Story of the Negro facts for kids
 |
|
| Author | Arna Bontemps |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Raymond Lufkin |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Published | April 26, 1948 |
| Publisher | Knopf |
| Pages | 240 |
| Awards | Newbery Honor, Jane Addams Children's Book Award |
| ISBN | 978-0-394-91690-3 |
| OCLC | 233402 |
| 326 | |
Story of the Negro is an important history book for young readers, written by Arna Bontemps. It was published by Knopf in 1948. This book made history itself by being the first book written by an African-American author to win a Newbery Honor award.
Contents
What the Book is About
This non-fiction book takes readers on a journey through history, starting as far back as 1700 BC. It explores early African civilizations like the Ghana and Mali empires. The book bravely describes the terrible Atlantic slave trade, which forced many Africans to leave their homes. It also explains the reasons for and conditions of slavery in America.
Key Historical Events
Story of the Negro covers important moments in history, including the Haitian Slave Revolt, where enslaved people fought for their freedom. It also tells the story of the Underground Railroad, a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.
Important Black Leaders
The book highlights the lives of influential black leaders who fought for justice and equality. These heroes include Frederick Douglass, a powerful speaker and writer; Harriet Tubman, a brave conductor on the Underground Railroad; and W. E. B. Du Bois, a key leader in the fight for civil rights.
Arna Bontemps once said that the book was "mainly of things I learned after I left school that I wish I had known much earlier." This shows how much he wanted young people to learn this important history. The book also features a special poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes.
Book Sections
The book is divided into five main parts:
- The Ship: This is the introduction to the book.
- Men of the Lakes: This section explains how early African civilizations worked and thrived.
- The Crossing: This part describes the difficult journey Africans were forced to make to the New World during the Columbian trade. It talks about the harsh conditions they faced. Slavery was made illegal in 1863, and people could then move freely, often to places like New York.
- The Bondage: This section focuses on the 20th century and the ongoing struggle for African Americans to gain their rights.
- Making a New World: Even after the Civil Rights Act was passed, this part shows that there was still a lot of work to do to make the world truly equal for everyone.
Newbery Honor Award
Arna Bontemps made history as the first African American author to be recognized with the Newbery Award. He received a Newbery Honor for Story of the Negro in 1949.
Bontemps had often talked with his friend, the famous poet Langston Hughes, about his dream of winning a Newbery Medal. He once wrote, "near misses don't make me happy. I'd like a jackpot, a bull's-eye, or something—sometime." This book finally hit that "bull's-eye."
At the time, the Newbery Award often went to books that were about American history or life. This focus helped Story of the Negro, a book about African Americans written by an African American, get the recognition it deserved from the Newbery committee.
Awards Received
- Newbery Honor (1949)
- Jane Addams Children's Book Award (1956)
