Cultivationofblackamericans

THE CULTIVATION

OF

BLACKAMERICAN HISTORY

By: Tiffany Perree

African American history has cultivated the lives of black Americans in the United States. Their history tells a story. Their story has a beginning, middle, and an end just like any other story to tell. But to understand their history, we as historians, must first learn and understand why certain events took place and how they developed. We need to relive their lives through words and tell their stories through their tears, their struggles and fears, and their courageous fight.

Slavery marked a pivotal turning point in American history. Although, slavery was not new to the world of foreign trade. Africa and Europe have developed slave rings and European mariners started bring black African Americans to America in the mid 1500’s. Slavery was a forced migration to America and often slaves were sold to their owners and subject to harsh treatment. Black Americans often found themselves separated from their families and forced to do manual labor at all hours of the day. For years to come, black Americans fought for their freedom. Many escaped from their owners in hopes to find a new direction for their lives. A former slave by the name of Frederick Douglass dedicated his life to abolish slavery. He stated,

“Are the great principles of political freedom and natural justice embodied in the Declaration of Independence extended to us?” (An Overview of African, 2012)

Black Americans volunteered their lives to fight in the Civil War. Even though they were fighting for the Union, they found themselves fighting to liberate their people. After the Civil War, some African Americans gained their freedom and were able to mingle within American society. They found themselves migrating North to help escape the vicious tolls in the South. This was not an easy transition for them because they were still the center of discrimination....