Crash Course Black American History Preview

Summary

In this introduction to Crash Course Black American History, host Clint Smith outlines the series' focus on how slavery, segregation, and systemic racism have shaped the U.S. He highlights the evolving language around race, the impact of historical policies like redlining and the GI Bill, and stresses that Black history is more than just slavery—it’s a celebration of Black art, culture, and achievements. While some topics will be challenging, the series aims to provide a comprehensive look at Black history as an essential part of American history.

Takeaways

• 👨‍🏫 Clint Smith is the host of Crash Course Black American History and is a writer, teacher, and PhD holder.
• 📚 The series explores Black American history from the arrival of enslaved people in 1619 to the Black Lives Matter movement.
• 🔄 Terms like 'Black' and 'African-American' are often used interchangeably but reflect a diverse range of experiences and histories.
• 📜 Slavery is central to understanding American history, but Black history encompasses much more than slavery and oppression.
• 🏛️ The series will explore the impact of historical events like redlining, housing segregation, and discriminatory policies like the GI Bill on Black Americans.
• 🎨 In addition to discussing oppression, the series will also highlight Black art, literature, and cultural traditions.
• 💡 The goal of the series is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how Black people have shaped U.S. history, focusing on both struggles and achievements.
• 🛠️ Clint Smith emphasizes that he didn't learn important aspects of Black history in school, but later found it liberating to gain this understanding.
• ⚖️ The series will address challenging topics but aims to provide a balanced perspective on both the hardships and joys of Black life in America.
• 🎥 Crash Course aims to be one contribution to a broader conversation about Black history, with 50 episodes to explore key aspects of the Black experience in the U.S.

Q & A

Who is the host of Crash Course Black American History?

The host of Crash Course Black American History is Clint Smith.

What qualifications does Clint Smith have?

Clint Smith is a writer, a teacher, and holds a PhD in areas related to race, inequality, education, and history.

What time period does the series cover?

The series covers the period from 1619, when enslaved Black people first arrived in the American British colonies, up through the modern-day Black Lives Matter movement.

What is the difference between the terms 'Black' and 'African-American' as explained in the script?

'Black' and 'African-American' are often used interchangeably, but 'African-American' typically refers to people of African descent born or living in the U.S. 'Black' includes a broader group, such as Black immigrants from various countries.

Why does Clint Smith believe it is important to discuss the history of slavery in the U.S.?

Clint Smith believes discussing slavery is crucial because it shaped American history and has ongoing implications for racial inequality in the U.S.

What are some historical factors mentioned in the script that have contributed to Black Americans being economically disadvantaged?

Historical factors include redlining, government-sponsored housing segregation, and the exclusion of Black people from New Deal and GI Bill benefits.

Why does Clint Smith emphasize that Black history is more than just the history of slavery and oppression?

Clint Smith emphasizes that Black history includes achievements in art, literature, and cultural traditions, not just the history of slavery and oppression, highlighting the full spectrum of Black life.

What is the intended focus of the series, according to the script?

The series aims to address both the struggles and triumphs of Black Americans, presenting a more complete picture of Black life and history in the U.S.

Why does the series include a content warning?

The series includes a content warning because it will cover challenging and sometimes disturbing topics related to the history of Black people in the U.S.

What is the central message Clint Smith wants viewers to understand by the end of the series?

Clint Smith wants viewers to understand that Black history is not separate from American history; rather, Black history is central to American history.

Outlines

00:00

🎤 Introduction to Black American History and the Host

Clint Smith, the host of Crash Course Black American History, introduces himself as a writer, teacher, and PhD holder, though not a medical doctor. He discusses his passion for history, particularly how slavery influenced American history. Smith emphasizes that this series will cover Black history from the arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619 to the present-day Black Lives Matter movement. He also hints at how the course will explore the impact of slavery and highlight Black contributions to American history.

05:04

📜 Evolution of Language in Black History

The host reflects on the evolution of terminology used to describe Black people, noting that 'Black' and 'African-American' are often used interchangeably today. He explains that while African-American typically refers to people of African descent living in the U.S., Black people have a range of historical backgrounds. Some descendants of enslaved people cannot trace their roots, while others are recent immigrants. Despite the diversity of experiences, all are considered Black, highlighting the rich plurality of Black identity and its beautiful complexity.

📚 Understanding Race as a Social Construct

Clint Smith explains how the fluidity of terms like 'Black' and 'African-American' will help in understanding the concept of race as a social construct, but one with very real social, political, and cultural consequences. He emphasizes the importance of understanding these implications as part of this educational series.

🧠 Personal Connection to Black History

Smith shares his personal experience growing up without the tools to fully understand the historical injustices faced by Black people. He recounts how he didn’t know that 12 of the first 18 U.S. presidents owned enslaved people, or how policies like redlining, the GI Bill, and the New Deal excluded Black Americans from opportunities, leaving them in poverty. Learning these facts later in life was liberating for him, helping him make sense of the modern disparities faced by Black people.

⛓️ Black History is More Than Slavery

Smith cautions against reducing Black history solely to slavery and oppression, though he acknowledges their centrality to American history. While slavery is essential to understanding the economic development and inequality in the U.S., Black history encompasses far more, including Black achievements in art, literature, and cultural traditions. Despite centuries of systemic violence, Black Americans have contributed immensely to American life and culture.

🎉 Celebrating Black Life Alongside Challenges

Black history encompasses both the struggles and the triumphs of Black Americans. Smith highlights that Black history is about both the challenges Black people have faced and their joys, traditions, and contributions to American society. The complex relationship between these two aspects will be explored throughout the series, reflecting the richness of Black life in America.

⚠️ Sensitive Topics and the Purpose of the Show

The series will cover sensitive and potentially disturbing topics, but Smith assures viewers that they will be informed when particularly difficult content is coming. While the show won’t be able to cover every aspect of Black history in 50 episodes, it aims to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing conversation about Black life and history in the U.S. Smith stresses that Black history is central to understanding American history as a whole.

🎬 Crash Course's Mission and Acknowledgments

The episode concludes by acknowledging the team behind Crash Course, including the animation team at Thought Café and patrons who support the series on Patreon. The host reminds viewers that contributions help keep the show free for everyone, encouraging continued support.

Keywords

💡Slavery

Slavery refers to the practice of owning and exploiting people as property, particularly relevant to the history of Black people in America. The video emphasizes slavery's role in shaping American history, especially its economy and racial inequality. The host mentions how understanding slavery is essential to grasping how Black people were first brought to the U.S. and how its effects persist today.

💡Race

Race is a social construct used to categorize people based on physical traits like skin color. The video explains that race, while socially created, has real cultural, sociological, and political implications. The host discusses how racial classifications have evolved and how race has impacted Black Americans' experiences throughout history.

💡Inequality

Inequality refers to the unequal distribution of resources and opportunities between different groups. In the video, the host talks about how systemic inequality has affected Black Americans for centuries, including through policies like redlining and exclusion from benefits like the GI Bill, which deepened the wealth gap between Black and white Americans.

💡Redlining

Redlining is the discriminatory practice of denying loans or services to people in certain neighborhoods, often based on racial demographics. The host explains how redlining and government-sponsored housing segregation contributed to long-standing economic disadvantages for Black Americans, influencing today's social and economic landscape.

💡New Deal

The New Deal refers to a series of programs and reforms introduced in the U.S. during the 1930s to recover from the Great Depression. The host mentions how many of these benefits, such as housing and job programs, were not accessible to Black Americans, which contributed to their economic disenfranchisement and perpetuated racial inequality.

💡GI Bill

The GI Bill was a U.S. law that provided benefits like education and housing assistance to World War II veterans. The video discusses how Black veterans were largely excluded from these benefits, worsening racial inequality by denying them the opportunities that helped many white Americans enter the middle class.

💡Black Lives Matter

The Black Lives Matter movement is a contemporary social movement advocating against systemic racism and violence toward Black people. The host mentions the movement as part of the ongoing struggle to address racial injustice in the U.S., linking it to the historical context of slavery and oppression that has shaped Black life in America.

💡Social construct

A social construct is a concept or perception that is created and maintained by society rather than inherently existing. In the video, race is described as a social construct with real-world effects, illustrating how racial categories have changed over time and influenced the treatment and experiences of Black people in America.

💡Intergenerational poverty

Intergenerational poverty refers to the transmission of poverty from one generation to the next. The host explains that discriminatory policies like redlining and exclusion from the New Deal and GI Bill trapped many Black families in cycles of poverty, preventing them from accessing the resources needed to achieve economic mobility.

💡Black history

Black history encompasses the experiences, achievements, and struggles of Black people in America. The video emphasizes that Black history is integral to American history, highlighting both the oppression Black people have faced and their cultural and intellectual contributions to the nation, showing that Black history is not just about slavery or inequality.

Highlights

Clint Smith is the host of Crash Course Black American History, a writer, teacher, and PhD.

The series explores how slavery shaped American history and how it is taught in schools.

Crash Course covers Black American history from the arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619 to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The terms 'Black' and 'African-American' are often used interchangeably in the U.S., referring to people of African descent.

Black American history includes the experiences of those whose ancestors were enslaved and more recent immigrants.

The show will address the fluidity of racial terms and their sociopolitical and cultural implications.

Clint Smith lacked understanding of how historical policies like redlining and the GI Bill excluded Black Americans from key benefits.

Slavery is central to understanding U.S. history but should not be the sole focus of Black American history.

Black history encompasses more than oppression, including Black art, literature, and cultural achievements.

The show emphasizes the importance of balancing discussions of Black oppression with Black joy and accomplishments.

Some of the topics discussed in the series may be challenging or disturbing, but are essential for understanding U.S. history.

Black American history is not peripheral to American history—it is central to understanding the country.

This series is a contribution to a larger, ongoing conversation among scholars and activists about Black history.

There will be a lot to learn and unlearn, and the show aims to encourage a broader understanding of Black history.

Crash Course is produced by Complexly and funded by Patreon supporters to keep it free for all.

Transcripts

Hi there, I’m Clint Smith and I am the host  of Crash Course Black American History. I am a  

writer, a teacher, and a doctor. No, not the kind  who can help you if you have a serious medical  

issue, more like the kind who spent too many years  holed up in the basement of the library reading  

books on race, inequality, education, and history  before getting the letters PhD behind my name.  

So, while I can’t perform open heart surgery,  I can tell you a lot about how slavery shaped  

the course of American History and the  ways it’s been taught in our schools..  

This series, will move from the moment enslaved  Black people first arrived on the shores of the  

American British colonies in 1619, all the way  through the Black Lives Matter movement that  

has pushed this country to more fully reckon  with all that it has done to Black people  

and to more fully acknowledge all that Black  Americans have contributed to its history.  

We should probably begin by addressing the  name of this course itself, Black American  

History. Over the course of American history  the language used to describe Black people has  

changed and evolved over time and will no doubt  continue to change and evolve moving forward.  

Across the United States today, the terms  “Black” and “African-American” are often used  

interchangeably and there’s a good chance that  we’ll use them interchangeably here as well.  

Typically, African-American is meant to refer to  people of African descent who were born in, or are  

living in, the United States. In the U.S., there  are Black people whose ancestors were enslaved  

many generations ago and who are unable to trace  their history to a specific place of origin,  

and there are Black people who immigrated  to the United States just a few years ago  

from countries all over the world. While people’s histories and experiences  

may be different, each of these groups  of people, and everyone in between,  

is Black. And that plurality of experiences is  both a remarkable and just a beautiful thing.  

As we’ll discover, there is a great deal of  fluidity with regard to how these terms are used  

and who they apply to, and delving into this will  really help us understand how race is a social  

construct, but also one with very real cultural,  sociological, and political implications.  

Part of why this show is so important to  me personally, is that when I was younger,  

I felt like I didn’t have the language or the  toolkit, with which to fully understand and  

make sense of what this country had done to  Black people over the course of centuries.  

I didn’t know that 12 of our first  18 presidents owned enslaved people.  

I didn’t have the language to understand  how redlining and government-sponsored  

housing segregation shaped the landscape  of contemporary America. I didn’t know that  

New Deal legislation and the GI Bill after World  War II purposefully left out millions of Black  

people from accessing its benefits, basically  trapping them in intergenerational poverty,  

while millions of white Americans received  those benefits, giving them a leg up into  

purchasing homes, attending and graduating  college, and moving comfortably into the  

middle class. The sorts of things that have  long-term, intergenerational implications.  

I didn’t know these things, because no one  told me. No one taught us this in school.  

And when I did learn it many years later, it  was so important--it was so freeing--because  

it helped me better understand why our  country looks the way that it does today.  

It helped me understand that the disparities Black  people experience in this country, are not because  

there is anything wrong with Black people,  but because of everything that has been done  

to Black people over the course of generations. Now it should be said that, sometimes, when people  

think of Black history, they think only of slavery  and oppression. And while slavery is deeply  

deeply important (trust me I wrote a whole book  about it) to understanding how Black Americans  

first arrived here en masse, how the United  States developed its early economy, and why so  

much inequality persists between Black and white  Americans across the board , it would be a mistake  

to conflate the story of Black life in this  country singularly with the issue of slavery.  

Which is to say, naming the centrality of  slavery to the American project can be done  

without falling into the trap of  suggesting that Black History begins  

and ends with slavery. Black History is more  than slavery, it is more than Jim Crow apartheid,  

it is more than oppression. And while we  will obviously be addressing these issues  

because they are central to understanding  how this country came to be what it is,  

we will also be talking about Black art,  Black literature, Black cultural traditions,  

and all that Black people have created  and accomplished /in spite of/ centuries  

of both interpersonal and structural violence. Black American history is as much about the joys  

and celebrations and traditions of Black life,  as much as it is about being able to name and  

identify the ways this country has long subjugated  Black people. They are not mutually exclusive,  

in fact they go hand in hand. That being said, we want to note  

that this series will address topics that can  be challenging to discuss, but we believe it is  

important to cover them thoroughly so that we can  fully grapple with the reality of US History.  

When watching this course, you will encounter  some information that may be sensitive  

and disturbing. But we will also try to  let you know when there are extreme cases.  

Over the course of this show, we will do our  very best to capture the various dimensions of  

the Black experience, but because we only have  50 episodes to tell these stories, there will  

inevitably be some things that are left out. This show is not meant to be a definitive  

history of Black American life, it is meant to  be one contribution to a much wider conversation  

that has been happening among scholars, writers,  activists, and citizens for generations.  

There’s going to be a lot to learn over the  course of this show, and a lot to unlearn.  

But what we hope you come to understand is  that Black history is not /peripheral/ to  

American history, it is central to it. Black  history is American history. So let’s go.  

Crash Course is made with the  help of all these nice people  

and our animation team is Thought Cafe. Crash Course is a Complexly production.  

If you’d like to keep Crash Course free  for everybody, forever, you can support  

the series at Patreon; a crowdfunding platform  that allows you to support the content you love.  

Thank you to all of our patrons for making Crash  Course possible with their continued support.