African Americans in the Thirteen Colonies (Cornerstones of Freedom: Third Series)

For nearly 250 years, African people were treated as property and forced to perform difficult labor, day in and day out.

Even before the first glorious ring of the Liberty Bell, America was a land of freedom and promise. The Cornerstones of Freedom series explores what inspires people from all over the world to start life anew here, endure the economic and social upheavals, and defend the land and rights that are unique to the United States of America.

In 1619, the first recorded African slaves arrived on the shores of the English colony of Jamestown in North America.

Mark Overmyer-Velazquez, Ph.D., consulting editor and author of the preface included in each volume, holds a joint B.A. degree in history and in German literature from the University of British Columbia; an M.A. and M.Phil. from Yale University in Latin American history; and a Ph.D. from Yale University in Latin American and U.S. Latino history. He is currently assistant professor of history at the University of Connecticut. Professor Overmyer-Velazquez is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships and has written many articles, chapters, and book reviews on Latin American and U.S. Latin