Text, maps, and illustrations introduce African cultures and trace African American history from the slave trade through the Civil War, emancipation, the early twentieth century, and the civil rights movement to the present.

The African heritage: a short history of a continent -- Slavery in early America -- The divided nation -- Up from slavery: African Americans in the late 19th century -- The "new Negro": African Americans from the early to mid-20th century -- The civil rights years -- Backlash and retrenchment -- Black America today.