| Black American's are American's mostly or partly | | | | empires from about the A.D. 300's to the late |
| of African descent. More than 28 million blacks live | | | | 1500's. These empires Ghana, Mali, and Songhai |
| in the United States. They account for 12 percent | | | | thrived on trade and developed efficient |
| of the nation's total population and make up the | | | | governments. During the early 1500's, European |
| largest minority group. About half of all black | | | | nations began a slave trade in which blacks from |
| Americans live in the Southern States. Most of | | | | western Africa were brought to European |
| the rest live in large cities in the east, Midwest, | | | | colonies in the Americas. For about the next 300 |
| and West. | | | | years, millions of enslaved black Africans were |
| Black people belong to the African geographical | | | | shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to what are |
| race. This race consists of dark-skinned peoples | | | | now the United States and Latin America. |
| who live or whose ancestors lived south of the | | | | The history of is largely the story of their |
| Sahara, the vast desert that stretches across | | | | struggle for freedom and quality. From the 1600's |
| northern Africa. In addition to dark brown skin, | | | | until the civil war(1861-1865), most black |
| most members of this race have brown eyes, | | | | Americans worked as slaves throughout the |
| dark wooly or curly hair, and thick lips. Most black | | | | South. They did much to help Southern agriculture |
| American's have used five terms to refer | | | | expand. At the same time, free blacks helped |
| themselves. The term Negro (which means black | | | | develop industry in the North, After 1865, when |
| in Spanish and Portuguese) and colored were | | | | slavery wad finally abolished in the nation, black |
| commonly used until the mid- 1960's. Since then, | | | | Americans briefly gained their civil rights during a |
| most black Americans have chosen to express | | | | period called Reconstruction. But after |
| deep pride in their color or origin by calling | | | | Reconstruction, they again lose their rights and |
| themselves blacks, Afro-Americans or African | | | | suffered from widespread segregation and |
| Americans. | | | | poverty. The determined efforts of black |
| The majority of American's blacks trace their | | | | Americans to achieve equality and justice led to |
| origin to an area in western Africa that was | | | | the start of strong civil rights movement in the |
| controlled by three great and wealthy black | | | | 1950's. |