A Journey of Struggle and Inspiration, The African-American

History
The African-American history is intricately linked with the practice of slavery in
America. It is also one of the greatest chapters in the history of humanity the
manner in which it began and the stage where it is now is as informative about
the hypocrisy in human behavior as it is about its perseverance.
Yes, there was a time when even human beings were considered nothing more
than possessions possessions which were used and abused just like inanimate
objects. In the new land of America, the new settlers from Britain wanted untiring
and uncomplaining hands to work in their farms. During the same period, in the
17th century, there existed a ready slave market in Africa and the Caribbean,
markets which became the sources for slaves in America.
Year 1619, a 20 member group of indentured slaves disembark at Virginia from a
Dutch Ship, thus writing the first page of African-American history. Interestingly,
a the-then report identifies this set of people as cargo from the ship.
Slaves who were required to work for their masters for a pre-designated number
of years before being set free were known as indentured slaves. However, in
reality indentured slaves used to be sold from one owner to another, with
freedom remaining an ever elusive dream.
The year 1641 saw the legalization of Slavery in Massachusetts, a move which
was replicated in other American states and followed by the introduction of even
more inhuman laws, one of which recognized as slaves the children of slave
parents.
By the 1700s, the population of slaves had grown to around 25,000 a factor
which gave rise to a distinct set of traditions followed by the slave population. In
terms of art, dance, and literature, the slave population began developing a
unique cultural system, drawing from their roots in Africa.
The year 1739 saw the first slave revolt; it witnessed numerous killings among
the white population, which also retaliated by brutally killing the participants of
the revolt. However, the spirit of resistance did not die with the quelling of the
revolt. This time it surfaced in the form of a poem by Lucy Terry. Named as Bars
Fight, the poem provides an account of an attack on her village by an American
Indian horde. The first published written work, however, was by Phillis Wheatley.
It was published in the year 1773. In the year 1852, came the much acclaimed
Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowes, considered to be a driving force
behind the American Civil war that was fought on the issue of abolition of slavery.
In between all this, there were other major events that marked themselves on
the calendar. The first black church was founded in Virginia, North America in
1758 a sure sign of amalgamation with the American way of life, although in a
much restricted manner. America fought for Independence against Britain and
won the war, with many black soldiers fighting alongside American forces.

However, these black soldiers were never given the freedom that they were
promised during the war. They were pulled back to slavery.
Two of the most significant events in the African-American history are the
American Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. Central to the theme of both
these events was the welfare of the black population.
The American Civil War was fought on the simmering issue of slavery.
America in 1860 comprised of 34 states, out of which 11 states were opposed to
the newly appointed President, Abraham Lincolns decision to disallow slavery in
the western territories (Western territories were acquired lands that were under
American governance but were not yet American states).
The said 11 states, also known as the South, were on one side, and the rest,
known as the Union or the North, were on another. The South declared secession
from the American Union and ignited the war by attacking a Union controlled fort
in South Carolina. Response ensued and the war began; it raged for 4 long years.
It is worth appreciating that the incumbent government readily fought an internal
war to uphold its decision to not allow slavery in the western territories. This
resolve is one of the reasons why the African-American history is such a
revelation about human behavior. Once it seems avaricious and hypocritical and
then it also exhibits the finest in righteousness and bravery.
In the war, over 190,000 blacks fought on the side of the Union, and thereby
significantly tilted the balance in the Unions favor.
The war ended with the subjugation of the South. The practice of slavery ended
and a phase of reconstruction began. Legally, slavery was no longer a part of
Americas system, but socially it continued to exist in the shape of
discrimination. One of the reasons why discrimination could not be wiped out
along with slavery has something to do with the lost cause.
In an attempt to paint the war participants and leaders from the South in a more
valiant light, the lost cause propaganda was initiated. Slavery as the reason
behind the war was discarded, and its place was given to cultural differences
and class conflict. Secession was also largely legitimized.
With these
acceptable reasons, it was easy to unite the losing side, the South with the
winner, the North. Sadly, support to slavery, which was the primary belief of the
South, never got the condemnation that it ought to have got.
The American Civil Rights Movement from 1954-68 was an unfinished agenda
from the American War of Independence, post which 3 important amendments
were made in the constitution:

The 13th Amendment: Put an end to the practice of slavery.

The 14th Amendment: Accorded citizenship to African-Americans.

The 15th Amendment: Provided right of voting to African-American males.

These amendments were huge steps forward; however, the supporters of slavery
were all along planning to push the blacks even backward. They unleased their
anger in the form of racial discrimination and segregation. Radical anti-black
organizations like the Ku Klux Klan began violently trampling on the rights of
black people. Starting from 1890, southern states also began striping the voting
rights of the blacks.
At the receiving were the blacks, and therefore, the opposition also had to come
from the blacks. They fought back aggressively, but not violently.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was
formed, and it began fighting back through lawsuits and legislations. In a
crippling blow to the policy of segregation in 1909, on a petition by NAACP, the
Supreme Court ordered against the operation of school systems based on
segregation of black and white children.
A major change in black resistance came when litigation and political lobbying
began to be replaced with mass movements against discrimination. Important
leaders from these mass movements were Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr, and
others. These leaders were instrumental in taking their message to a wider
audience, both within the south and outside it, and even to the world outside
America.
The movement was noticed by the outer world. America, with its image as a
world crusader for equality and freedom, was at a loss to explain the subjugation
of its black population. It was one of the factors that led the government to
accede to the demands from its black community and leaders.
America stands on the foundation of freedom and equality, and one of the active
constituents of this foundation is the African-American population. They have as
much responsibility in protecting of ideals of America as anybody else.
With time, the black population has assimilated with the identity of America, but
discrimination has not vanished altogether.
Even today, the struggle continues, but gladly, the zeal to overcome also
continues, unabated.