African Americans have suffered in slavery for almost 400 years. The slave owners had them picking cotton in the hot sun, living in shacks, being whipped if they read or didn't listen to their masters and the females wore being raped by their slave owners. In 1862 Abraham Lincoln freed some of the slaves; it wasn't easy for him, but managed to fight to free all the slaves in 1865, most of the slaves thank him for his contribution. Although they were free from slavery, during the 1960s the people still had their struggles in not be accepted at schools, stores, restaurants, parties and bathrooms. The government gave limited funding for their schools and the city was segregated. Young black Children wore being teased and beaten up and sadly sometimes being murdered by the older white teenagers because of their skin color, hair texture.
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> >There was one man that wanted to change American society his name is Martin L. King, a civil rights leader involved in helping his fellow African Americans. King made a contribution to America by saying his "I have a dream speech-, that changed America forever. Five years later King was assonated in 1968, although he died he made the American dream come true. It appears that they are now being accepted in mainstream society, no more segregation. Ever since the African Americans had their independence in 1963, the white people started to appreciate them for who they are as musicians, athletes, pastors, poets, mayors and inventors. Through the years they loved Negro music from 1920 - 2003, the United States, Canada and other countries imitate our speech, dress and act like us, this shows that African American culture is becoming an influence in every culture.
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Slavery started in the early1600's when the Europeans and Americans sailed overseas to Africa to capture the slaves to have them transported to the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Caribbean and to the United States as well.