African Americans African Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestors who came from Africa.

Their forefathers were brought to American colonies as slaves in the 17th and 18th centuries. About 40 million African Americans 1!" of the total #o#ulation live in the USA toda$. %n the #ast African Americans have been &nown b$ man$ names. The$ were called 'egroes (lac&s and )oloureds. The term *nigger+ was used in the southern #art of the USA where discrimination against them was ver$ bad. %n the last !0 $ears the term African Americans has officiall$ been used. About half of them live in the southern states of the USA the rest in large cities of the ,ast -idwest and .est. Slaver$ ,uro#ean traders brought the first slaves from Africa to the new colonies in the 1/00s. After arriving in the 'ew .orld the$ were bought b$ white masters and had to wor& on large cotton and tobacco farms in the South. The$ didn0t get an$ mone$ for their wor& and living conditions were ver$ bad. The econom$of the South de#ended on slaves. Slave wor& was ver$ difficult. -ost women coo&ed cleaned the house and raised the children of their white masters. -en were trained to be car#enters or masons. -ost of them however were farmlabourers. The$ #lanted and harvested cro#s. 'ot all (lac&s in America were slaves. *1ree (lac&s+ lived and wor&ed in big American cities but the$ had ver$ few rights. ,2#ressing #olitical views carr$ing guns and meeting with white #eo#le wasforbidden. Americans in the northern states thought that slaver$ shouldn0t be allowed in a free countr$. As time went on more and more #eo#le 3oined in the fight to end slaver$. Slave auction in the 18th These abolitionists hel#ed slaves esca#e to the 'orth century through secret routes. This s$stem was called the Underground 4ailwa$. %n 18/0 Abraham 5incoln was elected #resident of the United States. 6e was strongl$ against slaver$. -an$ southern states withdrewfrom the union and formed their own countr$ 7 the )onfederate States of America. %t was the beginning of the )ivil .ar which lasted until 18/8. %n 18/! Abraham 5incoln abolished slaver$ in the ,manci#ation 9roclamation. The northern states won the )ivil .ar and Americanslaves were free. 4econstruction 9eriod The time after the )ivil .ar became &nown as the 4econstruction. The American government sent soldiers to the southern states to#rotect the (lac&s and their newl$ won freedom. Although the$ were officiall$ free most of them still lived in #overt$ and in ver$ bad conditions. %n the South the$ wor&ed assharecro##ers farmers who cultivated land and could &ee# a share of what the$ grew for themselves. .hites continued to discriminate against African Americans. (lac&s were not allowed to attend the same schools or go to the same churches as whites. Segregation meant a com#lete se#aration of life between the two grou#s. (lac&s were also &e#t from voting. :uring the second half of the 1;th centur$ violent grou#s started to terrorize the (lac&s. The most famous was the <u <lu2 <lan. (ands of white=hooded <lansmen rode through the countr$side at night. The$ beat u# and murdered man$ (lac&s and white #eo#le who felt s$m#ath$ for them.

The .orld .ars and the >reat :e#ression :uring .orld .ar % and in the $ears that followed more and more (lac&s started to move to the cities of the 'orth where the$ e2#ected to find a 3ob and lead a better life. -ost of them however were disa##ointed because the$ were not educated and didn0t have the s&ills that the$ needed. Slums and blac& ghettos develo#edin the inner cities throughout the northern United States. The >reat :e#ression which began after the stoc& mar&et crash of 1;?; hit the (lac& #o#ulation harder than the .hites. 9resident 1ran&lin :. 4oosevelt0s 'ew :eal 9rogramme did a lot to hel# (lac&s. .orld .ar %% o#ened u# new o##ortunities for (lac& #eo#le. About a million men 3oined the arm$ and served for their countr$ 7 mostl$ in all=(lac& units. As time went on more and more (lac&s succeeded in getting a higher #osition in the arm$. Some of them even became #ilots and officers.

%n the #ast hundred $ears African Americans have moved from the red states to the blue ones )ivil 4ights -ovement After .orld .ar %% a new movement for civil rights began. African Americans started to have more confidence and believe more in themselves. The$ had the$ served for their countr$ with honour during the war and in the 'orth man$ (lac&s started living in better conditions. A new grou# came to life 7 the 'AA)9 @the 'ational Association for the Advancement of )oloured 9eo#leA. %t attracted man$ members and received su##ort from both (lac&s and .hites. The )ivil 4ights movement gained momentum in the 1;80s. %n 1;84 the Su#reme )ourt decided that segregation in schools was against the constitution. %n 1;88 a blac& woman 4osa 9ar&s was arrested in -ontgomer$ Alabama because she refused to let a white #assenger ta&e her seat. (lac&s in the cit$ started bo$cotting buses. This bo$cott was led b$ -artin 5uther <ing who became the leader of the )ivil 4ights -ovement. The movement reached its clima2 in 1;/!. Bver a million #eo#le (lac&s as well as .hites too& #art in a #rotest demonstration in .ashington :.). %n the following $ear )ongress #assed the )ivil 4ights Act. This law banned discrimination in school #ublic #laces 3obs and man$ other fields. African Americans received the right to vote and in 1;/7 Thurgood -arshall became the first (lac& 3udge to serve with theSu#reme )ourt.

4osa 9ar&s (lac& 9ower

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.hile -artin 5uther <ing and wanted to im#rove the situation of (lac&s in a non=violent wa$ others were more violent and militant. %n the 1;/0s -alcolm C #reached that (lac&s should use force and violence to achieve eDual rights. Sto&le$ )armichael coined the term *(lac& 9ower+. :uring this decade the countr$ was hit b$ a series of riots mostl$ in big cities. (lac&s #rotested against bad schools #oor housing high #rices and uneDualtreatment b$ the #olice. %n the 1;/8 Bl$m#ic >ames two American medal winners held their closed fist in the air and in #rotest turned awa$ from the American flag during the ceremon$. %n the same $ear the most res#ected leader of the American (lac&s -artin 5uther <ing was assassinated b$ a white man in -em#his Tennessee. African Americans Toda$ Since the violent times of the /0s African Americans have made #rogress and im#roved their situation in ever$ #art of American life. The largest cities including 'ew Eor& )hicago and 5os Angeles have had (lac& ma$ors. )olin 9owel and )ondoleezza 4ice were two African Americans who became Secretar$ of State and in ?00; (arac& Bbama became the first African American 9resident of the United States. %n the film industr$ 6alle (err$ and :enzel .ashington are among the most famous stars. (ill )osb$ was the first African American with his own comed$ show and B#rah .infre$ is the most famous and best=earning tal& master on American TF. (lac&s have dominated man$ s#orts as well. (o2er -uhammad Ali was heav$weight cham#ion of the /0s and 70s. (as&etball0s -ichael Gordan was #robabl$ the most successful #la$er in '(A histor$. :es#ite these advances about ?8" of African Americans live in #overt$. :iscrimination still e2ists in man$ areas and the standard of living lags behind that of the white #o#ulation. )om#ared to other grou#s average income is much lower and the rate ofunem#lo$ment higher. 'evertheless African Americans have made big gains since slaver$ ended 180 $ears ago. htt#HIIwww.english=online.at