U.S. History from 1700 to 1877 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

U.S. History from 1700 to 1877 - Essay Example The book ‘The Negro in American Rebellion’ by William Wells Brown, a noted literary figure, highlights the contributions of African-Americans in the military, in previous wars and in various slave uprisings. Recounted in less traditional historical point of view, the book argues that the African-American involvement and contributions to the war efforts were ignored or misrepresented in other traditional historical documentation which chronicled the life of African-American soldiers. The essay also describes that the book has a few weaknesses but on the whole the author’s arguments are convincing as they were backed by primary sources, such as newspaper articles and documents published by the government. The author’s agenda is mentioned in the essay in details and is apparent from the beginning: To promote the rights of African-Americans, acknowledge the contributions of the African-Americans in the war, support the anti-slavery efforts and bestow voting rights to soldiers of African descent in the Union. In conclusion, author of this essay suggests that Brown’s book is important in the understanding of the American history and experience as a whole in that it offers a disparate insight of life in the past. It factually depicts the struggles of the African-American soldiers and argues for the acknowledgement of their heroism. The experiences of the African-American soldiers in uprisings, rebellion and war cannot be discounted as they form a collective consciousness of the American life.