Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Martin Delany--these figures stand out in the annals of black protest for their vital antislavery efforts. But what of the rest of their generation, the thousands of other free blacks in the North? Patrick Rael explores the tradition of protest and sense of racial identity forged by both famous and lesser-known black leaders in antebellum America and illuminates the ideas that united these activists across a wide...

"In The Empire Abroad and the Empire at Home, John Cullen Gruesser establishes that African American writers at the turn of the twentieth century responded extensively and idiosyncratically to overseas expansion and its implications for domestic race relations. He contends that the work of these writers significantly informs not only African American literary studies but also U.S. political history. Focusing on authors who explicitly connect the empire...

It's the early 1900s and a change has gripped the world. The Harlem Renaissance has awakened people to a wealth of African American arts and culture. Centered in Harlem, New York, this renaissance brought the world all black orchestras, singers who wowed audiences in the United States and abroad, and amazing writers whose books became best sellers. It's a time when almost anything seems possible. So what road will you travel? Will you: Leave your...