' Before the Mayflower' grew out of a series of articles Bennett published in Ebony magazine regarding 'the trials and triumphs of a group of Americans whose roots in the American soil are deeper than the roots of the Puritans who arrived on the celebrated Mayflower a year after a 'Dutch man of war' deposited twenty Negroes at Jamestown.' Bennett's history is infused with a desire to set the record straight about black contributions to the Americas and about the powerful Africans of antiquity. The entire historical timeline of African Americans is addressed, from the Colonial period through the civil rights upheavals of the late 1950s to 1961, the time of publication. It is a great and basic primer to understanding a history that does not get shared in popular culture.The black experience in America-starting from its origins in western Africa up to 1961-is examined in this seminal study from a prominent African American figure. I was completely wrong and learned how much black people contributed to our country despite our predicament under the shackles of racism.īefore The Mayflower should be taught in all high schools and colleges throughout America. I had preconceived notions about what I was going to read in the book.

This book revealed to me that the black experience in America is multi-dimensional and complex. I had to read it in 20-30 page chunks just to absorb all the information provided. My version is the 6th edition and I could tell that Bennett added more information in each edition since the book was first published in 1962.īennett laid out the American black experience in full detail and it took me awhile to get through this book.

Bennett covers the black experience in America from when the first slaves arrived in 1619 to Virginia until the Clinton presidency. I have known about this book for over thirty years but had never decided to read it until now. This is the case for Before The Mayflower by Lerone Bennett Jr. However, you will finally read that book when it has been determined you are ready for it. There are some books you have known about for most of your life.

Lerone bennett before the mayflower