African Founders: How Enslaved People Expanded American Ideals

Placeholder author icon
By David Hackett Fischer ’57

Published June 23, 2022

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Fischer explores the little-known history of how enslaved people contributed to the creation of new regional cultures in the colonial United States. Fischer’s decades of research demonstrate traditions, linguistic practices, and more that ultimately transformed America. African Founders (Simon and Schuster) explains how America was shaped by various African influences. 

Paw in print

Image
PAW's July/August 2025 issue cover, featuring a photo of people dressed in orange and black, marching in the P-rade, and the headline: Reunions, Back in Orange & Black.
The Latest Issue

July 2025

On the cover: Wilton Virgo ’00 and his classmates celebrate during the P-rade.