Henry Louis Gates Jr., professor at Harvard University, as well as director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, kicks off this month's series on African American history with chapters from his new book, Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History 1513-2008. This week: the colonies and the history of the slave trade. 

Henry Louis Gates Jr., professor at Harvard University, author of Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History 1513-2008, and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, continues this month's series on African American history with a discussion about the "New Negro Movement" of the early 20th century.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., professor at Harvard University, as well as director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research and author of Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History 1513-2008, continues this month's series with a discussion about African-American history in the World War II and pre-Civil Rights era.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., professor at Harvard University, director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research, as well as the author of Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History 1513-2008, continues this month's series on African American history. This week: music and popular culture, including Billy Eckstine, Thriller and the television show Roots.