African American Contributions to U.S. History
By Celeste Fiore , eHow Contributor
African American men, women, and children came to the U.S as indentured servants and then slaves starting in 1619 in Virginia. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2008, 12.8 percent of Americans are black. In over 300 years, African Americans have shaped and molded all areas of America.
Science and Invention
African American inventors patented devices and instruments important to our daily life such as the ironing board, the air conditioner, the cellular phone and peanut butter. Black scientists and doctors have also contributed to fields such as agricultural science, medicine, mathematics and physics.
Law and Politics
African Americans shaped the law even before the end of slavery in 1865. Dred Scott and Frederick Douglass pushed for racial equality with limited success before Emancipation(freeing the slaves). Without the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and leaders such as Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall and civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., history might have been very different now. In 2008 the first African American man, Barack Obama, was elected as President of the United States.
Sports
African American athletes have challenged racism by excelling in a wide variety of sports. Ernie Davis (Heisman Trophy winner), Arthur Ashe (tennis singles title winner at Wimbeldon), Jack Johnson (heavyweight boxing champion) and Jackie Robinson (professional baseball player) pioneered black participation in traditionally White-dominated sports.
Music
African American Jazz and Blues musicians shaped and developed American music in numerous ways. The various distinctive music of Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Wynton Marsalis, Nat King Cole and Ray Charles paved the way for further musical development in country and rock music. Modern American hip-hop and R&B are driven by African American artists such as Beyonce, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg.
Arts
The literature and painting of the Harlem Renaissance in the late 1800s and early 1900s brought African American art to others around the country. Modern actors/actresses and television personalities such as James Earl Jones, Sidney Poitier, Eddie Murphy, Halle Berry, Oprah Winfrey and Spike Lee continue this tradition.
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