"A companion book to the six-part, six-hour PBS series of the same title, airing for the first time on national, prime-time broadcast in the fall of 2013. This book is the basis of the series and presents in much greater detail the 500-year history of the African American people since the black Spanish conquistador, Juan Garrido, accompanied Ponce de Leaon on his expedition into what is now the state of Florida"--Introduction.