Great Lives from History: African Americans covers more than 770 people from colonial times through the present, offering fascinating perspectives on black American history. Great Lives from History: African Americans features 800 essays covering people from the eighteenth century through the early twenty-first century. The majority of the individuals included in this set have never been covered in this series before. Many individuals are household names, famous for their work in such fields as entertainment, sports, civil rights, politics, and literature. Others have received less attention but made important contributions in such fields as education, journalism, business, and science. All essays in this set have been specially commissioned. Their subjects are African Americans who have undertaken a wide range of endeavors from late colonial times into the twenty-first century. The criteria for including these people take into account their significance in history or modern culture, their representation of a wide range of fields and periods, their relevance to school curricula, and their interest to high school, undergraduate, and general readers. Each essay is approximately 2 to 4 pages in length and displays ready-reference top matter, which offers easy access to biographical information, including the individual's name (with any other versions or alternate spellings), the field of work the individual is most associated with, and dates of birth and death. Also included is a brief synopsis explaining the individual's historical or social importance. - Publisher.