How Did Slavery Created A New Cultural Identity For African Americans

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Recommended: African Decolonization process

Emily Neff
Mr. Parrott
World History
3 March 2014

1. Slavery created a new cultural identity for African Americans. They did not give up their identities as Africans, rather they expressed their cultural heritage in extraordinary ways to a world that oppressed and enslaved them.

2. In the absence of freedom, the slaves were able to reach beyond the confines of their masters and create a vibrant social and cultural life.

3. Americans, especially African Americans believed that The Declaration of Independence, which claimed human equality, was a direct contradiction to slavery.

4. Africans did not just become slaves in America during the Atlantic slave trade; a majority of Africans were actually kept as slaves in Africa.

5. The attempts of deculturating slaves did not diminish African culture from ultimately having a profound influence on American culture.

6. The profitable labor system of slavery was exploitative and dehumanizing, however, there were positive incentives for the slaves.

Bibliography

Buell, Tonya. Slavery in America. New York, NY: The Rosen Publish...

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