Life for African American Slaves Essay Example
Life for African American Slaves from the 1800’s until today
Erica Bass
America History since 1865- HIS204
Mark Davis
September 26, 2010
Life for African American Slaves from the 1800’s until today With the end of the American Civil War the African American people became free from slavery and supposedly free to be citizens of the nation like everyone else did. However, as anyone who knows anything about American history, this was clearly not the case. African American people continued, and continue today, to struggle for the same rights and freedoms as the white people of the nation. The following paper examines the progression of African American’s since the end of Civil War in 1865. Some five hundred years ago, ships began transporting millions of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. This massive population movement helped create the African Diaspora in the New World. Many did not survive the horrible ocean journey. Enslaved Africans represented many different peoples, each with distinct cultures, religions, and languages. Most originated from the coast or the interior of West Africa, between present-day Senegal and Angola. Other enslaved peoples originally came from Madagascar and Tanzania in East Africa. A strong family and community life helped sustain African Americans in slavery. People often chose their own partners, lived under the same roof, raised children together, and protected each other. Brutal treatment at the hands of slaveholders, however, threatened black family life. Enslaved women experienced sexual exploitation at the hands of slaveholders and overseers. Bonds people lived with the constant fear of being sold away from their loved ones, with no chance of reunion. Historians estimate that most bonds people were sold at least once in their lives. No event was more traumatic in the lives of enslaved individuals than that of forcible separation from their families. People sometimes fled when they heard of an
Erica Bass
America History since 1865- HIS204
Mark Davis
September 26, 2010
Life for African American Slaves from the 1800’s until today With the end of the American Civil War the African American people became free from slavery and supposedly free to be citizens of the nation like everyone else did. However, as anyone who knows anything about American history, this was clearly not the case. African American people continued, and continue today, to struggle for the same rights and freedoms as the white people of the nation. The following paper examines the progression of African American’s since the end of Civil War in 1865. Some five hundred years ago, ships began transporting millions of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. This massive population movement helped create the African Diaspora in the New World. Many did not survive the horrible ocean journey. Enslaved Africans represented many different peoples, each with distinct cultures, religions, and languages. Most originated from the coast or the interior of West Africa, between present-day Senegal and Angola. Other enslaved peoples originally came from Madagascar and Tanzania in East Africa. A strong family and community life helped sustain African Americans in slavery. People often chose their own partners, lived under the same roof, raised children together, and protected each other. Brutal treatment at the hands of slaveholders, however, threatened black family life. Enslaved women experienced sexual exploitation at the hands of slaveholders and overseers. Bonds people lived with the constant fear of being sold away from their loved ones, with no chance of reunion. Historians estimate that most bonds people were sold at least once in their lives. No event was more traumatic in the lives of enslaved individuals than that of forcible separation from their families. People sometimes fled when they heard of an