The Legacy Of African Americans

Over the course of this semester, I was introduced to many people, ideas, writings, and discussions that sparked my interest and enlightened me on African American history. However, I feel like this was just the beginning of my journey of learning the history of my people, as there is still so much out there to be brought to the surface. Prior to taking this course, I was always ignorant on the topic of African American history and simply made the connection to slavery. Additionally, I was unaware of other black activist, movements, and struggles that I had the chance to witness for the first time in this class. I came to a realization of how deprived of this information I was, because other historic events have been deemed more important. A quote that stuck with me throughout the course that was made by Arthur Schomburg was, “... African history and negro history, are the missing pages of world history”.

Through the years we have realized that the African American community has grown and developed. Our communities have come to live in harmony with one another. Although it took a long time for African Americans to get their say in society, they have come to show the world that they deserve their chance. We have learned that we need each other because it brings more color, music, and new ideas into our lives.

African-Americans have suffered the greatest indignity in the history of the humankind. Millions of African-Americans were enslaved throughout the United States from the Colonial Era until the end Civil War during which they were brutalized, murdered, kidnapped, raped, and deprived of their natural rights. Meanwhile, African-Americans have fought in every single war to secure America’s

African Americans have faced constant challenges since the end of the Civil War and slavery. Racism has always been used heavily against them, but they have never let the ignorance hold them down. While enduring many struggles, they have found a variety of ways to advance. Black Americans have achieved much legal, social, and cultural advancement in history. Today, blacks have reached the greatest heights; including presidential status, but still, unfortunately, face racism every single day.

All histories are an important subject to teach in every academic levels; however, African American history is a vital part of the United States. America would not be the country she is today without the accomplishments of the slaves and founding African American scholars. Slavery brought about incredible trials and established perseverance with the African American population that future generations need to know about and learn from. History teaches us our errors and our successes; furthermore, it helps us determine our future directions. Throughout history there were countless African American leaders, Godly examples and heroes. It is the duty of all generations to teach about these men and women. There is a wealth of knowledge that all people, in all walks of life, and at all ages needs to learn. No matter what race a child is today, they need to know and understand what their ancestors went through, how they lived, more importantly what they did to not only survive but to thrive (Holt & Brown, 2000).

African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. They have been beaten, scorned, and embarrassed for centuries but they never gave up on freedom. African Americans underwent immense segregation and racism regardless the “equality” President Lincoln granted them in the earlier amendments.

Almost a century later, African Americans are better accepted in society than ever before. There is less of a double standard and more equality thanks to the brave men and women who came before

There are countless examples of how African Americans have transformed history or made a mark on our country. African Americans have displayed heroism and bravery for what we believe in. Without Black History Month as a holiday, these people would not have been recognized for all of their many achievements. We must continue to celebrate the achievements of African Americans, and we must correct the inconsistences of the past. Black History Month should be kept as a national holiday as long as we are the United States of America.

African Americans have always been in the limelight when it comes to racism, prejudice, and discrimination. From the days of slavery until the recent killings of young African Americans in the United States, black people have had it bad when it comes to history. For whatever reason, it is perceived that black people were viewed as trophies to white people. To me, in the world today, there seems to be lot of prejudice and discrimination directed at African American. If you ask around the world, many feel that African Americans are want to be thugs, are not formerly educated, and always are looking for trouble to get in. I will start this research paper talking about the days of the Emancipation

Many blacks contributed to the success of our country in every war that we as a people have ever fought. In order to properly thank them for their heroic effort, I as a Hispanic Caucasian must give credit where credit is due. In order to properly do so, I must begin with the contributions of “Black America” beginning with the American Revolution and continue up until the World War II. Make no mistake blacks made contributions well past World War II, but in the interest of time and accuracy I must stay within the confines of our earlier history. One main aspect that should be analyzed is the fact that no matter how hard the struggle, blacks have always overcome adversity no matter what the cost. Of course, contributions made by blacks

We are all just rats stuck in a race for the contingency that if you win you will think better, be better, you’re smarter, and superior than all the other rats. What if your ethnicity is dead last? What if the group of people that you are associated with are redeposit to losing? Now I am not trying to be racist in anyway shape or form, I just have a problem with being last in the race of life and I want to voice my opinion about it. I’m talking about African Americans in this race of life. We are dead last and I don’t see improvement in the near emanate future of our race. So the question presents its self, how does my people, the African American people get ahead in this race.

Arriving in the southern landscape centuries ago, the African Americans are still Racing in hope for their own identity and survival in the New Dream World.

In the early 1920s Marcus Garvey captured the interest of many black Americans when he emphasized black nationalism and black separatism (White et. al. 2012). In 1966, former leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Stokely Carmichael, echoed Garvey’s philosophy when he coined the term “Black Power” at a rally in Mississippi (Brown 2014). Introduced as an oratorical tool, black power urged race pride and race unity to inspire militancy among black Americans. It was founded on the belief that black survival depended on the exercise of black power to effect economic and political change in black communities. Alongside Malcolm X’s rhetoric of empowerment and the aggressiveness of groups such as the Black Panther Party, Carmichael’s vision of black power was not representative of integration – what he believed spoke to the “problem of blackness” (Carmichael 1966).

The history of African American people is no secret. Everyone is aware of all the oppression, discrimination and abuse my ancestors endured. My people are the reason this land is what it is today. Think about it. They were responsible for the planting of crops, growing of the crops, and harvesting of crops. They were also caretakers, maids, messenger boys, sex slaves and a long line of other things. My ancestors were forced to help the rich get and stay rich, while our people were dirt poor. They were treated like animals. They were denied an education, freedom, a healthy and promising life. When my people attempted to stand up in the eyes of oppression they were brutally beaten, sprayed with hoses, bitten by a vicious dog and even murdered. It took blacks so long to gain basic human rights and before being granted those rights, we had to fight the impossible fight.

African Americans have been through so much since being uprooted from their home in Africa. Most people do not understand what happened to African Americans and they understand what they had to go through to be where they are today. It went from being kings in the comfort of their home to being thrown on a boat packed like sardines to be forced to work in the fields. The trip was a massacre itself because many did not make it due to the treatment from others. African Americans have always been treated like outsiders and it took many people to sway the perception of others to be where they are today. Through all the ups and downs African Americans persevered and made it out the struggle. African Americans has always been treated badly all groups of people and they always looked down on African Americans. Throughout the history involving African American, it showed the constant inferiority treatment. African Americans were slaves years ago, people still look at blacks as less important than other people. Slavery has a huge impact on our society today because people are still bias and unfair towards African Americans, most African Americans are still living in poverty and don’t have proper education beyond high school which is why they don’t have the equal opportunity for jobs. African Americans still continue to sit in the shadow behind white people.