Freedom on My Mind reveals the richly diverse and complex experience of black people in America in their own words, from the Colonial era of Benjamin Banneker to the present world of Kweisi Mfume and Clarence Thomas. Personal correspondence, excerpts from slave narratives and autobiographies, leaflets, significant addresses and speeches, oral histories and interviews, political manifestos, and important statements of black institutions and organizations are brought together to form a volume that testifies to the boundless creative potential of black Americans in indefatigable pursuit of the dream of freedom. Arranged thematically, the selections illustrate the politics of resistance—as reflected through gender and sexuality, kinship and community, work and leisure, faith and spirituality. They also highlight the contributions of women to black identity, history, and consciousness, and offer excerpts from the work of some of the finest stylists in the African American canon. A general introduction as well as short introductions and bibliographies for each document further enhance the usefulness of the book for students and researchers.

Freedom on My Mind is Bedford/St. Martin's African American history survey textbook that follows the tradition of Calloway's First Peoples and DuBois and Dumenil's Through Women's Eyes in combining historical narrative and primary sources in one book. Each chapter includes a document project based on a theme or event that challenges students to analyze the sources and consider them within the context of the history they just read. Authored by a team of respected historians and teachers, Freedom on My Mind presents African American history from the early slave trade in Africa through the present day and tells the African American story within the larger context of United States history.

A living history of the African American experience.

Award-winning scholars and veteran teachers Deborah Gray White, Mia Bay, and Waldo E. Martin Jr. have collaborated to create a fresh, innovative new African American history textbook that weaves together narrative and a wealth of carefully selected primary sources. The narrative focuses on the diversity of black experience and culture and the impact of African Americans on the nation as a whole. Every chapter contains two themed sets of written documents and a visual source essay, guiding students through the process of analyzing sources and offering the convenience and value of a "two-in-one" textbook and reader.