Africans first came to this country around 300 years ago. They were brought to be slaves for the colonists, who owned small farms and large plantations that they could not work themselves. The slaves did not live in good conditions most of the time. They were beaten, yelled at, and forced to work extremely long days (sometimes 16 hours or more) with little food or breaks.
However, slavery did not last forever, and the African Americans eventually began to improve themselves and do well.In the 1600s, Africans were brought to America to be indentured servants. Original contracts were from four to seven years, and some blacks did end up free at the end of this term. Others, though, were led into real slavery. Slaves worked on small and large farms, and as dock workers, craft workers, and indoor servants.African slaves did not live under good conditions at all.
While some slave owners did treat their slaves well, including adequate food and living space, and even an education sometimes, many did not. Slaves were legally not allowed to learn to read or have any other education.Slave owners could treat their slaves however they wanted, including abusing them physically and sexually, refusing to feed them, making them in shelters with many other families, separating families, etc. This made it very difficult for slaves to deal with their lives.
After awhile, with some Northerners’ help, the slaves decided to start escaping. Running away was one way that the slaves refused to go along with their masters’ demands. Harriet Tubman was very instrumental in helping slaves escape along the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a trail of houses where slaves could hide along the route to escape.
They moved generally only at night, to avoid being seen. Once slaves made it to the North, they became free blacks, and were able to live as they chose. If they were caught, though, they were taken back and beaten or killed. Slaves in the North were often safe, but not treated well, because even though the Northerners did not agree with slavery, they also did not see Africans as real citizens and people like them.
Once slavery was outlawed by the Civil War in the 1800s (with the 13th amendment on December 18, 1965), all slaves became free. However, it was not easy for the former slaves to simply have good lives, because they were badly mistreated by the white people in the south.The African Americans had to fight hard and long for equal rights, but they did so. The first improvement was that although many Africans stayed on the plantations they used to be slaves on, they were free to go if they wanted to, and they were then paid for their work and given decent food and shelter.
They were also able to get other jobs if they wanted.In the late 1800s, many Africans moved to the North for more opportunities, but even here, they were mistreated. In the 1900s, civil rights activists began to fight for more rights and opportunities.Some blacks began to go to schools that had been set aside for whites only. Some sat in the white section of the bus, like Rosa Parks. Some even stood up and organized marches, like Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. This group of people were very brave and instrumental in helping the Africans to gain more rights.Once the Africans had more rights, many started taking advantage of them. They started to get better jobs, and educations. It was hard for them to do this because even with legal rights, a lot of white people were still against them.
However, they persevered, and started to enjoy more success and better lives.Although there is still a ways to go yet today, the Africans have faced more than their share of challenges, in their initial slavery and later, in fighting hard for their rights. However, they are constantly improving themselves and working harder to do well.SourceSylvester, Martin (1998). The African American: A Journey from Slavery to Freedom.
Long Island University, New York.
