Influences Of African American Culture

Since the origins of African-American culture, white Americans have used and exploited black people, all while appropriating black culture. Kendrick Lamar exemplifies the polarization existing between cultures when he writes, “You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture/ You’re fuckin’ evil I want you to recognize that I’m a proud monkey” (27-28). “My culture” illustrates the disparity existing between blacks and whites, demonstrating a clear “them” and “us” relationship existing in the United States. This divide causes African-Americans to feel used and underappreciated, all the while, their culture is repetitively stolen and adopted by the white community.

In 1935, a man named Elivs Aaron Presley was born. This man would later become known as “The King of Rock and Roll” and simply “The King” to millions of people. Elvis Presley had a significant impact on racial segragation through his music and helping a new generation find themselves. He first started in pop music, slowly sliding his way into millions of hearts and helping shape our nation one note at a time.

America is one of the most diverse nations in the world. It is a melting pot of cultures, which has made it a great nation. This variety of cultures has helped impact and build America into the great nation we are today. One of the cultures that has influenced America is the Black Culture. This particular culture is known for their evolution of music and fashion and also their trendsetting skills in hair and dance.

During the early and mid-19th century, it was a dark time in American history. There was economic hardships throughout America thanks to the great depression, and many people were feeling lower than ever before. African Americans were particularly hurt by the depression, and seeing as they were still viewed as second class citizens, possessing fewer opportunities. However, not all hope was lost and people were able to find comfort in religion. Although it was not easy to lift people's hopes, Gospel music came at the perfect time to reach people when nothing else worked (Heilbut).

Being enslaved was not an easy job for African Americans. African Americans survived slavery through their connection with their culture. They then went on to contribute to the economic and social development of the South and America. African Americans survived the institution of slavery and Africanized the American South. They helped free themselves by sticking together as a family, resisting, as well as wanting slavery to change.

The U.S. has been influenced by different cultures, trends, and movements. For instance, protest movements and hip hop have been used by African Americans as an avenue to tackle social injustices and other issues. South central L.A. chief rapper of the group N.W.A (Nig*** with Attitude), Ice Cube, seems to have firsthand experience about the hardships of the ghettos. According to the rapper, if one sits calmly at night, he or she is more likely to hear nothing but gunfire, which he has heard so much in his neighborhood (1). At night helicopters are always flying with their spotlight on, looking for someone.

Culture is the building block for life. It sets society's standards, it sets our own standards, and everything we know is all because of our culture. Culture is a way of thinking, a way of behaving and learning. We express our opinions based upon our beliefs, and define ourselves by what aspects of our culture we choose to show. Culture's impact on someone's perspective of others and the world is greater than its other influencers because it can change how you interact with people, your ability to change, and your opinions of the world.

Music is a colossal piece of our general public and our personalities. Music is all over, and a large portion of us are exceptionally specific about what kind we need to hear. Distinctive types create various responses. We recognize parts of our identity by what we tune in to, and we intimate things about other individuals in light of their music inclinations. Everybody knows the essential generalizations; individuals who tune in to rap get a kick out of the chance to take tranquilizes and are in packs, down home music fans like lager and aren't accomplished, and traditional music audience members have high IQs and are exhausting at a supper party.

African American Gospel Music and Its Influential Power Have you ever listened to a song that moved you to the point where it seemed that all your heartaches and troubles disappeared? Have your spirits ever been lifted by simply listening to a few lyrics of a certain song? If you answered yes to either of these, you may have experienced the same type of feeling that comes over many people when they listen to African American Gospel Music. This genre of music has changed throughout the years but has remained a constant component in the African American Culture. Gospel artist such as Thomas Andrew Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, and James Cleveland played a crucial part in laying the foundation for the gospel artists of today.

Around the time of the 15 and 16 century , Europeans started to immerse in the slave trade . “European traders had previously been interested in African nations and kingdoms such as Ghana and Mali , due to their sophisticated trading networks “ ( MLA East of England 2009) and their keen knowledge of trading networks, they wanted to trade something more valuable: humans . They took slaves from Western Africa to Europe and America . In the beginning, it was a small amount but the slave trade grew during the seventh and eighteenth centuries. Europeans who came to America were tempted to do something which happens to be owning their own land and were opposed to work for others .

My understanding of my ethnic culture is African American once was an oppressed group of people in the United States of America. African Americans were enslaved by Caucasian Americans and was treated as property. During the times of oppression, African American was not prohibited to read or write, to maintain stable family relationship and to have human rights. This traditions of the African American culture are emplace so the generations of African American can experience the rights other African Americans were

When reading over the different diverse groups, I noticed that my culture seems to have some differences and also some similarities as these other cultures. A similarity I noticed between the African American Culture and my culture is that they tend to refer to most of their food as “soul food” and as I was growing up, my aunts and uncles will always refer to home cooked meals as “soul food” as well. Another similarity is that people in the African American culture have strong religious affiliations, and they are usually Christians. The reason I see this as a similarity is because in my culture, mostly all of the people I grew up around are Christians and attend services. I have also found a similarity between European Americans culture and

The Harlem Renaissance “I have a dream that one day on the red hill of Georgia, that the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.” Martin Luther King Jr. said this, even though he was not apart of the Harlem Renaissance he still contributed in the creation of it. From the 1920s through the mid 1930s, the Harlem Renaissance a literary, artistic movement helped change African American culture for the better. It was a very important part of history for three reasons: how and when it started, famous African American people from that time period, and the affects it had on the United States. Many have wondered how this amazing movement started and when.

Jazz music started leading to a greater acceptance of African American culture; the 1920s jazz music became so popular, people referred it to the Jazz Age. Young Americans, black and white, spent time dancing to African music such as the blues. Women entered workforce fields like nursing, teaching, and social work, while some went into politics. A few young women rejected traditional appearance and lifestyle; rebellious young women known as flappers, met with disapproval from Americans with more traditional beliefs. Many of those who were most uncomfortable with the Jazz Age were white Americans who held fundamentalist beliefs.

Culture is shared set of arts,ideas,skills and ect,Culture has a different effect on how many people view the world. In other ways, culture consistently informs the way one views the world and others because of family,school, and community. Overall it matters on how they let their culture have an effect on them. In Robert Lake’s essay, “An Indian Father’s Plea” his son Windwolf is having difficulty with racism in his school.