African Americans Identify and describe which, if any, of these creation and consequence situations the group has faced:
o Creation: migration, annexation, or colonization
o Consequences: extermination, expulsion, secession, segregation, fusion, or assimilation
Most African-Americans were forced to migrate to the Americas. They were brought here to be slaves.
They have faced all but two of these consequences.
Some were exterminated by the appalling crowded and unhealthy conditions aboard the ships that brought them from Africa to the Americas. Others were later exterminated by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists.
They were segregated by law until the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s ended formal segregation. Today many are still unofficially segregated by neighborhoods and towns. Thus, schools still tend to be segregated. Some southern high schools in the South still hold separate black and white proms.
They've experienced fusion as black and white couples have produced children.
Many African-Americans have been assimilated into the society. The prime example is President Barak Obama.
To identify and describe the creation and consequence situations that African Americans have faced, we will examine each category separately.
Creation Situations:
1. Migration: African Americans have experienced significant migration throughout history. The forced migration of African slaves to the Americas during the Atlantic Slave Trade is a prominent example. This migration created the African American population in the United States and other countries across the Americas.
2. Annexation: Annexation refers to the process of incorporating one territory into another. While African Americans have not faced direct annexation by another territory or country, they have experienced annexation indirectly as their communities were absorbed into the expanding United States during westward expansion. Consequently, African Americans found themselves living within territories and states that were annexed by the expanding nation.
3. Colonization: African Americans have not faced colonization as a group because colonization generally refers to the establishment of new settlements by an external power. However, colonization does relate to the historical context of African Americans, as Europeans colonized parts of Africa, leading to the Atlantic Slave Trade, which greatly impacted the African diaspora.
Consequence Situations:
1. Extermination: African Americans have not faced a systematic extermination as a consequence to their existence. However, they have faced racial violence, including lynching and hate crimes, which targeted them specifically as a racial group.
2. Expulsion: African Americans have not faced expulsion as a consequence, which typically refers to forcibly removing a group from a specific territory. However, African Americans have experienced forced removals as a result of racially motivated actions, such as the forced removal of Black communities during urban redevelopment projects.
3. Secession: African Americans have not sought or attempted to secede as a consequence. Secession usually pertains to the separation of a group or region from an existing political entity. However, African Americans have advocated for civil rights and equality within existing political structures.
4. Segregation: Segregation has been a significant consequence experienced by African Americans. During the Jim Crow era in the United States, strict laws enforced the separation of races, resulting in segregated schools, transportation, public facilities, and housing. This systemic segregation persisted until the civil rights movement in the mid-20th century.
5. Fusion: Fusion refers to the blending or merging of different groups or cultures. African Americans have experienced a fusion of cultures due to their history of slavery and subsequent interactions with various ethnic groups in the Americas, leading to the development of unique African American cultures, languages, and traditions.
6. Assimilation: African Americans have faced pressures to assimilate into the dominant Euro-American culture. This has been driven by attempts to undermine African American cultural identity, including the banning of African languages during slavery and the promotion of European norms and values. Nonetheless, African Americans have also successfully maintained and celebrated their distinct cultural heritage.
It is important to note that these are general descriptions, and the African American experience is diverse and multifaceted. Individual experiences within the group may differ, and historical circumstances have varied across different regions and time periods.