![]() He explains, as an example, the role of music in the lives of the slaves and then notes how, nearly a generation later, many African Americans were "embarrassed" by this music and did not want to learn traditional songs. Washington wanted African Americans to understand and embrace their heritage, not be ashamed of it. For instance, Washington discusses the rise of African American comedy with names, places, and dates elsewhere he traces the growth and spread of African American home ownership and independent businesses in the United States and his discussion of slavery is informed by his own life. ![]() ![]() The Story of the Negro is valuable in part because it is full of significant information taken from hundreds of obscure sources that would be nearly impossible to assemble today. Washington was born into slavery, worked menial jobs in order to acquire an education, and became the most important voice of African American interests beginning in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Originally produced in two volumes, and published here for the first time in one paperback volume, the first part covers Africa and the history of slavery in the United States while the second part carries the history from the Civil War to the first part of the twentieth century. The Story of the Negro is a history of Americans of African descent before and after slavery.
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