Raboteau, Canaan Land, pp. ix-x
1.  What kind of role does Raboteau believe "race" has had in shaping American life?
2.  What role does religion play in African American culture?
3.  Raboteau points to 3 highlights of the drama of African American religious experience in America. What are they? 

King, "Speech at Holt Street Baptist Church," Handout #1
1.  What is the historical context for this speech? (see paragraphs 2 & 3)
2.   In paragraph 4, King says that African Americans in the South at that time only had one weapon available for dealing with racial injustice. What was it?
3.   For those who might question the measures that King and others are advocating to oppose racial injustice, King offers reassurance in paragraph 6 that "if we are wrong," then other people and things who are viewed as positive authority figures also are wrong. Who and what does he include?
4.   In paragraph 8, King talks about "love" being important ... but not enough. What more is required?

King, "Guidelines for a Constructive Church," Handout #2
1.  What is the historical context for this sermon?
2.  According to King’s interpretation of the biblical text (Isaiah 61), what 3 purposes does the church have?
3.  What potential purposes for the church does King criticize and then reject?
4.  What kind of guidance does King think Isaiah 61 gives in dealing with racial injustice?

Raboteau, Canaan Land, pp. 3-8
1.  Which European country was the first to be involved in the enslaving of Africans? When and where did this occur? (4)
2.  How did Christopher Columbus’s voyages eventually result in having enslaved people from Africa in the "New World"? (5-6)
3.  Between 1492 and 1830, the largest number of people crossing the Atlantic Ocean came from where? (7)
4.  How does Raboteau describe or characterize those who came from Africa to the New World? (7-8)

Dennis, Black History for Beginners, pp. 4-41
1.  What is the difference between "African history" and "black history"? (4-10)
2.  What are some instances of the early presence of black people in the Americas? (11-15)
3.  When and where did the Afro-European slave trade begin? (16-18)
4.  What were the 3 distinct stages in the journey of enslaved Africans to the New World? (19-24)
5.  How many enslaved Africans were "imported" to the New World in the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries? (25)
6.  What were the "black codes"? (26-27)
7.  What were some of the earliest, better known slave rebellions? (30-31)
8.  At first, Portugal dominated the slave trade. What changes occurred between 1650 and 1750? (32-34)
9.  Describe slavery in the American colonies before the Revolutionary War, including differences between Northern and Southern colonies. (34-36)
10.  1619 traditionally is given as the date slaves first arrived in what would become the United States (i.e., in Virginia). How did slavery in Virginia change during the 1600s? (37-38)
11.  What was the relation of slaves and slavery to Christianity? (39-41)

Bennett, "The Road Not Taken," Handout #3
1.  What was the situation in early 17th century colonial America (i.e., the 1600s) with respect to the relationship of black and white indentured servants?
2.  Did the colonialists enslave Indians?
3.  What are the 4 stages in the creation of the legal structure supporting slavery?
4.  Who created this legal structure?
5.  How did black people respond to their systematic oppression?

Dennis, Black History for Beginners, pp. 42-64
1.  Who were some of the early antislavery advocates? (42-46)
2.  What terrible thing happened in New York City in 1741? (44)
3.  Dennis points out that Crispus Attucks, a black man, was the first person to die in the American Revolution. She writes, however, that "‘blacks-and-the-American-Revolution’ was more complex" than this one fact. (46) What does she mean?
4.  How did the existence of slavery affect the contents of the Declaration of Independence? (49-50)
5.  At first, George Washington did not allow black men to serve in the army. Why did he change his mind? (51-52)
6.  Although some movement against slavery was made during the American Revolution, "the Constitutional Convention ... dealt antislavery hopes a painful blow." (53) In what ways did it do this? (54-55)
7.  What changes were there for slaves after the Revolution? (56-60)
8.  On plantations, what were the two main groupings of slaves? (61-62)
9.  Describe the status of marriage among slaves. (63-64)
10.  What does Dennis think about the image of contented slaves living together happily on large plantations? (64)

Raboteau, Canaan Land, pp. 14-20
1.  In colonial America, most Christians believed you could not enslave fellow Christians. How did white Christians deal with this? (14)
2.  Why were many white colonists reluctant to "Christianize" African slaves? (14-15)
3.  Why were most missionary efforts directed at African slaves unsuccessful? (15-16)
4.  What change occurred in the mid-1700s, leading to the conversion of many African slaves? (16-17)
5.  Slavery seems incompatible with the freedom and liberty represented by the American revolution. How did African slaves and various white colonists deal with this incompatibility? (17-18)
6.  What was the relationship of Baptists and Methodists to slavery? (18-19)
7.  Why did so many black people become Baptists and Methodists, as opposed to Episcopalians or Catholics? (19-20)

Paris, "The Religious World of African Americans," Handout #4
1.  Why is it important to study about African American churches?
2.  How do African Americans differ from other American "ethnic groups"?
3.  What proportion of Americans are shaped by American racism and its continuing legacy?
4.  What was the relation of slave traders and slave owners to Christianity?
5.  What are the 3 sources of African American religion?
6.   For African Americans, what was the key biblical story?
7.  What things "contain the substance of African American Christianity"?

Cone, The Spirituals -- Part A (pp. 1-7, 20-31) Handout #6
1.  What are some of the concepts and realities associated with the spirituals and the blues?
2.  See the top third of pages 3 and 6. What are Cone's purposes in writing this book?
3.  What is Cone's point in quoting LeRoi Jones (bottom of page 4)?
4.  What is Cone's point in the first sentence on page 20?
5.  How did American law regard slaves and slavery?
6.  What is Cone's attitude toward "good masters"?
7.  How did Christianity play a role in producing "mental servitude" among black people?
8.  Does Cone believe slavery is supported by the bible?
9.  What is the subject matter of "black history"?
10.  How old is black resistance to slavery and racism? What forms did it take?
11.  Why did black slaves reformulate law and morality? What did this look like?
12.  Why does "deception" play such an important role?
13.  What is the point of resisting slavery if you cannot win your freedom?
14.  Why were slaves "able to life a different ethical style than their masters"?
15.  What were the sources of the slaves' religion?
16.  Where can we find "the essence of black religion"?
17.  What does Cone mean in writing (page 29, middle) that the slaves encountered "a new God"?
18.  What does Cone mean in writing (page 30, top) that "for blacks, their being depended upon a song"?
19.  How does Cone describe the role of music in Africa?
20.  How can we understand the meaning of the spirituals? (middle of page 31)

Raboteau, Canaan Land, pp. 8-11
1.  What was the role of ancient religious traditions in African societies? What were the major beliefs and practices? (8-9)
2.  What were some of the differences and similarities of European Christians and Africans? (9-10)
3.  Did most European and European American Christians believe they were justified in conquering American Indians and enslaving Africans? Why? (10)
4.  How successful were Catholics in getting slaves to abandon African traditional religions? (10-11)

Cone, The Spirituals -- Part B (pp. 32-52) Handout #7
1.  What is the "basic idea" or "central concept" of the spirituals? (32-33)
2.  What is the relation between "Jesus" and "God" in the spirituals?
3.  Why and in what ways did slaves identify with Jesus?

Wilmore, "What Is African American Christianity?" Handout #9
1.  What problems does Wilmore have with the idea of "pure and simple" Christianity?
2.  How many times do the words "Christian" and "Christianity" appear in the bible?
3.  What is the relationship of Christianity to languages, cultures, and ways of looking at reality?
4.  How do the contexts of (a) time, (b) geographical or geopolitical factors, and (c) race, ethnicity, or culture affect what constitutes "Christianity"?
5.  What does Wilmore mean by "African American Christianity"?

Cone, The Spirituals -- Part C (pp. 78-95) Handout #8
1.  Cone claims the concept of "heaven," as it appears in the spirituals, has been misunderstood. How? (78-79)
2.  How does Cone think "heaven" should be understood? (79-92)
3.  How are "heaven" and "God's justice" related? (92-95)

Lincoln and Mamiya, "The Religious Dimension: ‘The Black Sacred Cosmos,’" Handout #10
1.  Why has the religious worldview of African Americans been seriously studied only in the past 20 years or so?
2.  What dominates the black sacred cosmos of most African American Christians?
3.  The authors write about "different degrees of emphasis" given to particular Christian ideas or doctrines. How is "freedom" understood differently by whites and blacks?
4.  To what extent is "the black sacred cosmos" shared across denominational lines?

Dennis, Black History for Beginners, pp. 65-83
1.  How common were slave revolts?
2.  The 3 most famous slave revolts involved Gabriel Prosser (1800), Denmark Vesey (1822), and Nat Turner (1831). Where did each revolt occur, and what are the basic facts of each? How did whites respond? (65-68)
3.  What was the underground railroad, and how did it operate? (70-71)
4.  What were the major pieces of national legislation about slavery from 1800-1860? (74-76)
5.  Why was slavery such an important national political issue from 1800-1860? (79-81)
6.  New York City had many "Copperheads." What were they? (82)
7.  Lincoln’s views on slavery were complex. What parts of this are described on page 83?

Wilmore, "Three Generals in the Lord’s Army," Handout #11
1.  How did Gabriel use the biblical character of Samson as a model? (53-54)
2.  Although Gabriel’s revolt failed, what does Wilmore think it accomplished? (55)
3.  Why did Gabriel order his people to spare all the Methodists, Quakers, and Frenchmen? (55)
4.  How was religion important in producing slave revolts? (56-57)
5.  Denmark Vesey was very interested in two Old Testament passages: Zechariah 14 and Joshua 6. Why? (57-59)
6.  Who was Gullah Jack, and what role did he play in this revolt? (59)
7.  How did Vesey’s church play an important role in this revolt? (59-60)

Dennis, Black History for Beginners, pp. 84-86
1.  Who were Richard Allen and Absolom Jones, and how did they come to found the first black denomination?
2.  What roles did black churches play in the life of free black communities?

Raboteau, Canaan Land, pp. 21-39
1.  How did the earliest "African" or black churches develop . . . in the South? (21-22) . . . in the North? (22-25)
2.  What were the main public issues for free blacks in the North? (25)
3.  What kinds of self-help organizations did independent black churches help form? (25)
4.  How were independent black churches related to anti-slavery activities? (25-29)
5.  Was slavery the only social issue that independent black churches were concerned about? (29)
6.  What were the national Negro conventions, and what was their purpose? (30-31)
7.  How did independent black churches get involved in overseas missionary activities? (33)
8.  How did the black perspective on the meaning of American history differ from that of whites? (34-35)
9.  Raboteau concludes that between 1800 and 1830 independent black churches stood at the center of African American community life because they took on a variety of crucial roles. What were they? (36)
10.  What was the role of women in independent black churches? (37-38)

Dennis, Black History for Beginners, pp. 87-113
1.  What is "contraband," and where were those who fled slavery regarded in this way? (88-89)
2.  How did the Union Army (North) and Abraham Lincoln relate to slaves and slavery over the course of the Civil War? (87-92)
3.  What was Reconstruction? (99-102) How did Southern whites react? (103-104) Why did it end in 1877? (105) What is "states’ rights," and what was its effect? (105-107)
4.  To what extent did African Americans participate in politics after the Civil War? (100-102)
5.  What are "Jim Crow laws"? (107-109)
6.  How did Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois disagree? (112-113)

Dennis, Black History for Beginners, pp. 114-153
1.  What is "sharecropping"? (114-115)
2.  To what extent were cowboys African American? (117-118)
3.  What two important organizations were founded around 1910? (121-122)
4.  What was the status and role of African Americans in the Spanish-American War and World War I? (123-129)
5.  What was the Harlem Renaissance, and who were some of its important figures? (133-139)
6.  Who was Marcus Garvey, and what was the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)? (140)
7.  When and why did most African Americans shift their political allegiances from the Republican to the Democratic Party? (142-145)
8.  What was the difference between the CIO and the A.F. of L. on the issue of racial justice? (146)
9.  What was the status and role of African Americans in World War II? (148-151)

Raboteau, Canaan Land, pp. 61-79, 82-85
1.  How did slavery affect the Methodist and Baptist churches? (61)
2.  After the Civil War, how did black churches assist former slaves? (63)
3.  How were the educational needs of former slaves dealt with? (63-66)
4.  Raboteau concludes (70): "In the first two decades after the [Civil] War, black churches experienced explosive growth as the ‘invisible institution’ took on visible form." Explain what Raboteau means.
5.  How did the end of slavery affect racial oppression? (71-72)
6.  Raboteau says 2 main themes emerged in African American society: (1) "the redemption of Africa" and (2) "the mission of the darker races." (72) What does each theme mean? (72-77)
7.  What role did women play in black churches in the late 1800s? (77-78)
8.  What was the disagreement between Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois? (78)
9.  When did African Americans move from the rural South to the urban North? Why did they move? (82-83)
10.  What did African Americans find in Northern cities when they moved there? (83-85)

"Up From Georgia," Handout #12
1.  When and why did John Foreman move to Detroit?
2.   In what ways does John Foreman’s story match the description Raboteau gives on pages 82-85 in Canaan Land?

Chideya, Don't Believe the Hype, pp. xi-xx, 3-18, 35-58, 80-91
Take the test on pages xv-xx before you read the assignment. The in-class quizzes will center around the statistics involved in these questions. In addition:

1.  What is this book designed to do? (xii) How does the author describe her purposes in this book? (xii-xiii)
2.  How is the coverage of African Americans by the mainstream media "skewed"? (4-5) Chideya gives 5 top reasons why this skewed coverage occurs. What are they? (6-9)
3.  Who was Willie Horton, and how did he become an important part of the 1988 presidential election? (6)
4.  What percentage of the U.S. population is African American? (13-15)
5.  How do the statistics on poverty "provide a classic example of how statistics can be interpreted differently"? (18)
6.  What are Chideya’s "top 20 facts" on welfare? (37-39)
7.  Where do African Americans live? (47-48) How prevalent is housing segregation? (47-51) What are the effects of housing segregation? (51-57)
8.  What are "legacies," and how can they help or hurt your chances of getting accepted by Harvard or Notre Dame? (83)
9.  How well do SAT (or ACT) scores predict the academic success of women? (85)
10.  How has the number of African Americans receiving PhDs changes between 1977 and 1992? (89)

Chideya, Don't Believe the Hype, pp. 115-125, 133-135, 140-146, 154-162, 182-227, 241-252
Take the test on pages xv-xx before you read the assignment. The in-class quizzes will center around the statistics involved in these questions. In addition:

1.  In comparing "family income" between whites and blacks, why is it important to note whether both husband and wife work? (116-118)
2.  How is housing segregation related to employment opportunities? (124-125)
3.  Given anti-discrimination laws, hasn’t discrimination against black shoppers been eliminated? (133-135)
4.  What are Chideya’s "5 key issues" regarding African Americans in film and television? (143-146)
5.  How does stereotyping operate in sports? (155-159)
6.  What percentage of college athletic scholarships goes to African Americans? (162)
7.  Does racial prejudice seem to be increasing or diminishing? (182-187)
8.  Consider violent crime victims. Are their attackers more likely to be of a different race or the same race? (190)
9.  Chideya identifies "a pattern of race-based treatment in the judicial system" (193). What are the main elements of this? (193-196)
10.  How do the news media report on crime among African Americans? (197-202)
11.  Who consumes illegal drugs? (210-212)
12.  How does Chideya challenge the view of African American voters as "liberal" (226-227)
13.  How well represented are African Americans on the staffs of television networks and newspapers and magazines? (243-247)

Dennis, Black History for Beginners, pp. 154-185
1.  What was the Brown v. Board of Education decision, and why is it important? (154-160) What was the reaction by many Southern whites? (156-157)
2.  What were the roles of E. D. Nixon, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King in the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-1956? (161-165)
3.  President Dwight Eisenhower refused to submit civil rights legislation and to openly pledge support for the Brown decision that called for schools to be desegregated. Why? (166)
4.  How did Martin Luther King become a factor in the outcome of the 1960 presidential election which chose John F. Kennedy? (167-169)
5.  The early 1960s saw "sit ins" and "freedom rides." What were they, and what did they accomplish? (169-173)
6.  What was the purpose of the 1963 march on Washington? (174-175)
7.  In what ways did Malcolm X and the Black Muslims offer an alternative to the approach of Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)? (176-177)
8.  What activity was Martin Luther King organizing at the time of his death in 1968? (178-179)
9.  In what ways did Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy support measures to establish more racial justice? (179)
10.  When did African Americans begin to be elected as mayors of major cities? (181-182)
11.  Why does Dennis claim that the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980 "marked the beginning of a backlash curtailing black achievements"? (183)

Lincoln, "Coming Through the Fire," Handout #13
1.  How important has race been in Lincoln’s life? How often are most Americans given a "racial appraisal"? (1)
2.  Lincoln says "race is a cultural fiction" (1). What does he mean?
3.  Lincoln describes a series of "lessons" about how the color line is drawn in various areas of life. What were the main "lessons"? (2-4) What were the consequences of not learning these "lessons"? (2)
4.  In what ways did Lincoln experience being "invisible" and "anonymous"? (5)
5.  How does Lincoln describe the African American struggle for identity? (6) Which institution does Lincoln credit with playing a positive role in the struggle? (6-7)

Raboteau, Canaan Land, pp. 85-103
1.  What new religious choices did the Great Migration expose black people to? (85-99)
2.  Who was Marcus Garvey, and what was the UNIA? (86-89)
3.  How and where did the Nation of Islam begin? (90-91)
4.  What were some of the Nation of Islam’s main ideas, and why did they appeal to some black people? (91-92)
5.  How did the Great Migration lead to an increase in the number of black Catholics? (92-95)
6.  How did Pentecostalism begin? (95-97)
7.  What were "race records?" (99)
8.  Who was Thomas A. Dorsey, and why was he important? (99-100)
9.  How did the Great Migration affect rural churches? (101-103)

Raboteau, Canaan Land, pp. 124-135
1.  What does Raboteau mean in claiming (124) "the church has served both as a source of stability and as a vehicle of change"?
2.  How did Wallace Deen Muhammad change the Nation of Islam after he succeeded his father? (124-125)
3.  What changes in the last half of the 20th century does Raboteau point to among black Catholics? (126-127)
4.  How did prominent black women interpret the Christian story toward the end of the 20th century? (128-129)
5.  What was the role of women in the black church? (129-130)
6.  How does Raboteau sum up his narrative? (134-135)

Cone, Martin & Malcolm & America, pp. 1-17
1.  What does Cone mean by "integrationism"? "Nationalism"? Who are some prominent advocates of each position? Where do Martin King and Malcolm X fit in?
2.  How are "integrationism" and "nationalism" related to DuBois's classic statement of "double consciousness"?
3.  Cone suggests (page 6) that African American Christians, by and large, have been which?   (a) integrationist or (b) nationalist.
4.  On page 11, Cone writes about the "ebb and flow" of nationalism. What does this ebb and flow seem to be related to?
5.  How does Cone describe the relationship between integrationism and nationalism? (15-16).

Raboteau, Canaan Land, pp. 104-121
1.  To what extent did black churches deal with social and economic issues during the 1930s and 1940s? (104-106)
2.  Who was Howard Thurman, and why was he important? (106-107)
3.  Why did some disagree with Martin Luther King’s defense of the Civil Rights Movement on moral and religious principles? (110)
4.  How does Raboteau describe the career of Martin Luther King? (109-114, 117-119)
5.  How does Raboteau describe the career of Malcolm X? (114-117)