African Americans

African Americans, also known as Black Americans, are an important racial and ethnic group in the United States. They are people whose ancestors came from Africa and were brought to America during a difficult time in history. Today, African Americans are the third-largest racial group in the country.

Their history began in the 1500s when people from Africa were taken from their homes and forced to work in America. Even after the United States became a country, most Black people were still forced to work until they were freed after the Civil War in the 1860s.

Even after gaining freedom, African Americans faced unfair treatment. But over time, many worked hard to change this. Important movements helped improve rights and opportunities for African Americans. Today, their culture has greatly influenced American life, especially in music, food, and language.

History

Main article: African American history

See also: African immigration to the United States

Colonial era

Main article: Slavery in the colonial history of the United States

See also: Atlantic slave trade

Many people from Central and West African groups were brought to the Americas as part of the slave trade. The first Africans arrived in what is now the United States in the early 1500s. They were among explorers and settlers in places like Spanish Florida and Spanish Puerto Rico.

Africans also came to the Caribbean and then to places like South Carolina. Some early settlers were enslaved but later gained freedom. In Jamestown, Virginia, the first recorded Africans arrived in 1619 as workers. Over time, some Africans became landowners.

By the 1600s, laws changed, making slavery permanent for some people. In Spanish Florida, some freed slaves were allowed to live there. In other places, slavery became a lasting part of life for many Africans brought to America.

From the American Revolution to the Civil War

Main article: Slavery in the United States

During the American Revolution, both enslaved and free Africans helped the American cause. After the war, some Africans left with the British to live in places like England or Canada.

Slavery was protected in the US Constitution, and laws made it harder for enslaved people to escape. By the time of the Civil War, millions of Africans were enslaved, while some lived as free people with limited rights. Enslaved people were important to the economy, especially in growing crops like cotton.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared that enslaved people in Confederate areas were free. This led to the end of slavery after the Civil War, with amendments to the Constitution granting citizenship and voting rights to African Americans.

Reconstruction era and Jim Crow

Main articles: Reconstruction era and Jim Crow laws

After the Civil War, African Americans built their own schools, churches, and communities. However, by the late 1800s, new laws called Jim Crow laws enforced separation and limited voting rights for African Americans. These laws created unequal treatment.

Great migration and civil rights movement

Main articles: Great Migration and civil rights movement

In the early 1900s, many African Americans moved from the South to Northern and Western cities looking for better opportunities. This movement, called the Great Migration, changed communities but also brought new challenges like unfair treatment.

By the 1950s, the civil rights movement worked to end unfair laws and practices. Important events included protests, laws that banned discrimination, and efforts to ensure voting rights for all. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. played key roles in these changes.

Post–civil rights era

Main article: Post–civil rights era in African-American history

African Americans have continued to make progress in politics and society. In 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first African American Supreme Court Justice. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected as the first African American president of the United States. Many African Americans have held important positions in government and continue to work toward equality and justice.

Demographics

African Americans, also called Black Americans, are a racial and ethnic group in the United States. They are Americans whose ancestors came from the Black groups of Africa. They are the third-largest racial and ethnic group in the U.S., after White Americans and Hispanic and Latino Americans. The term "African American" usually means people whose ancestors were Africans who were enslaved in the United States.

In 1790, the first U.S. census counted about 760,000 Africans, which was about 19.3% of the population. By 1860, this number grew to 4.4 million, but it was only 14% of the population. Most of these people were enslaved, with only a few counted as free. By 1900, the number of Black people had doubled to 8.8 million.

For much of the 1900s, most African Americans lived in the South. Many moved north during a time called the Great Migration. They were looking for better jobs and trying to escape unfair laws and danger. This movement happened from the 1890s to the 1970s, and over six million African Americans moved. Later, many people moved back south.

By 1990, the African American population was about 30 million, which was 12% of the U.S. population. In the 2000 census, about 55% lived in the South, with big groups also in the Northeast and Midwest. California, even though it is in the West, had many African Americans.

Today, African Americans have many different backgrounds, including people from the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, and other countries. Most are descendants of West and Central Africans who were brought to the U.S. as slaves.

Genetics

See also: Genetic history of the African diaspora

Genome-wide studies

Genetic testing shows that African Americans have ancestry from many places. On average, they have about 75% African, 20% European, and a small amount of Native American ancestry. The amounts can vary a lot between people. Testing companies report similar findings.

A big study found that African Americans have mixed ancestry from West/Central Africans and Europeans. This happened because of historical relationships. The people in the study had about 78% West African ancestry and 19% European ancestry, but there was a lot of variation.

Research shows that African Americans are a diverse group. Many have some European ancestry, and a smaller number have Native American ancestry.

Y-DNA

A special genetic marker shows that some Africans moved across the Sahara a long time ago. Most African Americans share a common genetic line that is also found in West/Central Africa. The next most common line is one that is now found in Northwestern Europe.

mtDNA

Studies show that the maternal lines of African Americans are most like those found in West Africa, followed by West-Central Africa and Southwestern Africa.

African Americans have faced discrimination throughout American history. Even after important changes, they have not always had the same chances as others. But many have become successful and wealthy.

Policing and criminal justice

See also: Race and crime in the United States and Racial profiling in the United States

In the US, African Americans are seen more often in prisons than other groups. This has led to many efforts to change how police work.

Social issues

Over time, marriage and family life have changed for all Americans, and these changes have been especially noticeable among African Americans. Laws that once banned marriages between different racial groups were ruled unfair and are no longer allowed.

African Americans have their own views on many issues, sometimes different from other groups.

Political legacy

African Americans have served in every war the United States has fought.

The civil rights movement brought many important changes to American life. It helped end unfair laws and made life better for many people. The movement used peaceful ways to make change, like boycotts and marches. It not only helped African Americans but also inspired others to fight for their rights.

Media and coverage

See also: Representation of African Americans in media and African-American newspapers

Some people think that news shows don’t always tell the whole story about African American communities or show them fairly. To help change this, a man named Robert L. Johnson started a TV network called Black Entertainment Television, or BET. BET shows music, movies, and TV shows that many African American families like. It also sometimes shows programs about important issues and religious shows on Sunday.

Another TV network for African Americans is called TV One. It’s owned by a company run by Catherine Hughes and focuses on entertainment for grown-ups. In 2009, NBC News started a website called TheGrio. It’s a news site that shares stories that other news places might miss.

Black-owned and oriented media outlets

• The Africa Channel – Shows programs about African culture.
• aspireTV – A TV channel owned by Magic Johnson.
• ATTV – A channel for public affairs and learning.
• BET Media Group – A big group of media for African Americans.
  • BET
  • BET Her
  • VH1 – A music channel that now shows more African American culture.
• Bounce TV – A digital TV network.
• Fox Soul – A digital TV and online network with talk shows.
• Oprah Winfrey Network – A TV network started by Oprah Winfrey.
• Revolt – A music channel started by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs.
• Soul of the South Network – A TV network for a specific area.
• TheGrio – A news and opinion website.
• TV One – An entertainment network for adults.
  • Cleo TV – A network for younger women.
• We TV – A TV network that shows shows for Black women.

Culture

Further information: African-American culture

See also: African-American art

African Americans have added a lot to American culture. They have influenced literature, art, farming, food, clothing, music, language, and new ideas. Many useful crops in the United States, like yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton, came from West Africa or were improved by African Americans. An example is George Washington Carver, who made many products from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and pecans. Soul food is a popular type of food among African Americans. It is similar to the food found in the cuisine of the Southern United States. Fried chicken is one food that African Americans helped make famous in the United States.

Language

Main article: African-American English

See also: Black American Sign Language, Gullah language, Afro-Seminole Creole, and Louisiana Creole

African-American English is a way of speaking English that many African Americans use. It is common in cities among working-class and middle-class African Americans. This way of speaking has some different sounds and sentence structures from Standard American English. It comes from West African languages. Almost everyone who speaks African-American English can also speak Standard American English. This way of speaking is used in many books and stories written by African Americans.

Other languages are spoken by some groups. The Gullah language is spoken along the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. Afro-Seminole Creole is spoken by Black Seminoles in Mexico and Brackettville, Texas. Louisiana Creole is a French-based language spoken in Louisiana.

Traditional names

Main article: African-American names

African-American names are special to African American culture. Many of these names started in the United States during a difficult time. Before the 1950s and 1960s, most African American names were similar to names used by European Americans. But with the civil rights movement, many new and creative names began to appear. Names like LaKeisha, JaMarcus, and DeAndre became popular. Some names have special spellings or use punctuation marks, like Mo'nique and D'Andre.

Music

African American music has had a big effect on American culture. Types of music like hip hop, R&B, funk, rock and roll, soul, blues, and others started in African American communities. These styles of music have influenced many other kinds of music around the world.

Dance

African Americans have also helped shape American dance. Dancers like Bill T. Jones and Alvin Ailey have created famous dance pieces that tell stories about the African American experience. Stepping is a dance style that comes from African American traditions and is now performed in competitions.

Sports

Literature and academics

Many African American writers have shared their experiences through stories, poems, and essays. African American literature is an important part of American books. Famous writers include Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, and Maya Angelou.

African American inventors have created many useful things. Some of these include a machine to make shoes, devices for trains, and better light bulbs. Inventors like Norbert Rillieux, Jan Matzeliger, Elijah McCoy, Granville Woods, Garrett A. Morgan, Lewis Howard Latimer, and Frederick McKinley Jones made important contributions. African Americans have also started their own newspapers and publishing companies to share their history and stories.

Terminology

The term African American became popular in the 1980s, thanks to Jesse Jackson. Before that, people used other words like colored or negro. Some people thought these words were unfair.

In the 1980s, people started using African American to honor the history and culture of descendants of American slaves. Many Black Americans like to use the word Black in everyday life, but they may use African American in formal situations.

Since 2020, the word Black is written with a capital B when talking about people, to show respect.

The idea of African American also connects to thoughts shared by important leaders like Marcus Garvey, W. E. B. Du Bois, and George Padmore.

Since 1977, the United States government has officially called Black people “having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.” This helps count and understand different groups better. For the 2010 US census, African Americans were described as Black people born in the United States.

Historically, mixing between Black and White people was not accepted in the United States. Laws against marriage or closeness between different races existed in many Southern states until 1967. Today, many people approve of people from different races marrying.

Some people argue about how best to describe different groups of Black people in the United States.

Older words like negro are now rarely used. Some words that were once common are now considered very rude and hurtful.