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Abolitionist movement
Africa, history of
Civil rights
SlaveryThe hiSTory of AfriCAn-AmeriCAn people has been dominated
by the struggle for freedom and equality. from the 1600s to the Civil War,
most African Americans worked as slaves, contributing to America’s vast
agricultural wealth but entitled to none of the benefits or freedoms. once
slavery was abolished, African Americans made some progress toward equal
treatment under the law, but widespread segregation hindered their fight.
The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s defeated racist laws,
although racism itself has proved harder to erase. Despite this, there has
been a resurgence of interest in African-American culture, and African
Americans have continued to flourish in politics, education, and the arts.hArlem renAiSSAnCe
in the 1920s, an explosion of literature, art,
and music, centered in new york City’s
harlem, celebrated African-American
culture. Jazz greats louis Armstrong and
Duke ellington led the movement, often
playing in harlem’s Cotton Club (right).breAking bArrierS
many African Americans have broken barriers
in politics, sports, and the arts. in 1993, Toni
morrison became the first African American
to win the nobel prize for literature, while in
2009, barack obama became the first African-
American president of the United States.Civil righTS movemenT
During the 1950s and 1960s, many
African Americans joined together
to fight for equality and justice.
These civil rights activists used
mainly peaceful means, such
as marches (above),
to end racist laws.Barack Obama’s
victory in the
2008 election
demonstrated
the possibilities
open to African
Americans in
the 21st century.African Americans
The AfriCAn-AmeriCAn people
About 42 million African Americans live
in the United States. They are the second-
largest minority group in the nation,
representing 13.2 percent of the
population. About half of all African
Americans live in the Southern
states. in many major cities, such
as Washington, D.C., Atlanta,
Detroit, and newark, African
Americans are the majority.SlAvery
The ancestors of most African Americans were
from the slave-trading states of benin, Asante,
and Dohomey in western Africa. These empires
established a slave trade with europeans from
the early 1500s. The first slaves arrived in
the American colonies in the 1660s. over
the next 150 years, 400,000 Africans were
eventually transported as slaves.Slave chainsDiSCriminATion
The Civil War ended slavery,
but most newly freed slaves
had no homes, and few
could read and write. The
government built housing
and established 4,000 schools
(above). however, many
states passed laws to limit
the civil rights of African
Americans and segregate
(separate) them from whites.US_016_african_americans.indd 16 20/01/16 4:31 pm