From the days of the first African communities in North America to slavery, from the esthetic achievements of the Harlem Renaissance to the political accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement, the African-American experience has been marked by both struggle and triumph. Now The Timetables of African-American History chronicles these experiences with thousands of entries documenting the history of African Americans, beginning in 1492 and continuing 500 years into the 1990s.

The Timetables of African-American History also notes those individuals who contributed to the vibrancy of both African-American culture and American culture in general: from jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker to contemporary hip hop artists like Run DMC and Salt N Pepa, from literary giants Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison to visual artists such as Edmonia Lewis and Romare Bearden, from sports legends such as Joe Louis and Wilma Rudolph to cinematic legends Paul Robeson and Dorothy Dandridge. The accomplishments of these and many other notable African Americans are vividly detailed in the book.

From very well-known events (the 1963 March on Washington) to lesser-known ones (in 1872, "Bud" Fowler became the first paid black baseball player in the major leagues), the book records those events that have defined the African-American experience and have helped to shape the American experience.