Why does American history start the teachings of African American?

Question

history with slavery? African american history does not start with slavery. African american history starts over in Africa but not when they were loading us on a ship but when we were Kings and quens and teachers of men from the east and west of the globe. I plan to teach all my children that. I thank God for Martin Luther King but im just saying Our history as African Americans does not start with slavery.

Answer 1

African American History does not start over in Africa.
There can be no "American" part until they actually reached the shores of America - which would THEN make them *African-Americans*.
Prior to their arrival here, it would just be "African" history.

***Local rulers were very rarely open to allowing groups of armed foreigners to enter their lands. It was far easier and more common to make use of existing African middlemen and slave traders. Slavery has been present in Africa for millennia, and still is today even with children, though some historians prefer to describe African slavery as feudalism, arguing it was more like the system that controlled the peasantry of Western Europe during the Middle Ages or Russia into the 19th century than slavery as it was practiced in the Americas.

The slaves came from many different sources. About half came from the societies that sold them. These might be criminals, heretics, the mentally ill, the indebted and any others that had fallen out of favour with the rulers. Little is known about the details of theses practices before the arrival of Europeans, and so it is difficult to tell if the number of people considered as undesirables was artificially increased to provide more slaves for export. It is believed that capital punishment in the region nearly disappeared since prisoners became far too valuable to dispose of in such a way. ( Which means it was better to sell them, and make some sort of profit - rather than just kill them, as had been the practice earlier)

Another source of slaves, comprising about half the total, came from military conquests of other states or tribes. It has long been contended that the slave trade greatly increased violence and warfare in the region due to the pursuit of slaves, but it is hard to provide evidence to prove this; warfare was certainly common even before slave hunting had added such an extra inducement.

Basically, African tribes would war with one another. The losers were taken as part of the conquest. The cost of feeding and maintaining the conquests was so great that they would then sell them to other tribes, or to Europeans, for goods - such as rifles,
metal cookware, rum, livestock, and seed grain.***

Slavery was a terrible thing, but unfortunately, it was the Africans themselves who originally sold their unwanted, or "undesireables" into slavery .... and they did it for thousands of years before America even came into it.

Have you ever heard the term :
*Too many chiefs and not enough indians* ?
Yes, there were Kings and Queens in Africa - but there were far more "ordinary" Africans than there were rulers and royalty so to tell your children that they are the decendents of royalty would not be doing the right thing - unless you can prove it......

Answer 2

If every one of you were all Kings and Queens, what the hell were you all Kings and Queens over? Who were your subjects? (Actually I am familiar with that racist Afro-Centrist teaching, but I hope that is not what you are advocating here)
You are right in that the history of African Americans started in Africa, but I really doubt every single person was a King or a Queen. This just doesnt make sense. The sad thing is that a lot of the history of African American people was lost when they were taken into slavery. Most of the records were disconnected at that time. That does not mean there is a need or a justification for a made-up history, especially one which attacks other ethnic groups.
The accomplishments of African American folks in American history is nothing less than amazing. These people overcame bigotry and poverty to contribute a lot of good things to our society. Frederick Douglass was a slave, learned literacy on his own, with some help from others, thought about things and became one of our great writers and philosophers. I have a special thankfulness for George Washington Carver, the great scientist who discovered so many different materials which could be made from plants indigenous to the south. I am especially thankful for him because he invented peanut butter. Yummm! Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth were some of the most couragous people ever. There was the inventor of the modern traffic control system, many statesmen, writers like Ralph Ellison, and more than I can write of herre. African Americans, and indeed all Americans, can take pride in the accomplishments of these very REAL people.

Answer 3

American history does not start with the history of England. It begins with colonists and the revolutionary war b/c before that we were European/British, etc. I would say the same goes for African-American. Before they were in America they were called Africans, etc. (regardless of the actual case this is how things are organized). The class might not have enough time to teach everything and regardless of personal beliefs the teacher will have to choose which is more relevant to the African American History class in America, which would mean if something must be left out it would be the history that occurred in Africa. (In college classes they teach of Africa in history classes.)

Answer 4

Because when teaching American History you approach it from the moment Africans came to or were brought to America. They teach that we did go capture Africans and they teach how and who did it and why. Slavery is a big part of American History and that was the first time the majority of Africans came to America. Slavery existed before America was discoverd and it is told in American History.

Answer 5

Because Africans being kings and queens doesn't really tie into American History. Africans were slaves as soon as they hit America. Don't see why it bothers you. It's the truth. Slaves played a huge part in the development of America.

Answer 6

Honey, we were not all kings and queens. Some of us were just simple village folk but that does not mean we deserved to be enslaved.

I never learned about slavery in history. ONly that slaves had to work and weren't free unless massa said so. Never learned free blacks could be kidnapped and taken into bondage w/o recourse. I never learned the difference btwn slavery in Africa and slavery in America (much worse in America...they owned your children and your body and you reproduction!!)

Anyway MUCH of US history is glossed over. Learned the Indiands were troublemaker as opposed to people rightfully fighting for their land (like WE did with the English)!!!

Ug...leave US history out of it...its a bunch of whitewashed crap most of it!!!!

Answer 7

Good question. However I believe Black people are now the majority or soon will be with in the church world wide. Please don't blame the church for peoples mistakes. It is not the doctrine that keep them out, in fact the book of Mormon more or less states the black people and the American Indians in the Americas are who the chosen people of the lord are.

Answer 8

Most Americans don't spend anytime outside of the US so therefore believe it starts here. Years ago when I was in Nigeria, I heard about an AfricanAmerican man tracing his roots to Africa and after being there he left thanking God for slavery.

Answer 9

The other part of African history is that not all Black people have an African relative that was a slave.

Answer 10

Because they want us to believe we were naked savages running wild with no civilization, and they came along and saved us from ourselves by enslaving us and bringing us to this stolen country called America. Us being intelligent Kings and Queens living in a wealthy country would prove we are not inferior to them. And they just can't have that.