Gage Omana

HISTORY-2200
African American Difficulties
Which group of Americans had the most difficult time being
accepted? There are several groups that could be identified, but only one
truly reflects a difficult life full of hardships. Not only were their lives difficult
since the beginning of America, but they are still somewhat effected today.
African Americans undoubtedly had the most difficult time being accepted
in America.
In 1619, Dutch merchants delivered the first Africans to Virginia. (Olson
and Beal, page 96) African Americans were brought into this mess by the
greed of men. People were so desperate to expand their business ventures,
they went from using indentured servants to actually going to the source and
trapping African people by the thousands, like cattle. Southerner colonies
viewed slavery as an institution necessary for economic survival. (Case, page
10) Uniquely, the African American slaves settled all over the southern and
south eastern parts of the United States. This is mainly because the cash
crops in America at this time were cotton, and tobacco, in the hot and humid
climates.
Obviously, the biggest obstacle faced is the African American peoples
were enslaved until 1865. In the beginning, slavery in Virginia was seen to
have no end by an act of legislation passed in 1661 and by the early 18th

century the number of white indentured servants declines and the

importation of African slaves increases. Finally, the passing of the thirteenth
amendment in 1865, which completely abolished slavery the African people
suffered for a very long time. African Americans finally seem to be getting a
break and then the passage of Jim Crow Laws are passed throughout the
South. This causes a large amount of civil rights issues that were mainly
directed at African Americans. One specific example is the Supreme Court
Decision of Plessy v. Ferguson 1896, which shows that the feeling toward
blacks at this time are if you have one drop of black blood in you, youre all
black. (Case, page 16) Segregation was widely spread among the country for
many years after this, we actually see lasting effects of harsh discrimination
up into the mid to late 1960s. Up until this time many civil rights protests
were rallied, until finally the African Americans were starting to be treated as
equals. Even today, much racial tension still remains between certain groups
of white Americans and African Americans.
So much of the African cultural identity was sacrificed and destroyed
within the people that were captured and brought to America. They
constantly had the white, American culture branded into their minds every
single day, with consequences of severe punishment. They had given up
their old religions, traditions, and lifestyle and created a newer and modified
one if they were going to survive their days as a slave. Some would say they
are the most American of Americans. (Olson & Beal, page 217) Over the
centuries, various aspects of African culture have blended into American

society. The complex rhythms of African music, for instance, are evident in
the sounds of American blues and jazz; a growth in the study of American
folkloreand the development of American-style folktalescan be linked in
part to Africa's long oral tradition.
(everyculture.com/ARevivalOfOtherTraditions) Not enough people realize the
minor details that African Americans added onto shaping an American
society; whether its jazz music which led to much more music later on or
great soul food from the south, along with the major role they played in
driving the industrial boom and putting our country at the top of the
economic ladder.