America's Cultural Identity

Europeans and people throughout the world came to America to evade religious oppression and begin anew with a culture that was like no other. In the nineteenth century, Ralph Waldo Emerson made a statement of how America was declaring cultural independence from their European ancestry. The United States became a melting pot of the world; blending people, language and heritage creating opportunity for even the the lowest and most hated ethnic groups. Slaves began to have their own unique culture and literature for the first time. America had it’s own literary movement sparking creativity that evolved into significant components of modern culture.

The slave system became larger, despite the fact that more slaves were becoming Christians and adopting the American culture. Many slaves even considered themselves African-Americans, no longer purely African. The slaves were worshiping the Christian God and began to baptize themselves to begin their life religiously. The effort put forth shows how slaves were willing to adapt their culture. Only a small minority of planters owned a large n...