African American History

African American history
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African American history
America is one of the nations that have great racial diversity. There are people of all racial origins living in the United States of America. Historically, African Americans found their ways into America as slaves during the period of slavery. Since that period of slavery, afro-Americans have gone through difficult periods in their Struggles to achieve equality and end segregation. African Americans have become a great part of America's history for their great Struggle and achievements in changing some systems. Ever since the period of slavery, African Americans have been in the struggle to end segregation, fight for civil rights, voting rights, and fights for rights to exercise other constitutional rights. Some have even been forced to spend time in prison for their lead roles in the struggle. African Americans have led America through a great cultural and legal transformation. African American history is that part of American history that discusses the black American ethnic groups in America. Although there are Afro-Americans who have acquired American citizenships in other ways, most are descendants of captive Americans that were held in the united states or territories that later became part of the United States of America. The history of Afro-Americans is celebrated annually in the America during the month of February which is rather regarded to as the month of Black History CITATION Dix10 \l 1033 (Haggard, 2010). The American African slave population comprised of different ethnic groupings from west and central Africa. Even though the African slaves had ethnic differences, they had a common way of life that was clearly different from that of the Europeans; they provided cheap labor which is the biggest reason why the Europeans came into Africa looking for slaves CITATION Dan10 \l 1033 (Fountain, 2010). Increased slave trade led to a slow rise of a black population. They were mostly concentrated in cities and Atlantic coast line from Charleston to Boston. Majority of slaves lived in tobacco and rice plantations in groups of about 20. Plantation owners became so much reliant on slavery for cheap labor that they started sidelining the American lower class. The slavery institution became a great part of the south economy that it eventually divided America into two major opposing forces. Slaves also started rebellions with the most serious being the Stono Uprising in September 1979 in South Carolina. The colony had so many slaves that they outnumbered whites CITATION Wil00 \l 1033 (Dudley, 2000). Ever since when African Americans were slaves, they have gone through so many obstacles to get where they are today, some have held political offices, worked in political offices and gained rights enjoyed by other American citizens or natives. Back in the early days, Afro-Americans had no rights and their voices could not be heard. Some witnessed the death of their parents in the so called hands of their masters. In 1800s, African Americans were gaining full citizenships in all nations. This came into being as President Lincoln had set the slaves free and enacted the fourteenth amendment into the United States constitution. The effects of racial segregation were so brutal because they were supported by legal interpretations. The blacks were excluded from many jobs, they attended different schools as whites, they could not vote, and were not allowed to ride in the same buses as the whites, and if they rode on the same train, blacks were required to give up their seats if whites asked them to do so CITATION Joy03 \l 1033 (akim, 2003). Though the blacks worked in food plantations, they had little access to proper food and malnutrition was a common issue. Blacks were also denied the freedom of association which meant that they could not even worship together. Influenced by the restrictive laws that existed, African Americans combined African traditions and Christian customs to form an almost homogenous culture. The culture was highly drawn from African customs such as group worship and oral story telling. Music and oral story telling acted as alternative communications means because they were prevented from formal schooling systems. In some instances, some slaves sold produce they grew from “home gardens” if their masters allowed, saved, and later bought their own freedom. The outcome of this trade resulted to what was referred as garden economy. Thirty two African-American leaders met in 1905 to discuss the challenges facing people of color and the possible solutions. They had more particular concern to the Southern State where disfranchisement of blacks was very high. Through the early 1900s, legislatures, mostly white democrats, had ratified new constitutions and laws that saw great barriers to voter registra...