Knowing American history is critically important—and an essential part of that history is the story of the diverse people who make up America. This course focuses on the Black American perspective of U.S. history—also known as African American, Black American, or simply Black history. In this class, we will explore five major eras of American history: 1. Slavery and Reconstruction 2. The Jim Crow Era 3. The Civil Rights Era and the Black Power Movement 4. The 1980s and 1990s 5. President Obama’s Presidency to the Present Throughout these eras, we will cover key topics such as the transatlantic slave trade, the Harlem Renaissance during the Roaring Twenties, the Red Summer and the many race riots and massacres during the Jim Crow era, segregation and the fight for civil rights, and more recent events like the Obama presidency and the 2020 pandemic. This course will help students not only understand American history, but specifically from a Black perspective, while also examining how that history shapes current events and the future.