Preface to the Revised Edition -- Introduction -- Part I. Chapter 1. Slavery: A Reexamination of Its Impact -- Chapter two. Sharecropping and the Rural Proletariat -- Chapter three. The African-American Family in the Maternalistic Era -- Chapter four. The Arduous Transition to the Industrial North -- PART II. Chapter five. World War II and Its Aftermath -- Chapter six. The Calm Before the Storm -- Chapter seven. The "Matriarchal" Black Family Under Siege -- Chapter eight. Family Composition and the "Underclass" Debate -- Chapter nine. Black Marriage Patterns: Representations and Realities -- Chapter ten. Where Are We Now? Where Do We Go From Here?
Summary
This revised edition of an award-winning book expands and updates the nuanced historical perspective used in the first edition to understand African American family patterns. The result is a well-documented narrative that challenges conventional understanding of the continuing plight of African American families. The book traces the evolution of the black family from slavery to the present, showing the cumulative effects of centuries of historical change