A History of African Americans in North Carolina

by Jeffrey J. Crow and Paul D. Escott

Book Overview

Originally published in 1992, A History of African Americans in North Carolina was the first one-volume survey of black history in the state. It traced the story of black North Carolinians from the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0865262551
• ISBN13: 9780865262553
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: N. C. Dept. of Cultural Resources Division of
• Length: 237 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A concise history

Both as a Black American and a new resident (from the North) of this most intriguing southern state, I was curious about African American history in North Carolina. This is a well written, concise yet thorough account of the Black Experience in North Carolina. As such, this book is more of an "entry-level" account of the historical aspects of Black life in the Tar Heel state. In this regard, it provides a litany of references for those who wish to accomplish a more in depth study. Having said that, I wish the authors would have utilized footnotes to provide direct keys to the reference material. The authors, in my opinion used a very candid style of "reporting" the major milestones in North Carolina as it relates to African Americans. The book provides a perspective of early slave trade, a good overview of "life as a slave" and a clear description of the peculiarities of the institution as an economic enabler for North Carolina's economy in the early U.S. The book describes the early tie-in between slavery and the revolutionary war. The authors illustrated how the British Army attempted to enlist the support of slaves by offering them manumission if the English achieved victory. Conversely, North Carolina patriots also made "offers" to the slaves for their loyalty during the revolution. However, these promised concessions fell short of freedom. This tactic by early North Carolinian slaveholders were the precursors to other hollow promises that whites made to Blacks in regard to freedom and social equality. In fact, North Carolinians were masters of the "bait and switch technique" when it came to creatively delaying the full promise of liberty to Blacks throughout Tar Heel history. From the antebellum period through the civil war, this account provides the usual historical perspective that one would expect. In this portion, the reader will gain an understanding of the militancy of slaves in North Carolina. There were many runaway slaves who created havoc through uprisings, thefts and attacks on whites as many took to the wilderness to survive and, to some extent, terrorize plantation owners. Whites experienced a lot of fear during this period because of the large number of slaves in the state who were potentially a threat to the dominance of slave owners. Ultimately, whites initiated brutal punishment in an attempt to deter slaves from running away and participating in revolts. Obviously, slave owners were quite successful in quelling this behavior. However, North Carolina slaves never adopted a docile acceptance of slavery. They were quite unhappy with forced bondage, and the quest for freedom remained at the forefront of their minds. Also, this section of the book describes how North Carolina supplied slaves to other states once the U.S. abolished the importation of slaves internationally. The description of the post-Civil War period through the Mid-20th Century is where this book really shines. Reconstruction and its aban