African American History - How Well Do We Know It?

Its a pity the present generation of African Americans are not aware of the struggles their ancestors faced in shaping the destiny of the present generation. African American History is a story of hope and desires which started with the abominable slave trade and culminated in a long sought freedom. A people can only know and understand themselves if they understand and appreciate their past and this is necessary for the young African Americans today.

A story can take many shapes depending on who is telling it. The historians of that era when slavery was in its prime were mostly of European stock so naturally this horrible event in history was very much sanitized for public consumption. The brutalities of the slave trade and the total suppression of African culture, African art and African music are hardly recorded anywhere. It was left to the elders to pass on the stories of the many heroes of the slave trade; those great rebels who helped pave the way for its eventual abolition.

African American slaves suffered the same fate in the Caribbean as in America. They were subjected to brutal rulers, who would use and abuse their power to oppress African slaves. The slave trade was a successful business in the New World because of widespread African poverty. The slaves who were taken mostly from West Africa were shipped along the Atlantic this was commonly known as the Triangle Trade. They were not fed and were housed in unsanitary conditions below deck for months. They were then oiled, washed and sold to plantation owners for trivial barter prices.

By the far the greatest abuse perpetrated upon the peoples of African descent via the slave trade was not physical but mental and hence the reason why the present generation of African Americans needs to understand their history. Their ancestors were forced to give up their religious beliefs and pray to the western gods. Their culture ranging from African musical instruments and African food was utterly suppressed beyond recognition. They were forced to adopt western names and modes of dress, it was a complete and utter transformation of a people that should never have occurred.

Learning about African American history comes not only from the books and encyclopedias on the school syllabus and in libraries around the world. In fact the real facts about African American history come from those who have stories to be recounted and which have been passed from generation to generation.