African-Americans History And Culture
The false and misleading notion that "African-Americans created themselves" completely ignores and invalidates the rich history of those whose ancestry lies in the great African continent. While African-Americans have adopted and incorporated many cultures into their own (not unlike any other cultural group in America) that in no way signifies that African-American's have no culture or history of their own.
"Black people have no history, no heroes, no great moments," this was told to a young Arthur Schomburg by his 5th grade teacher. Schomburg, with both African and Puerto Rican ancestry went on to become a great historian and curator of African-American history; helping to dispel the very "truth" that his teacher tried to feed him about his own history and culture many years prior. The statement that "African-Americans created themselves" simply means that the Black American is devoid of history and a culture to call his own. This statement indicates that African-Americans lack deep ancestral roots or any significant accomplishments to society. For this statement to be true, it would have to apply to all inhabitants of America who cannot call North America their native land.
The statement that "African-Americans created themselves" is very significant in that it bears witness to a mindset by a group of people who seek to devalue the Black American experience and the roots African-Americans have to the great African civilizations. Those who believe that African-American's have no real history, lend no...
This is the same mindset that that gave birth to and made it legal to count blacks as three-fifths of a person.
Many great African civilizations existed and have accomplished feats that still astound historians and scientists a like this day. Ethiopia, located in central-east Africa, is the location of the oldest known human ancestors. What this means is that man from all over the world, originated in Africa. Ethiopia is among the oldest independent countries in the world, and the first African country to "print" coins. Ethiopia is the site of many firsts for the world. Archeologists believe that Ethiopia is indeed the site of the origins of humankind. Ethiopia is the site of the world's earliest civilizations, kingdoms and government and among the first to establish agriculture and grain cultivation.
Egypt, another great African civilization stores a deep source of proud history and culture for African-Americans. The Pyramids of Egypt represent one of the greatest archeological feats by man. The Pyramids of Egypt are one of the Seven Wonders of the World and yet, the only to survive to the present day. While having a woman ruler in present day American is still an amazing and far-reaching accomplishment, ancient Egypt had female rulers before the women's movement, Hatshepshut being one of the most famous female pharaoh's. Egypt is credited with the being the origin of instruments such as the flute, oboe,…
African-American Literature: A Comparison of Two Poems by Phillis Wheatley In times of hardship, a community often finds a voice through which it can express its torment and its hopes. This can range from expressions of culture through storytelling to the incitement of a movement. The Black community, for instance, has always endured a unique hardship, especially in the United States. For this reason, it has adopted many kinds of means
Alexander Hamilton carried on an affair with the wife of "a notorious political schemer," Maria Reynolds. Andrew Jackson married Rachel Jackson before her divorce from Lewis Robards was finalized and therefore was accused of marrying a married woman. Jackson's opponent in 1828, John Quincy Adams, was in turn accused of "corrupt bargaining" during his term. Jackson also championed Margaret O'Neill Timberlake, who married his secretary of war, John Eaton.
2. In keeping with the theme of individuality highlighted above, each of the main characters in the assigned readings struggle to define his or her identity in terms of the dichotomies in the society they observe. Each point-of-view differs according to the person's stage of life and background, and each person seeks to establish an identity by means of the cultural and social tools they have at their disposal. At times
African-American in the Media The comedy Barbershop, starring Ice Cube juxtaposes the harshness of city life with the resiliency of the people living in the city. The movie with its black cast has an impressive standing in the movie industry for the year 2002. I'm not sure that I agree that this specific film means a breakthrough for African-Americans in the industry. The Black person has after all been part of
Young, African-American men Despite the election of an African-American man to the presidency, young African-American men still suffer disproportionately from a number of social ills. This is most strikingly manifest in the disproportionate number of young black men in the nation's prisons, the evident disparities between the performance of African-Americans and whites manifest within the educational system, and the disproportionate difficulties young African-American males experience in finding gainful employment. Although only
Edgar Hoover, makes public its continuing investigation into the activities of black nationalist organizations, singling out the Black Panther Party in particular, Hoover viewing the group as a national security threat. January 05, 1970 Blacks Move Out of Inner Cities: The Bureau of Census statistics show as the quality of life in poverty-stricken urban communities worsens, a continuous stream of middle-class blacks escape to higher-income neighborhoods and suburbs. February 13, 1970 First Black