“If men, through fear, fraud, or mistake, should in terms renounce or give up any natural right, the eternal law of reason and the grand end of society would absolutely vacate such renunciation. The right to freedom being the gift of Almighty God, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave.” Samuel Adams
The history of the African American is filled with oppression, inequity, and triumph. Its not the typical history of the immigrant who assimilated into the American way of life while in search of the American dream. Life for African Americans in the United States started out much like Langston’s Hughes poem “A Dream Deferred” with memories of life in their homeland at a distance, causing their hearts to well with sadness. America was built on the blood, sweat, and tears of millions of Africans who were removed from their homeland, stripped of their humanity and sold as slaves. There is nothing honorable about these acts committed by a nation that was founded on the principles of equality and freedom.
Early British settlers were not prepared for the task of creating settlements or the harsh life they would initially endure in this new land inhabited by Native Americans. The Indians were not easily broken, each tribe fought hard to protect its people. Settlers also brought with them illnesses reeked havoc on the immune systems of the Indians like small pox that killed them in large numbers. So the task of conquering and securing the land while setting up forts and frontier settlements was a grueling task. The land was unforgiving; winters were long and cold many lost their lives and many returned to their homeland with their dreams of life in a new land deferred as well.
Once frontiers became stable Caucasian indentured servants and African American worked side by side. African Americans and Caucasians preformed tasks like clearing land, planting and tending to crops. They also managed the daily business of the... [continues]
The history of the African American is filled with oppression, inequity, and triumph. Its not the typical history of the immigrant who assimilated into the American way of life while in search of the American dream. Life for African Americans in the United States started out much like Langston’s Hughes poem “A Dream Deferred” with memories of life in their homeland at a distance, causing their hearts to well with sadness. America was built on the blood, sweat, and tears of millions of Africans who were removed from their homeland, stripped of their humanity and sold as slaves. There is nothing honorable about these acts committed by a nation that was founded on the principles of equality and freedom.
Early British settlers were not prepared for the task of creating settlements or the harsh life they would initially endure in this new land inhabited by Native Americans. The Indians were not easily broken, each tribe fought hard to protect its people. Settlers also brought with them illnesses reeked havoc on the immune systems of the Indians like small pox that killed them in large numbers. So the task of conquering and securing the land while setting up forts and frontier settlements was a grueling task. The land was unforgiving; winters were long and cold many lost their lives and many returned to their homeland with their dreams of life in a new land deferred as well.
Once frontiers became stable Caucasian indentured servants and African American worked side by side. African Americans and Caucasians preformed tasks like clearing land, planting and tending to crops. They also managed the daily business of the... [continues]
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