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African Americans
African Americans are citizens of the United States with
ancestors who came from Africa.
Their forefathers were brought to American colonies as slaves in
the 17th and 18th centuries. About
40 million African Americans 1!" of the total #o#ulation live in
the USA toda$.
%n the #ast African Americans have been &nown b$ man$ names.
The$ were called 'egroes (lac&s
and )oloureds. The term *nigger+ was used in the southern #art
of the USA where discrimination against them was ver$ bad. %n the
last !0 $ears the term African Americans
has officiall$ been used.
About half of them live in the southern states of the USA the
rest in large cities of the ,ast
-idwest and est.
Slaver$
,uro#ean traders brought the first slaves from Africa to the
new
colonies in the 1/00s. After arriving in the 'ew orld the$
were
bought b$ white masters and had to wor& on large cotton
and
tobacco farms in the South. The$ didnt get an$ mone$ for
their
wor& and living conditions were ver$ bad. The econom$of
theSouth de#ended on slaves.
Slave wor& was ver$ difficult. -ost women coo&ed cleaned
the
house and raised the children of their white masters. -en
were
trained to be car#enters or masons. -ost of them however
were
farmlabourers. The$ #lanted and harvested cro#s.
'ot all (lac&s in America were slaves. *ree (lac&s+
lived and
wor&ed in big American cities but the$ had ver$
few rights. ,2#ressing #olitical views carr$ing guns and
meeting
with white #eo#le wasforbidden.
Americans in the northern states thought that slaver$ shouldnt
be
allowed in a free countr$. As time went on more and more
#eo#le
3oined in the fight to end slaver$.
These abolitionists hel#ed slaves esca#e to the 'orth
through secret routes. This s$stem was called the
Underground
ailwa$.
%n 18/0 Abraham 5incoln was elected #resident of the United
States. 6e was strongl$
against slaver$. -an$ southern states withdrewfrom the union and
formed their own countr$ the
)onfederate States of America. %t was the beginning of the )ivil
ar which lasted until 18/.
%n 18/! Abraham 5incoln abolished slaver$ in the ,manci#ation
9roclamation. The northern states
won the )ivil ar and Americanslaves were free.
econstruction 9eriod
The time after the )ivil ar became &nown as the
econstruction. The American government sent
soldiers to the southern states to#rotect the (lac&s and
their newl$ won freedom.
Although the$ were officiall$ free most of them still lived in
#overt$ and in ver$ bad conditions. %n
the South the$ wor&ed assharecro##ers farmers who cultivated
land and could &ee# a share of what
the$ grew for themselves.
hites continued to discriminate against African Americans.
(lac&s were not allowed to attend the
same schools or go to the same churches as whites. Segregation
meant a com#lete se#aration of life
between the two grou#s. (lac&s were also &e#t from
voting.
:uring the second half of the 1;th centur$ violent grou#s
started to terrorize the (lac&s. The mostfamous was the
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The orld ars and the >reat :e#ression
:uring orld ar % and in the $ears that followed more and more
(lac&s started to move to the
cities of the 'orth where the$ e2#ected to find a 3ob and lead a
better life. -ost of them however
were disa##ointed because the$ were not educated and didnt have
the s&ills that the$ needed.Slums and blac& ghettos
develo#edin the inner cities throughout the northern United
States.
The >reat :e#ression which began after the stoc&
mar&et crash of 1;?; hit the (lac& #o#ulation
harder than the hites. 9resident ran&lin :. oosevelts 'ew
:eal 9rogramme did a lot to hel#
(lac&s.
orld ar %% o#ened u# new o##ortunities for (lac& #eo#le.
About a million men 3oined the arm$
and served for their countr$ mostl$ in all=(lac& units. As
time went on more and more
(lac&s succeeded in getting a higher #osition in the arm$.
Some of them even became #ilots
and officers.
%n the #ast hundred $ears African Americans have moved from the
red states to the blue ones
)ivil ights -ovement
After orld ar %% a new movement for civil rights began. African
Americans started to have
more confidence and believe more in themselves. The$ had the$
served for their countr$
with honour during the war and in the 'orth man$ (lac&s
started living in better conditions. A newgrou# came to life the
'AA)9 @the 'ational Association for the Advancement of )oloured
9eo#le. %t attracted man$ members and received su##ort from both
(lac&s and hites.
The )ivil ights movement gained momentum in the 1;0s. %n 1;4 the
Su#reme
)ourt decided that segregation in schools was against the
constitution. %n 1; a blac&
woman osa 9ar&s was arrested in -ontgomer$ Alabama because
she refused to let a white
#assenger ta&e her seat. (lac&s in the cit$ started
bo$cotting buses. This bo$cott was led b$ -artin
5uther
