African Americans are the largest racial minority group in America. African Americans are continually increasing since the time they first migrated to America. They have done a considerable contribution to change the American constitution and part of the American history to become accommodated in America. In addition, African Americans have been fighting for equality for many decades making them widely recognized in America. Finally, they have been fighting against racial discrimination to become equal American citizens. Therefore, since the first time African Americans migrated to America, they have been passing a lot of trials and temptations where most of them have successfully become part of the American history (Saddler, 2009).
Slavery Era. The first African Americans entered America as slaves in the early sixteenth century in present-day South Carolina (Saddler, 2009). At this time, Spanish explorers were buying African American slaves from the West and Central Africa to work in American farms. The main purpose of African Americans was to work as slaves in different farmlands where they were sold by the slave traders (English-online, 2012). However, it was in the sixteenth century that African Americans opposed against slavery. In this case, most of them were escaping from their place of slavery to go and hide among the Native Americans. However, despite their efforts, slavery continued and a law was placed to catch them and return to their place of work.
In the seventeenth century, the British started to realize the advantages of African Americans slave trade. There were harsh weather conditions that killed the white laborers. However, African Americans were resistant to those conditions, and if they were dying, nobody cared about them. For this reason, the Englishmen brought more African-Americans to America to work as laborers due to their economic advantage (English-online, 2012). In this case, African-Americans were increasing in number. Another factor that arose was how slave children would be treated. In this situation, a declaration of a law stating that a child born of slaves was a property of the slave owner who owns the mother of the child. African Americans were increasingly becoming angry for the treatment they received from the Englishmen.
American Revolution. During the eighteenth century, African American slaves were joining hands with the white Americans to fight the Englishmen. This was the time when the American Revolution was started by the white Americans. However, despite the help, African American slaves succumbed to white Americans; white Americans continued to enslave them and ignored the plea of the free slaves (Saddler, 2009). On the other hand, there were parts of America where the slave trade was abolished. They believed that this was against human rights. The black communities were human beings and not animals. For this reason, they should have been treated with respect like the other humans. This resulted in the increase in the number of a free black community.
Racism. In the nineteenth century, after the abolition of slavery, African Americans were now fighting racism. It was extremely clear that African Americans could not live together with white Americans. African Americans were living in adverse poverty, while the white Americans were living as kings and queens. For this reason, the white Americans considered themselves superior to the African Americans. In this case, certain sections were not meant for African Americans (Nissen & Henry, 2008). Therefore, African-Americans started another fight in the eighteenth century, the fight against racism. Although the fight started two centuries ago, equality among blacks and whites has never been fully attained.
Civil Rights. In the twentieth century, many events happened in the African American history. First, many African Americans joined the military to fight for their country during the First World War. Although there was racism, African Americans were fighting for their human rights and other civil rights that will give them equal opportunities with white Americans (Nissen & Henry, 2008). White Americans were fighting for their rights for inclusion as registered voters. In this case, African Americans wanted to have the right to vote and be voted for in any political forums (Saddler, 2009). This was not easy for African Americans, but by the end of the twentieth century, African Americans became the single largest minority group in America.
In the twenty-first century, when real civilizations showed the fruits of the African American communities, a fight against racism started. African Americans could own property, and they could visit or enter any place they pleased without any restrictions from white Americans. At that time, the first African American President, Barrack Obama, was elected in a free and fair election. Although African Americans have come a long way to fight racism, they still have a long way to go, so that they can be able to achieve other goals as American citizens.
Conclusion
Six centuries ago, African Americans came to America as slaves to work as laborers for the white farmers, but they have grown to become among the most respected communities in the world. The first fight they took when they migrated to America was the abolishment of slavery. Secondly, after achieving abolishment of slavery, the fight against racism towards equality immediately started. African Americans have gained civil rights in the community thus being able to achieve equality, but it is not right to say that this is the end of racism.
