b'African American History: From the African Coast to the Civil War Broadcast February 5 20 Taking us on a penetrating look at the role African Americans have played in building our nation,Dr. Alexander brings to light incisive perspectives on their lives, contributions, and historical challenges. Beginning with the long era of slavery, she explores two themeshow the enslaved created meaningful lives in the face of their circumstances, and how both the enslaved and free worked tirelessly in the unending pursuit of freedom. From early European trade in humans . to the 1860s, when conflict surrounding slavery erupted into civil war, these richly-informed lectures reveal a people of unbreakable spirit and of the deepest human dimensions of American democracy. The MLK, Jr. Professor of History at Rutgers, Leslie Alexander has also coedited theEncyclopedia of African American History.The Old Plantation. Folk painting, late 1700s| Anonymous| Public Domain 49'