one racial or ethnic group, as is so often done, but rather through exploring and exposing the connections between and among what are often framed as separate struggles. I found it inspiring and energizing.
The author does assume a basic knowledge of history on the part of his readers, and departs from the idea of having us reenvision what we thought we knew. His work is well-documented and thorough. I highly recommend this book and would love to see curriculum developed based on his premise. I would have loved the opportunity to explore these connections further.
The author does assume a basic knowledge of history on the part of his readers, and departs from the idea of having us reenvision what we thought we knew. His work is well-documented and thorough. I highly recommend this book and would love to see curriculum developed based on his premise. I would have loved the opportunity to explore these connections further.
March 26, 2025
“Our separate struggles are really one – a struggle for freedom, for dignity and for humanity. You and your fellow workers have demonstrated your commitment to righting grievous wrongs forced upon exploited people. We are together with you in spirit and in determination that our dreams for a better tomorrow will be realized.” Dr. King to Cesar Chavez regarding the United Farm Workers.
This too-short book attempts to catalog hundreds of years of solidarity between Black and Latin Americans. Solidarity in slavery abolitionism, with Mexico during American expansionism, during imperialism in Lat Am, during Jim Crow, with Filipinos against Spain and again when the US invaded and subjugated them, and countless other times.
The author refers to these struggles as “liberatory internationalism.” The idea exemplified in the above King quote. Not a new idea.
The strength of this book is in connecting these dots. The Haitians, upon gaining independence by pretty much having to kick every European powers ass to re-enslave them, then attempt to assist Blacks in America in their own endeavors towards freedom. Then Blacks in America, after throwing off their own chains, turn back to Latin America. “No one is free unless everyone is free” vibes. Its awesome.
The weakness of this book is that a lot of modern times are glossed over, or outright skipped. And the conspiratorial part of my mind may understand why. It kinda goes back to this “liberatory internationalism” monicker. What does this phrase bring to mind? Well we can’t have that! Don’t want to give the wrong idea that we’re red.
Plus in moments where a Marxist, anarchist, socialist, or communist person is mentioned that person’s political affiliation is substituted in favor of “liberatory internationalist.” Why? If the person called themself a communist/anarchist/whatever and did cool shit why should we whitewash their ideology to some new term? Would this book not be printed otherwise?
But it’s more than just terms themselves. This book covers Sandino and the struggle of Nicaragua in decent detail. But no mention of Sandinistas. Cuba and the Ten Years War is discussed along with Black American solidarity with and the resulting invasion and annexation by the USA to re-enslave the island. Good. But then no mention of the next revolution to kick out the new masters???
Fidel meeting with Malcolm X in Harlem isn’t enough a symbol of liberatory internationalism?
Did I miss it? I felt like the book almost jumped from 1950 to 2008 Obama getting elected. ???
I still recommend this book for learning more about Latinx and Black solidarity in more distant American history. For that I learned a lot.
Also shoutout to the section that focused on Local 226! This book, for its flaws, does great connecting racism to capitalism. Of anti-racism, anti-imperialism, and labor.
This too-short book attempts to catalog hundreds of years of solidarity between Black and Latin Americans. Solidarity in slavery abolitionism, with Mexico during American expansionism, during imperialism in Lat Am, during Jim Crow, with Filipinos against Spain and again when the US invaded and subjugated them, and countless other times.
The author refers to these struggles as “liberatory internationalism.” The idea exemplified in the above King quote. Not a new idea.
The strength of this book is in connecting these dots. The Haitians, upon gaining independence by pretty much having to kick every European powers ass to re-enslave them, then attempt to assist Blacks in America in their own endeavors towards freedom. Then Blacks in America, after throwing off their own chains, turn back to Latin America. “No one is free unless everyone is free” vibes. Its awesome.
The weakness of this book is that a lot of modern times are glossed over, or outright skipped. And the conspiratorial part of my mind may understand why. It kinda goes back to this “liberatory internationalism” monicker. What does this phrase bring to mind? Well we can’t have that! Don’t want to give the wrong idea that we’re red.
Plus in moments where a Marxist, anarchist, socialist, or communist person is mentioned that person’s political affiliation is substituted in favor of “liberatory internationalist.” Why? If the person called themself a communist/anarchist/whatever and did cool shit why should we whitewash their ideology to some new term? Would this book not be printed otherwise?
But it’s more than just terms themselves. This book covers Sandino and the struggle of Nicaragua in decent detail. But no mention of Sandinistas. Cuba and the Ten Years War is discussed along with Black American solidarity with and the resulting invasion and annexation by the USA to re-enslave the island. Good. But then no mention of the next revolution to kick out the new masters???
Fidel meeting with Malcolm X in Harlem isn’t enough a symbol of liberatory internationalism?
Did I miss it? I felt like the book almost jumped from 1950 to 2008 Obama getting elected. ???
I still recommend this book for learning more about Latinx and Black solidarity in more distant American history. For that I learned a lot.
Also shoutout to the section that focused on Local 226! This book, for its flaws, does great connecting racism to capitalism. Of anti-racism, anti-imperialism, and labor.
March 16, 2019
I love a nice fat notes section
July 4, 2021
A very comprehensive collection of vignettes that cover gaps left by the traditional teaching of American history. Even as someone who struggled in history courses, this book was very approachable, and I was able to learn a lot. I do wish that this had also included history of indigenous peoples of America, as I think the author's thesis is incomplete without the history of the mistreatment of and subsequent movements by indigenous peoples (although that would've made for a much longer book). Overall this is a must-read.
December 6, 2019
I really appreciated this book for offering a more in-depth history regarding African Americans and Latinx populations. There were so many important historical events, sometimes it felt a bit crammed in there as the book moved from one to the next fairly quickly. I may need to look to other books for more details about specific events; nevertheless, this is a great overview.
February 28, 2024
Wow amazing read. I loved the pace at the beginning of the book, he really dives into historical events like the Haitian revolution and Mexico’s independence/abolition of slavery. The more recent events felt like they were maybe rushed through or something? I’m not sure maybe I just feel that way because I’ve been reading this book so long and was reading those chapters faster than earlier ones 🤷🏻♀️
Either way I loved this book, it was inspiring, heartbreaking, expansive ,, beautiful!!! I really loved to learn about early black American newspapers and their reporting on emancipatory internationalist stories
Either way I loved this book, it was inspiring, heartbreaking, expansive ,, beautiful!!! I really loved to learn about early black American newspapers and their reporting on emancipatory internationalist stories
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December 5, 2021I definitely think this is an important perspective in history (edit to add: and current times), and one I didn’t have much familiarity with. I learned a lot about the ties between Latinx and African American resistance. I also learned a different (more historically accurate) view of the Mexican-American War, labor movement, Haitian Revolution, and many other things. Some chapters were quick to read and engaging. Other chapters were more of a slog. Of all the ReVisioning History books, this one felt the most densely written to me. Definitely still worth reading, but it took me a while to get through.
December 13, 2023
very excited to have learned so much about haiti’s influence on latine + black organizing efforts in the US (¡¡viva el caribe!!)! and soooo glad to read a book about how intertwined our rights and liberation are.
wish there was more about the young lords + also wish there was more emphasis on the importance/role of indigeneity within both of these identities (!!!!!!!!). BUT overall it's a very interesting, very thoroughly researched (almost died at the sheer mass of quotes, but eh it’s a small price to pay 🤷♀️), and very enjoyable read. love to read about my ancestors being chingones. :)))
wish there was more about the young lords + also wish there was more emphasis on the importance/role of indigeneity within both of these identities (!!!!!!!!). BUT overall it's a very interesting, very thoroughly researched (almost died at the sheer mass of quotes, but eh it’s a small price to pay 🤷♀️), and very enjoyable read. love to read about my ancestors being chingones. :)))
January 19, 2023
I would say that this is by far one of the most important books I’ve ever read. The amount of history I learned from this book was so much that it was empowering but also extremely frustrating. It begs the question, why was so much information in this book never taught to me in school? Why was it deemed appropriate to skate over or give a minced version?
History is a guide to being better! Let’s know about it!
This book shares in detail the timeline of historical events pertaining to these groups from the time of trading enslaved people until the Trump administration. It can’t be more clear that keeping ourselves rich and comfortable is the worst thing we can do. It’s important to ditch greed and get a little uncomfortable with our own beliefs/biases and in our own relationships and communities.
Notable Quote:
“Douglass had to dismantle what Americans have always treasured most: their innocence, and the sense that their history was so exceptional that they had managed to avoid the problems other nations faced.”
History is a guide to being better! Let’s know about it!
This book shares in detail the timeline of historical events pertaining to these groups from the time of trading enslaved people until the Trump administration. It can’t be more clear that keeping ourselves rich and comfortable is the worst thing we can do. It’s important to ditch greed and get a little uncomfortable with our own beliefs/biases and in our own relationships and communities.
Notable Quote:
“Douglass had to dismantle what Americans have always treasured most: their innocence, and the sense that their history was so exceptional that they had managed to avoid the problems other nations faced.”
January 3, 2026
"American exceptionalism, the idea that the United States is the freest nation on earth, the champion of the oppressed, and can do no wrong-- or at least never intends to do wrong--is a myth". There are many great aspects of this book, starting with this book sheds light on paramount events in history that are missed in the telling of the history of the Americas. There are many lessons in this book that I am grateful that Ortiz brought to light here, but I am most impressed by the powerful narrative Ortiz creates from so many different sources to show how Black, Latinx, and Indigenous voices are intertwined in the struggle for justice in the US. I especially enjoyed Ortiz's take on racial capitalism and how the US economy developed at the price of basic human rights, which took away the development of the individual and the inherent tendency of freedom.
July 3, 2025
I really liked the idea of this book. It's just as much a history of class struggle/labor justice as it is a racial history. It takes on a lot of complex, overlapping issues and doesn't try to oversimplify. Unfortunately, it's also sinfully boring. I partially blame the narrator of the audiobook - his voice was nothing short of soporific. He mispronounced a lot of things that should have been edited out, too. Maybe I would've liked it better in print, but I think it would've been too dry even then.
Dull as it was, I would be interested to revisit an updated republication. This came out in 2018 and suffice to say that. Um. A lot has happened since then. I'd like to read this author's take on the last 5 years using this framework.
Dull as it was, I would be interested to revisit an updated republication. This came out in 2018 and suffice to say that. Um. A lot has happened since then. I'd like to read this author's take on the last 5 years using this framework.
January 11, 2025
I’ve had this book for 10+ years because the professor is from my university and I finally got around to reading it. Pros: super well researched and included a lot of citations from a lot of old newspaper articles (including a surprising amount from Pittsburgh woo!) Covered a lot of topics in a short amount of time and I appreciated all his political takes and commentary. Cons: it felt very disjointed and not super continuous. I was hoping for a historical commentary about Latinx contributions from as early as possible through all the decades, however this felt like it jumped between different random events and didn’t explain the context or effects very well.
December 4, 2021
There is a ton of super powerful and insightful information in this book…but it was very hard for me to read. I would have loved to read this in a class because I think it would have been easier for me to process and digest because there is a massive amount of information packed in just under 200 pages.
December 19, 2022
I was never terribly good at history because it always seemed to have a strange emphasis on things I didn’t care to learn about, but this is a fantastic historical lesson on things that I should have learned about.
February 18, 2021
Ortiz writes about so many incidents in American history that are either ignored or distorted that I so wish this had been better. It reads like a textbook: dry, sometimes dense, fact-filled. In a few sections he tells compelling stories, and I wish there had been more of these.
September 16, 2019
I think the author did a phenomenal job at summarizing the history and injustices of minorities in America. Although the foundation of America’s principles were written to encourage justice and empowerment of self for every individual, the application was wrong and minorities are still experiencing the injustices for the people who were put in place to apply it. They created their own ignorant narrative of the words that were meant to give every individual a chance to take advantage of their God given right! Because the application of doctrine of our forefathers were only applied to individuals based on the color of their skin and gender, America has shown its self to be a hypocritical place. So the battle over time has been to prove that EVERY American is entitled to those liberties; unfortunately we still have to prove this today! The history books written in our countries school system were written in a singular view and never gave an unbiased account of the state of affairs going on at the time. Based on what I said above why would they? Because of this biased view, minorities in America have been fed a lie because the fear of the people placed in power. They feel like America could never be a great nation without the social structure that created a divide of people based on something so ridiculous as the color of ones skin. The truth is America could be greater than it ever was with the change of mindset. Fear has cost America many blessings and will continue to do so because it is a land inhabited by ALL of God’s children and He loves everyone of us! Being given the facts, children in America can think critically about the place they live and what our ancestors have sacrificed for us to be where we are today ! I think this book is a great start for the new generation to change mindset by dissecting the truth and formulating opinions based on the facts! The fact is America has made major stride but has had major setbacks and in order for us to create change our narrative we need to know the unfiltered truth about our past.
September 10, 2020
This book does what you want it to do and it remains entirely intersectional, which is important when talking about class struggle.
And this book is specifically about class struggle from the perspectives of black and latinx americans. Ortiz lays a lot of groundwork for the reader to understand how black and latinx class struggle has always been international in scope. So a decent chunk of the book deals with labor movements and emancipatory struggles across latin america, demonstrating how those informed and influenced abolition and labor in the US.
It has a very optimistic perspective on all this, which is...fine. It's good. But, at the same time, I find the optimism less convincing. Though that may just be how I'm feeling right now. It's clear that labor is a rising tide right now, which may be transformative for the US.
But, yeah, this falls well in line with the other _______ History of the US books. It helps round out Zinn's original book, especially, since, as he admits, he missed a lot of black history and how instrumental they were to the labor movement.
And this book is specifically about class struggle from the perspectives of black and latinx americans. Ortiz lays a lot of groundwork for the reader to understand how black and latinx class struggle has always been international in scope. So a decent chunk of the book deals with labor movements and emancipatory struggles across latin america, demonstrating how those informed and influenced abolition and labor in the US.
It has a very optimistic perspective on all this, which is...fine. It's good. But, at the same time, I find the optimism less convincing. Though that may just be how I'm feeling right now. It's clear that labor is a rising tide right now, which may be transformative for the US.
But, yeah, this falls well in line with the other _______ History of the US books. It helps round out Zinn's original book, especially, since, as he admits, he missed a lot of black history and how instrumental they were to the labor movement.
April 5, 2021
America has a long history of promoting democracy and human rights, but also denying those basic rights to African-Americans and Latinx people. While there are a lot of histories that look at the history of both African-Americans and Latinx people as oppressed groups, nearly all of them treat each group separately. While there is great value in doing so, it does leave out the ways in which both groups supported each other’s fight for freedom and democratic rights and also implicitly perpetuates the false narrative that these two groups’ struggles are distinct from each other. In this incredible examination of American history from the point of view of both groups, Dr. Ortiz links both of their struggles for freedom and shows how America has too often been on the wrong side of history and freedom not just in America, but in its dealings with the Americas too.
For my full review, check out my book blog here.
For my full review, check out my book blog here.
June 19, 2023
3.8
The book definitely achieves its aim on giving you an interpretation of US and global history that ties the struggles of African Americans, Latinos and Blacks in the US and Caribbean and South America and how they interacted together to achieve or advocate for increasing civil rights over 300 years. That said, it’s more of an introduction to some movements or reframing of their interconnectedness rather than a full education on them. While this is helpful to show the long tail of solidarity between Black and Latinx groups, one small critique is Ortiz seems to barely acknowledge the areas where that solidarity has been fraught, if there at all, especially when he talks about the 2016 election.
All in all, a interesting, detailed if not in-depth, provocative reframing of US history to show how Black and Latinx communities worked in tandem to improve universal civil rights in America and across the diaspora.
The book definitely achieves its aim on giving you an interpretation of US and global history that ties the struggles of African Americans, Latinos and Blacks in the US and Caribbean and South America and how they interacted together to achieve or advocate for increasing civil rights over 300 years. That said, it’s more of an introduction to some movements or reframing of their interconnectedness rather than a full education on them. While this is helpful to show the long tail of solidarity between Black and Latinx groups, one small critique is Ortiz seems to barely acknowledge the areas where that solidarity has been fraught, if there at all, especially when he talks about the 2016 election.
All in all, a interesting, detailed if not in-depth, provocative reframing of US history to show how Black and Latinx communities worked in tandem to improve universal civil rights in America and across the diaspora.
July 1, 2023
In relatively few pages, this book manages to cover so much of the history of struggles of African American and Latinx people, not only here, but more broadly across the Americas and even around the world. I really appreciated the focus on emancipatory internationalism and how nothing that activists did in the US was divorced from movements elsewhere in the world. While I knew in broad strokes a great deal of the events mentioned here, I was still surprised to learn more about how revolutionaries in Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua and beyond influenced leaders here in the US, and vice versa. This book is a great read to trace the attempts at suppression by those in power, as well as the indefatigable resistance of black and brown Americans against that suppression, all the way from before the birth of this nation to present day. A must-read for those who wish to see the through line of tactics white supremacists have employed across history, and the means of everyday people to thwart them.
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