The African Americans have rich history that spans for a long time. A lot of the eventful historical developments about the African Americans can be tracked from the 18 th century when the Constitution of the United States was formulated. The African Americans have played quite important roles in the construction of the known United States history. Although none of them was president of the United States until 2008 when Barrack Obama took over the reins, the African Americans have remained to be an important part of the United States national tapestry and heritage. Reading and understanding the history of the African Americans right from the time they languished in the United States as slaves all through the Civil War to the modern days when they had one of them occupy the White House for a record 10 years, gives one worthwhile knowledge. Truly, every American should know the African American history.
Americans should understand the African American history for various reasons. The first reason is that the history of the African Americans teaches the modern generation of the past the whole country underwent. The mistakes of the forefathers of the country get to be understood when there is knowledge of the history of the African Americans (Lewis & Kelley, 2005). These mistakes include the enslavement of the African Americans in the country. One gets to know the mistake forefathers of the country committed when they regarded the African Americans as properties to be marketed. An American reading about the history of the African Americans gets the feeling that the forefathers of the country lost a golden chance of tapping into the massive potential of the Blacks by denying chance to contribute to the development of the nation with dignity (Volwiler, 1944). Therefore, once an American knows such mistakes, he or she becomes cautious enough to avoid repeating them. The history of the African Americans is a big lesson to the modern day American citizens.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
It is only through knowledge of the history of the African Americans that an American citizen today can understand the adverse impact of racism. An American who understands what the United States experienced because of the Civil War cannot perpetuate racism and discrimination (Volwiler, 1944). During the Civil War, many lives were lost and properties destroyed. The whole of the country was in turmoil as the soldiers battled out. Moreover, there were other killings caused by the racial conflicts between the African Americans and the White Americans. A review of the developments during and in the aftermath of the Civil War often elicits feelings of fear and cautiousness in every American (Volwiler, 1944). On the part of the government, it incurred huge expenses in the war. The unity of the country was almost lost as some states in the south seceded to form their confederation. Therefore, when every American gets to know about these events that marked the Civil War, no one can dare engage in racism. Knowledge of the African American history helps in eliminating racism.
It is also vital to note that knowledge of the history of the African Americans by every American citizen today also helps in celebrating the achievements made by people in this race. The African Americans are historically renowned for dominating the basket ball. Through this basketball, the African Americans helped end racism and restored respect for all races. For the first time, basket ball reflected the true face of the United States races when Blacks started to be included in the game. Knowing such information helps every American citizen to understand the importance of racial diversity even at the workplaces today.
References
Lewis, E. & Kelley, R. (2005). To Make Our World Anew. Volume II: A History of African Americans to 1880 . New York, NY: Oxford University Press, USA.
Volwiler, A. T. (1944). American History in Schools and Colleges. The Social Studies , 35 (7), 293-297.
