African American Identity In The 18th Century

History casts a dark shadow on the entire issue of black assimilation in the United States. Since the beginning of slavery in the Americas, people of African descent were oppressed and exploited purely on the blackness of their skin. The Post Revolutionary era “era of freedom” hindered every aspect of African American life; blacks measured as less than human beings, facing discrimination up close and personal. Despite these odds, the latter half of the 18th century illustrates how African Americans molded their identity in America to establish their own social, political, and economic institutions thus, developing an African American identity. During the 1830s following the height of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, America saw a major influx of slaves and European immigrants. At this time, African Americans functioned as indentured servants performing all duties of work crucial to the operation and self-sufficiency of the manor. (Chapter 8) More importantly, this

Despite these injustices, teacher’s growing up in the era of Jim Crow and awareness to the harshness and inhumanness of society suited them with an appropriate attitude for classroom teachings…for, “it was the responsibility of the teachers, with assistance from the parents and the church, to educate these students—provide them with the brain power, to combat the injustices of society.” (Chapter 13. 217) Thus, teachers caring behaviors can foster a type of attitude beneficial to young black African Americans growing up in a world of racism. More so, the traditional preaching of the self-help ideology and Afrocentric talk promotes student respect, responsibility, perseverance and the importance of learning. The same type of mentality needed to overcome the inscribed image of racism in the