The genesis of African-Americans

              The genesis of African-Americans begins with slavery, as white European settlers first brought Africans to the continent to serve as slaves. To satisfy the labor needs of the rapidly growing North American colonies, white European settlers turned in the early 17th century from indentured servants (mostly poorer Europeans) to a cheaper, more plentiful labor source: African slaves. Beginning around 1619, when a Dutch ship brought 20 Africans ashore at the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia, slavery spread quickly through the American colonies. Though it is impossible to give accurate figures, some historians have estimated that 6 to 7 million slaves were imported to the New World during the 18th century alone, depriving the African continent of its most valuable resource, its healthiest and ablest men and women. The people in america  with experienced a number of challenges;

              People in America experienced with unequal and unfair treatment in various ways. The colonial government was based on racial basis, the whites favoured themselves in a number of aspects like in the provision of social services such as education, health as well as employment opportunities. The Africans were offered the poorest services compared to the whites. They were segregated in schools, transport facilities like in buses and others.

              Denial of the right to own properties. The blacks in America were regarded only as unskilled labor class only for manual works in plantations, mines and in industries. In that way they were denied from the right to own any means of income like land, business something that made them to suffer much from life hardship. This situation created anger amongst the Afro-Americans. In order to struggle for it the Blackmen resisted in many ways including street marching, demonstration, boycott and through artistic works like songs, poems and stories that revealed such situations.

              Moreover the Afro-Americans were denied the right to vote or be voted. When it came the issues of politics the whites strictly banned the Blacks in America from participating, neither vote nor be voted instead they regarded as the working class only, something that was not accepted completely by the Blacks as it hindered equality and balance in American population (whites and black) as the Blacks lacked representatives who would speak for them in legislative organs. In that way they remained only as followers of laws and orders created by the whites which mainly favored whites and undermined the Blacks.

              Furthermore the Blacks in America experienced poor living and working conditions. Most of the Blacks lived in poor streets and experienced long working hours with lowly wages. In that wa they failed to emancipate from the life difficulties as what they earned was too little to satisfy their needs. Example they failed to affoed their basic accommodtion like food, shelter and clothes. This accelerated  frequent resistance of the Blacks agaist the capitalist government.

              They also denied the right of association. The harsh capitalist government introduced and implemented the divide-and rule system in controlling the Blacks in the new world so that to manage them easily. It ensured that the Blacks should not get a chance to come together something that could enable to form large units like political parties and unions. This is because they believed through allowing them to associate could create strong basis for them to resist in large uncontrollable groups. This undermined the Blacks’ struggle for the basic rights hence life continued being tough and tough.

              Generally the life of African Americans was not favourable as faced with many problems. In that way the Blacks resistances for their basic rights were not inevitable. Artists also used the opportunity to come with literary works that revealed the situations as the result something that influenced the development of African American and Caribbean literature.