Crossing the Continent, 1527-1540: The Story of the First African-American Explorer of the American South

Over That Winter of 1528 to 1529, for the first time in the history of modern American soil, an African slave shed his bonds and became a man in the eyes of his former masters. Over that winter, the first African-American was born. Esteban must then have felt the first thrill of power.... For the first time in the history of America, an African is mentioned by name.... Both in real life and in the writings of historians, the slave was to prove more important and more famous than his master. What is more, by a curious irony, it was the master's testimony that served to leave a record of the slave.