Lasting African Conributions to American Society

This country, especially the southern United States, was built using African slave labor. Africa slaves were not allowed to be educated. All most every African slave could not read or write because it was against the law to educate slaves for over 200 years. The master/slave relationship caused assimilation to be very difficult. Values and convictions were formed during those years and are still evident to this day (Parrillo, 2009).

Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner at his Monticello property. At that time, about 20% of the new United States were African slaves. Even though he owned approximately 600 slaves, he was a consistent opponent against slavery. Jefferson’s slaves worked in the fields, in the home and as skilled craftsman. They worked 6 days a week with Sundays off and several holidays off. According to the Enslaved Families of Monticello page, there were at least 6 families that had at least three generations of families enslaved at Monticello. These families were the Hemings, the Gillettes, the Herns, the Fossetts, the Grangers and the Hubbards. These families all possessed different skills like head cook, blacksmith, and other skills that were necessary in making Monticello a successful Virginian plantation (Enslaved Families of Monticello, n.d.).

In 1857, the Dred Scott vs. Sanford case went before a pro-slavery United States Supreme Court. Scott claimed that he had lived as a slave in free state and territory. The high court’s decision was that he was a slave and that the law assuring that slavery would not be allowed in the new territories of the United States was unconstitutional. Because of the court’s decision, it helped accelerate the Civil War. Because of the Supreme Court’s decision, the Northerners tha...

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... is the most noteworthy event in U.S. history (New World, 2009).

References

Cozzens, L., (1999) Welcome to African american history! Retrieved on March 16, 2012 from

http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/index.html

Enslaved Families of Monticello (n.d.) Slavery at jefferson’s Monticello: paradox of liberty, Retrieved on March 16, 2012 from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

http://www.slaveryatmonticello.org/slavery-at-monticello/enslaved-families-monticello

New World Encyclopedia (2009) African-american civil rights movement (1955-1968), Retrieved on March 16, 2012 from

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_%281955-1968%29#Credits

Parrillo, V., (2009) Strangers to these shores: race and ethnic relations in the United States, (9th ed.), Boston, MA, Allyn & Bacon