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African Americans

African Americans

    During the time period of Immigration from the early 1700’s to the mid 1900’s, Africans experienced a lot of conflicts within different racial groups, especially within the Caucasian people. During this time period, most Africans were used as slaves, while the rest either bought their freedom, ran away for their freedom, or became slave hunters. The conflicts that Africans experienced were painful and horrifying. Becoming slaves hurt the Africans greatly because they lost a lot of their traditions and, in most cases, slavery meant separation from family. Many states passed laws that severed Africans slaves deeply. For example, in 1730, the state of Connecticut passed a law that provided a penalty of 40 lashes to any African who attempted to defame or defamed a Caucasian. During this time, there were also heroes such as Harriet Tubman. Harriett was an African slave who discovered many different trails with hideouts that led from the South to the North, which in that time was the free section of the United States. These trails were called the Underground Railroad. Runaway slaves took these trails and sung songs in the African language, which was a message to other slaves about the Railroad. In latter years, after slavery was abolished, Caucasians formed a group called the KKK or the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK were all about white supremacy and torturing, lynching, and murdering those of so-called ‘color.’ In due time, Africans managed to overcome these conflicts with leaders such as Malcolm X, Jessie Jackson and the ever so famous, Martin Luther King Jr. Of course, the actions of these leaders who helped minimize the racial tension between ‘colored’ people and Caucasians allows the U.S. to be what it is today, although racism and discrimination still occurs nowadays.

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