A historical overview of the African-American race Essay

Frankly, most persons today have learned African history through European eyes. To the European, Africa was the place where the trader, missionary, explorer and conqueror made names for themselves. Europeans often considered Africa backward and called it the â€Å"Dark Continent. † But do the Africans consider that they were really as backward as the Europeans imply? One answer is produced by Nwabueze Chukwemeka Okoye of New York’s State University College, Department of African and Afro-American Studies. Of European expansion into Africa, he says: â€Å"The effort was clearly to justify European dominance of the Africans not in terms of sheer force (which it was) but in terms of a cultural superiority (which it was not). † Particularly, African-Americans are believed to derive their background from the Sub-Saharan race of slaves that have been shipped from the African regions towards the Northern American areas during the years of slavery. Some of them also shared both European and Asian blood and heritage that they carried the said mixture of both particular cultures as they were transferred to America. Because they were already branded as â€Å"slaves† the African-American community simply used to accept whatever it is that is said to them as noted by the â€Å"white race†. They were most of the time treated like as if they were of no worth and that their life is no more better than that of the animals that they used to take care if. Sadly though, although the years of slavery have finally ended, the brand that goes with the African-American race has not been removed yet. Many people still tend to treat them as low-raced people who ought to receive harsh treatments from the society. However, there is always a time for breaking the silence. The undoubtedly strong perseverance of the people of the African race in seeing what is being done to their race have been finally ended when there were people like Sojourner Truth and other abolitionists who were courageous enough to face their â€Å"masters† [the white Americans] and break the ties of slavery that entangles them with the dreadful situation of living that they were experiencing before. The hopeful African-American race then perceived that at least they would have the freedom that their so-called â€Å"heroes† worked their efforts for. However, in the long run, it could be noted that this particular freedom has not been given completely by the American government towards the African-American race yet. Seeing the situations within the American society, it could be observed that the African-American race still continues to experience racial division within the said society.