Social, Cultural, And Cultural Groups

Black religion was no longer regarded as exemplary or special. During a time of growing segregation and violence, some black leaders attempted to counter this perspective seen by whites by embracing the romantic racialist notions that “blacks possessed peculiar gifts.” These gifts being directly connected to the importance of black churches in a time of direct exclusion of blacks from other pieces of society.

African slaves were brought to America from many tribes and they brought with them a variety of beliefs and practices. In some ways, the religion that many West Africans practiced bears a striking resemble to the practices of Christianity and Judaism. There are however several differences that make it clear that it is its own separate faith. On the plantations in America slaves were taught a “modify” version of Christianity so that they would obey their masters, and often times slaves would hold their own services. Other slaves believed in and practice what was called “conjuration” along with Christianity.

Upon their arrival, the owners stripped them of their fundamental human rights. They exploited their skills and forbade practicing their traditional beliefs. The Europeans look down on African beliefs as primitive and savage. They did not accept those beliefs as a genuine religion. As a result, they baptized those poor souls as real Christians. Those slaves continued to practice their faith at their peril. If they get caught, they were punished by lashing, imprisonments, and sometimes death. Each tribal has its own

Still between 1865 and 1876, there was a culture identity crisis for African Americans. We cannot explain the roots of African American culture without

African Americans have come a very long way from 1865; they have fought many battles to earn their place in America’s Society. From the ending of slavery African Americans have had various achievements from their suffering. Some fought, some spoke, some marched, some sat, some cried, some died, some even dreamed, but all of these things left a footprint in history. In this paper I will discuss some very important events in African American history beginning with the ending of slavery which has brought us to the America we all enjoy today.

This mission involves discovering how the Civil War was remembered during the nineteenth century. Slavery was a controversial concern during this era, especially for those that endured the pain and suffering, the victims. Examining events, such as the Three-fifths Clause, the Fugitive Slave Clause, the Civil War and the abolition of Slavery. Observing these events, it becomes clear the American Revolution was also an attempt to diminish the perspective of the north and south pertaining to the concept of equality and human rights regardless of color. Demonstrating that the American Revolution was one of the most memorable occurrences in American history, this research highlights the importance of the revolution in shaping the actions of the United States government and initializing the concept of “liberty and justice for all,” with regard to the statues of Black Americans. Therefore this paper will exhibit the profound effects on the institution of Slavery.

One of the first things that attracted the African American slaves to Christianity was a way of obtaining the salvation of theirs souls based on the Christian’s idea of a future reward in heaven or punishment in hell, which did not exist in their primary religion. The religious principles inherited from Africa sought purely physical salvation and excluded the salvation of the soul. However, they did believe in one supreme God, which made it easier for them to assimilate Christianity.

It can be assumed that Christianity shaped slave culture in several ways such as developing a common bond among slaves. At the some time, it could also be argued that slavery altered Christianity in various ways including the formation of Methodist and Baptist denominations. However, these were not the only manners in which both cultures had an effect on each other. Black converts dramatically increased the number of Christians in the New World. The ideas instilled in slaves by Christianity gave some slaves thoughts of rebellion and influenced African-American music and dance. Not to mention the church was a major supporter of the proslavery argument which conveyed slavery as a positive thing during the

Although the Africans brought to America were already religious, the white Christians found it necessary to force the slaves to worship as they did.

The Progressive Era was a time when a group of people especially men suffered from the events of their time, but not through a shrinkage of what they needed, but because of the distribution of deference as well as the ability to obtaining power (Scott, 1959). The Era also started to the issues of child labor, the exploration of women as well as children that were within the industry, there was not any type of security in place for the old, nor was there anything in place for the people with illnesses (Scott, 1959). In addition, there was also a problem with sanitation in the food industry as well as there being municipal corruption. Because of these issues, Americans started to create Reform Groups.

Long before their contact with whites, Africans were a strongly religious, and deeply spiritual people. During the early history of slavery, the African American spirituality was often seen by whites as a pagan faith. These rituals and dogmas were seen by whites as Voodoo, Hoodoo, Witchcraft, and superstitions. They often commented on these "pagan practices," and fetishes, and were threatened by them. As a result, great effort was put on eradicating these practices, and many were lost within a generation.# Although tremendous efforts was placed on eradicating the “superstitious” religious beliefs of the African slaves, they were not immediately introduced to the religion of white slave masters, Christianity. Many planters resisted the idea of converting slaves to Christianity out of a fear that baptism would change a slave's legal status. The black population was generally untouched by Christianity until the religious revivals of the 1730s and 1740s. The Bible was manipulated to support the institution of slavery and its inhumane practices. Christianity was used to suppress and conform slaves. Slaveholders, priests, and those tied to the Church undermined the beliefs of the millions of African-Americans converts.# White Christianity was used to justify the enslavement of blacks. By the early nineteenth century, slaveholders had adopted the view that Christianity would make slaves more submissive and orderly.

The slaves combined all of their beliefs, taking the strongest ones as the core beliefs, and started their own religion. This religion, called ‘voodoo’ (which is derived from the Fon word for god, ‘vodu’), migrated along with the slaves who were taken to European

At first, however, slaves were not using their music to glorify the God worshipped by their masters. Obviously, they had brought their religion with them, one considered pagan and inappropriate by Christians in the American colonies. Christian missionaries were very disapproving regarding the religious practices of the slaves, and they began to verbalize their disapproval and work to convert the new African slaves. Seventeenth century author Morgan Godwin describes their religious practices thus: ". . . nothing is more barbarous, and contrary to Christianity, than their . . . Idolatrous Dances, and Revels; in which they usually spend the Sunday . . . And here, that I may not be thought too rashly to impute Idolatry to their Dances, my Conjecture is raised upon this ground . . . for that they use their Dances as a means to procure Rain: Some of them having been known to beg this Liberty upon the Week Days, in order thereunto" (qtd. in Maultsby 3). Apparently, slave owners did not immediately set out to influence the religious practices of their slaves; however, it would not be long before the masters began to insist that their slaves practice their religion, Christianity.

53. Gutman convincingly argues that the stability of the Black family encouraged the transmission of -and also was cruicial in sustaining- the Black heritage of folklore, music and religious expression from one generation to another, a heritage that slaves were continuingly fashioning out of their African and American ecperiences.

Knowledge is a primary factor in the attainment of personal freedom. This includes not only scholarly education but also awareness of historical heritage and familial legacy. The fact that African-Americans were held in human bondage cannot