African Americans have had to struggle as a race throughout most of our U.S. history. African Americans “were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619 to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco” (History, 2012, Para.1). They were brought to America as slaves, having no choice at all in their relocation and separation from their families. Slavery grew rapidly over the years with slaves working on various types of plantations. Around the late 1700s and early 1800s Northern states were no longer considered slave states (History, 2012).
Finally after many years of fighting between the North and South to end slavery, the Civil War began. The Civil War began in 1861 and ended in 1865 with the North gaining the victory. So many lives were lost because of this war but all of those deaths were not without purpose because this war was one of the greatest victories that began to change America forever. After the civil war and with the help of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, all slaves were considered free U.S. citizens.
When the Civil War ended, African Americans had high hopes of joining society as equals (Smithsonian National Museum of American History, 2012). They were wrong about this because not everyone seen them as equals. They made this known in 1900 when the North and South made it to where African Americans were segregated from the white Americans, making them second-class citizens (Smithsonian National Museum of American History, 2012). Jim Crow laws were the cause of this segregation and made it to where blacks and whites could not use the same facilities, schools, or other public places. Soon after, they began fighting for their equality and civil rights. After a little over half a century of fighting for their civil rights, in 1964 African Americans were no longer by law allowed to be subjected to discrimination in public places, schools, places of employment, etc. thanks to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. There were more improvements needed to ensure their equality but this act was the biggest milestone they needed to reach. African Americans endured several more years of struggling and fighting for their equality to the white race. Their fight for equality and civil rights is what helped shape the society we live in today.
Throughout U.S. history African Americans have had many political, social, and cultural issues and concerns. For most of the U.S. history African Americans were not able to vote or have a say in any political matters at hand. They had no control whatsoever when it came to politics. This was a big issue for them because without any political power it seemed as though they would never receive their equal rights. The social issues and concerns they had, had a lot to do with slavery and segregation. They were not being treated equally or provided with opportunities, they were treated like property and outsiders. This caused African Americans to live in ways that were unfit and cruel, limiting their social experiences. As for the cultural issues and concerns they faced, they were subjected to so much hatred and discrimination because of the color of their skin. They were not able to live in peace with the rest of society because they were different from everyone in the white race. Meaning they had to keep to themselves, not sharing their beliefs and values with anyone outside of