African American Culture: Origins, Residence Patterns, Economic Status, and Political Engagement in the United States
Overview
This paper examines African American culture as a synthesis of West and Central African traditions with European influences, shaped by the historical experience of slavery. It analyzes demographic distribution patterns, economic progress including homeownership and business ownership trends, and political affiliation, documenting significant advances in economic status and participation since the mid-20th century.
What this essay covers
- Origin and development of African American culture through slave diaspora and cultural synthesis
- Residential patterns and geographic distribution across US regions from 1990-2000 census data
- Economic status including poverty rates, home ownership, business ownership, and employment statistics
- Political engagement and voting patterns, with emphasis on party affiliation and historical electoral participation
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African American Culture
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African American Culture
Origin
The African American Culture is a mixture of cultures from the west and central Africa who moved to the United States as slaves. They occupy the southern part of the US. During the slavery era in the US, independent African cultures did not get the chance to mingle and practice their original traditional cultures. Nevertheless, over time, the cultures and interacted and mixed with the European cultures to produce a unique culture (Metcalf & Spaulding, 2016). African American culture is still very profound to date and contributes significantly to the United States culture.
The owners of the slaves in America wanted to repress the African slaves not to practice their culture. Their physical isolation led to a compact and united culture that has influenced the American culture to date. Unique rituals were part of this culture, but it has changed over time.
Residence
The African American people in by 1990 were roughly 30 million of the total American population, which translated to 12 percent. Most of these people lived in the south of America, according to the 2000 American census. During the 2000 census, 17.6 percent of the African Americans lived in the northeast while approximately 18.7 percent lived in the Midwest. The western states only had a population of around 8.9 percent of total African Americans. Most of the African Americans currently live in the south for economic and cultural reasons.