First EditionNelson, Edward L. “Notes and Data on the Negro People in the United States.” Published by the International Workers Order, Inc. New York: 1949. Mimeograph typescript, 18 pages. staple-bound with blue covers showing a black and a white man looking steadfastly into the distance together over a map drawing of the United States. The introduction tells us that progressives in America who aim to better the conditions of the working class, should recognize their community of interest shared with African Americans and partner with them, and for that it is “necessary to understand the history, national development and cultural contributions of the Negro people.” At the time that this description is being written, only five copies are recorded in American institutions: (Stanford, Harvard, UC Davis, University of Michigan, Frostburg State). OCLC search results are at best an estimate and can vary over time.
Providing a broad and enlightened history of African Americans, starting with prehistoric civilizations in Africa far exceeding Europe, and also early technological superiority. It relates the horrors of the slave trade, heroic ventures of African Americans in the Revolutionary War, Emancipation, and biographical accounts of important African Americans. In very good condition with slight fading and a small water stain on bottom of the front cover. Concluding “the only time American had a relative degree of democracy was during reconstruction—during which period an alliance existed between the Negro and white working class.