Eyewitness features first-hand accounts of pivotal moments in African American history ranging from recollections of the slave trade, accounts of the Civil War, and impassioned words about the Civil Rights Movement to the current state of Black America. Presented here are the words of men and women who were witnesses to and participants in this turbulent history. There are familiar voices such as those of Frederick Douglass; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Sojourner Truth; and Jesse Jackson.

There are lesser known, but no less powerful, voices that give insight and a personal look at the events and people that shaped this country. This fully revised and vastly expanded edition of Eyewitness includes new research, and both text and photographs that touch on today's news.