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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.
.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