The Cause of Freedom: A Concise History of African Americans

The Cause of Freedom covers the long sweep of African American history from the seventeenth century to the present. Throughout that long arc, this book traces shifting definitions of citizenship as they relate to race and highlights the deep paradox at the core of U.S. history: the interdependence of slavery and freedom. In so doing, The Cause of Freedom examines key ideas that have shaped African American history, and the ways that these ideas circulate among both well-known figures and ordinary people. It synthesizes cultural, social, political, and intellectual history in order to excavate and analyze the African American past.