History
In Africa, the importance of family and kinship was a significant feature of the West African societies. The elements of strong family ties were brought to the Americas by African immigrants and are thought to have assisted in African survival during slavery. Furthermore, West African heritage was religious, and the people believed that ancestral spirits had unlimited power over their lives. Magic was also practiced on a large scale. Islam was carried into the continent by Arab traders from North Africa in the 8th century, and Christianity was spread by missionary movements who set up Western schools and clinics, attracting locals to the religion. However, the West Africans made their own adaptations to Islam and Christianity, introducing traditional elements, like approaches to healing, rituals and music.
There are many reasons for why Africans immigrated to America and specifically the United States. It first started with a forced migration due to the Atlantic slave trade. The slave trade was a huge business entity in America’s colonial period when it was known as the “New World”. In order to trade the slaves, a system known as the Middle Passage was created. The Middle Passage was part of the triangular trade system in which ships departed from Europe to go to Africa in order to trade manufactured goods to African markets in exchange for purchased or kidnapped Africans. Over time, Africans from all over the world began to immigrate to America. Especially after the racial conflicts and segregation between the whites and blacks ended, African people from all over the world saw America as a land of opportunity where they can live equal to everyone else instead of being slaves or as the lower class.
The African immigrants had to be the worst treated group of immigrants to have come to America. African slaves were traded into America by Europeans who received them from Africa and also parts of the Caribbean, like Barbados. The first Africans to come to the United States arrived in 1619 in Jamestown, Virginia. From the beginning they were treated brutally by Americans. Americans considered Africans their property. Since they owned these slaves, they felt they could do whatever they please to them. This included disgraceful acts such as over working them, underfeeding them, and physically abusing them. Life was very rough for African immigrants. They had no rights and were frowned upon society. It took many years for African Americans to get their well-deserved rights. They did not fully achieve this until the mid 1900s where they fought in the Civil Rights Movement. Therefore, the majority of African Immigrants and their decedents lived in extreme discrimination and cruelty. However today, African Americans receive the same rights and equality as all Americans do.
One gap that was found in the literature were the life conditions before the colonial Americans came to their land and captured the Africans. We assume it was a simple and peaceful life but how can we be certain? All that we know about them starts on the day that we as Americans contacted them in their homeland. There are records as to what their rituals and customs were, but after time, this knowledge gets lost through the generations. Another thing that was missing from literature were the personal experiences of the actual slaves who were on the boats. Apparently the Colonists couldn’t care less. Also, the language barrier was a big blockage between communications. They were merely merchandise and items or goods used for business.
