How do African-Americans know their ancestory is African? Slaves were taken from Barbados, Jamaica and Brazil?

Question

Black doesn't always equal African. How many 'African-Americans' have tried to research their family trees pre-slavery times?

Answer 1

because all the black people in barbados, jamaica, brazil, etc were taken as slaves themselves from africa;
It depends on how far back you want people to go to determine "where" someone is from. If you want to get technical about it: Native Americans have an Asian lineage...how far back do you want people to go?
An asian lineage can be traced back to african origin; european lineage can also be traced to african origin...so I guess every one is African...

Answer 2

Well slaves from Africa were taken to Jamaica, Brazil and Barbados. Jamaica, Brazil and Barbados originally had a peoples separate from the African slaves that were taken there. Hence most of their ancestors are likely to be from Africa.

Answer 3

That's just it. We don't. Not that we don't care to know, it's just that because of the evil slave owners and traders, the absolute truth is not totally documented. However, some things were.
Black is a term that is used to describe a dark skinned race of people, and I believe we are the only race to be referred to as a race by our skin tones.
Whites are Caucasian, Yellow,Asian Red, Indian
Blacks,*****(Which is Spanish for Black)
In this land of political correctness, or pc terminology, Blacks have been referred to as:
*****, African Americans, and even Octeroons and Quadroons, indicating the amount of ***** blood one actually has. And let's not forget that offensive term:"Mulatto" for mixed race. It's offensive because first of all, mulatto is Spanish for mule, and we all know the mule is a hybrid that can't reproduce. It's offensive because it says that we as a people cannot reproduce ourselves simply because we were born of the union of a slave owner and his slave.
If a Black American from the U.S. goes to Africa, some of our own people stare at us for being light skinned. Knowing that we must be descended from such a union. Some true Africans that come to the U.S. tell their children this. I am a teacher, and I can't even count the amount of times I've been asked rudely, "What color are you? Or, "My dad said, that you're light skinned because your ancestors were raped". Sounds bad, doesn't it? Welcome to my world. So I just use those times as teachable moments to explain it just as you've put it. Black doesn't always equal African.
But it is considered to be so based on the slave traders routes, which were mostly in Africa.
I believe when Alex Haley's "Roots" came out, that many people tried to do just what he had done, but many finding it an excercise in futility, ceased. So in contemporary times, the pc term is African American, referring to the dark skinned people of ******* features and/or descent. Not necessarily their origin.

Answer 4

Historically, the majority of slaves were taken from there homes in Western and Central Africa. The Ivory Coast was a huge hub for the slave trade. FYI...The country of Liberia was colonized by former American slaves after the abolishing of slavery in the US.

Answer 5

possibly, if your family has preserved certain idiosyncracies in the
dialect or informal traditions/language within the family, you may get a hint/

but since the slavemasters were evil enough to erase all personal
history, maybe sometimes the important thing is to know that you are not originally from here, and even though you now have been here for several generations, you are still seen by some as a second-class citizen/power to the people

Answer 6

africans were not "taken" from the caribbean...

central/south america and the islands participated in the slave trade as well...

do a little more research honey...

Answer 7

I don't have much else to add to the already good answers here, except to note that genetic testing is becoming more commonplace to address this matter.