Difference between revisions of "African Americans"
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Revision as of 00:13, April 24, 2008
African American is the term used to describe the ethnic background of Americans with African ancestry. Many African Americans are descended from Africans brought to America as slaves beginning four centuries ago.
History
This people group was originally brought to America to serve as slaves in southeastern states where large-scale agriculture was predominant. During the Civil War, the American slaves in states in "open rebellion" were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Freedom, however, did not necessarily bring an improvement in conditions, as the system of sharecropping instituted after the end of the war left many ex-slaves in a continuing cycle of poverty. In large part as a result of issues over skin complexion, some Americans migrated in the early twentieth century to the northeastern and midwestern states, where they could find wage-paying jobs.
It is important to note that not all people within this group regard themselves as African-Americans, but rather simply Americans. Furthermore, there are some Christians who have come to view 'races' as a silly concept. The Bible teaches that there is really only one race. Therefore some Americans do not uphold ancient traditions over the Bible. Ancient traditions such as 'black consciousness', 'black/African consciousness' are all viewed by some Americans as silly concepts.
Religion
The majority of African Americans are members of Christian congregations, with Baptist, Pentecostal, and Methodist affiliations being among the most common.[Citation Needed] About a quarter of American Muslims are African American according to one poll[1]. Since there are many more African Americans in the United States than Muslims, it is still a small percentage of the overall African American population.
Interestingly, the difference in life expectancy between African Americans who attend worship services more than once per week and those who do not attend worship services is much higher than the positive religion effect seen in other groups. Those who are active in their religion average 13.7 more years of living.[2]
References
- ↑ The Pluralism Project at Harvard University[1] "23.8% of American Muslims are African American according to American Muslim Council's Zogby poll of August 2000."
- ↑ http://roa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/27/4/447