Who's who in America?
The first peoples (Greek: ta etnae = people groups or ethnic groups) to arrive in what is known today as the United States of America were the Native Americans (formerly known as Indians). It is generally believed that they crossed over the land bridge between Russia and Alaska many thousands of years ago. Centuries later, the British and Europeans arrived who brought the Africans over to work as slaves. Also, the Chinese and other Asians came to settle in the New World. The English colonized the east coast, dubbing it New England, which would later become the United States of America.
The English Pilgrims (as they were to be called) separated themselves from the established Church of England, supporting a Protestant Reformation. Under Oliver Cromwell's leadership the monarchy was for a time replaced by a republic. Later, when the monarchy was reestablished, the Pilgrims (my family's forefathers) left England for the New World in search of religious freedom. In 1620, the Pilgrims founded the Plymouth colony in what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts. The First Thanksgiving feast was celebrated by the Pilgrims for three days for God's blessing on their very first harvest in the New World. Days of prayer thanking the Lord God were a regular practice of the new Americans. About two and a half centuries later, Thanksgiving Day was declared a major federal holiday in the United States.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)
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| The Embarkation of the Pilgrims American painter Robert Walter Weir. Image: Public Domain |
The English Pilgrims (as they were to be called) separated themselves from the established Church of England, supporting a Protestant Reformation. Under Oliver Cromwell's leadership the monarchy was for a time replaced by a republic. Later, when the monarchy was reestablished, the Pilgrims (my family's forefathers) left England for the New World in search of religious freedom. In 1620, the Pilgrims founded the Plymouth colony in what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts. The First Thanksgiving feast was celebrated by the Pilgrims for three days for God's blessing on their very first harvest in the New World. Days of prayer thanking the Lord God were a regular practice of the new Americans. About two and a half centuries later, Thanksgiving Day was declared a major federal holiday in the United States.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)
Independence Day.
July 4, 1776, marks the date after the British settlers won their freedom from Great Britain in battle, becoming an independent nation and adopting the Declaration of Independence.* George Washington was unanimously elected the first president, and John Adams vice-president. The elections took place from December 15, 1788 to January 10, 1789.** The new Americans did not want to adopt a monarchal government which existed in Great Britain.
*Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)
**Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1788%E2%80%931789
Go West, young man!
As the new Americans migrated westward, they began to take over Native American lands by force. The result was devastating to the Native American population, estimated to have been between 50-100 million. Many Hollywood movies have depicted this era, which in the first few decades of film-making typically represented the Indians as villains and savages. In the American film epic directed by and starring Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves, this malevolent image of indigenous peoples was effectively challenged.
The film presented a more balanced view of white aggression and violence toward the Indians who were defending their right to live and their right to the land. It also effectively portrayed the lifestyle of one particular tribe called the Sioux or Dakotas (which is part of my ancestry). This film representation helped the world see the first Native Americans as loving, industrious, intelligent, productive human beings. In my opinion, the movie Avatar is a futuristic reminder of an ancient unjustified, aggressively cruel mindset of invaders who take what they want with little regard for the rights and lives of indigenous ethnic groups.
The Old West treaties were made, but repeatedly broken by the US government and American settlers, which resulted in a regression back to dealing with matters of land claims through bloody wars. Land was purchased by the US government for the Indians to have "forever" west of the Mississippi River, but was not protected from the white westward migrants who would illegally settle and build farms on these lands.
*Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)
**Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1788%E2%80%931789
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| Portrait of George Washington Portrait is Public Domain. - the-athenaeum.org/art/detail.php?ID=14476 |
As the new Americans migrated westward, they began to take over Native American lands by force. The result was devastating to the Native American population, estimated to have been between 50-100 million. Many Hollywood movies have depicted this era, which in the first few decades of film-making typically represented the Indians as villains and savages. In the American film epic directed by and starring Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves, this malevolent image of indigenous peoples was effectively challenged.
The film presented a more balanced view of white aggression and violence toward the Indians who were defending their right to live and their right to the land. It also effectively portrayed the lifestyle of one particular tribe called the Sioux or Dakotas (which is part of my ancestry). This film representation helped the world see the first Native Americans as loving, industrious, intelligent, productive human beings. In my opinion, the movie Avatar is a futuristic reminder of an ancient unjustified, aggressively cruel mindset of invaders who take what they want with little regard for the rights and lives of indigenous ethnic groups.
The Old West treaties were made, but repeatedly broken by the US government and American settlers, which resulted in a regression back to dealing with matters of land claims through bloody wars. Land was purchased by the US government for the Indians to have "forever" west of the Mississippi River, but was not protected from the white westward migrants who would illegally settle and build farms on these lands.
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| The Silenced War Whoop Charles Schreyvogel (1861-1912); Source: www.firstpeople.usThis image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years. |
The Native American Massacre.
The American Indian Wars and European diseases that came with the new settlers, wiped out up to 90% of the indigenous peoples by the end of the 1800s, according to some estimates. The indigenous population plummeted, while the European and African populations grew. The remaining Native Americans were placed on reservations to separate them from the white European settlements. When it was all said and done the Native American population was greatly reduced by what many modern historians agree was an act of genocide.
The African Slave Trade.
The slave trade flourished, as Portuguese, British, Spanish, Dutch and French empires, including the Americans, engaged in what became known as the Atlantic Slave Trade or the Transatlantic Slave Trade. An estimated 12.5 million Africans were either sold by African chieftains or abducted by the European slavers between the 1520s through to 1866.
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Advertizement of the Sale of Newly Arrived Slaves
Reproduction of a handbill advertising a slave auction, in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1769. User: Wwbread, March 28, 2012. This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.
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In 2004, I visited the Elmina Castle in Ghana, Africa, where captured or bought Africans were sent to await the boats that would ship them to the Americas. It was a very emotional experience to walk through the holding areas of this Portuguese fort. It wasn't easy to hear about the horrible conditions and cruel treatment the Africans suffered before the long nightmarish trip across the Atlantic to be sold like cattle. During the Atlantic crossings, 1.5 million Africans perished before the ships arrived on North and South American or Caribbean Island shores.
Photo: Personal Archives
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| Elmina Castle Ghana, West Africa |
Once in the hands of their masters, the slaves were exposed to the Christian God, but did not have the best models of the loving, redeeming, reconciling God of the Bible. Those slaves who were taught to read began reading through the Bible, thus identifying with the plight of the enslaved Israelites and Moses, God's prophet and Israel's deliverer from the Egyptians, in the Book of Genesis. They discovered a different Jesus: a caring, loving, powerful Jesus. They became believers in Jesus Christ which gave birth to the famed Negro Spirituals, hundreds of songs of lamentation and cries to God for deliverance from their bondage. Many slaves attributed their survival to their faith in Jesus Christ.
Black Singers.
There are not too many African Americans today who have no roots in the Evangelical Church. Eventually, infiltrated the renowned Black gospel music, rhythm and blues, jazz, which bred powerful vocalists and musicians such as Mahalia Jackson (the Queen of Gospel), Ray Charles (pioneer of soul music), Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin (The Queen of Soul), The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson (King of Pop), Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, Mary J. Blige and many others.
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| Mahalia Jackson, the Queen of Gospel Image: Public Domain |
Black inventors.
Yes, just like every country, the United States has its
dark history. Despite this, we recognize that the country is what it is today because of the back-breaking centuries of slave labor. Many inventions were accomplished by slaves who through necessity and their innovation made their work easier and more efficient. During slavery all inventions were credited to the slave owner, as slaves could not own anything and were considered subhuman. So, the knowledge that slaves were inventing anything could not reach the general public.
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org & http://blackinventor.com
Photo: Personal Archives
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| Lewis Latimer Image: Public Domain |
Early inventions were difficult to document, but in the 19th and 20th centuries black inventions were in modern times well-documented. Many of these African American inventors were freeborn children of enslaved parents. Some examples of these inventions are: George Washington Carver's varied peanut uses saved the economy in the southern states; Lewis Howard Latimer's carbon-filament light bulb (the only African American part of Thomas Edison's team of engineers); Charles R. Drew's improvement of blood storage saved thousands of lives during WWII and worldwide; Otis Boykin's artificial heart pacemaker control unit; Madam C. J. Walker's (Sarah Breedlove) hair care system made her the first female self-made millionaire in the USA;
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| Madam C. J. Walker Image: Public Domain |
Granville T. Woods' multiplex telegraph; Gerald A. Lawson's modern home-video gaming console, Patricia Bath's cataract laserphaco probe; George E. Alcorn's imaging X-ray spectrometer; Frederick M. Jones' modern refrigeration; Alexander Miles' modern-day elevator design; Garrett Morgan's gas mask and traffic signal; Elijah McCoy's railroad lubrication machine, and the list goes on. Incidently, the well-known American expression identifying something or someone genuine, "It's the real McCoy" or "Is it the real McCoy?", was coined after Elijah McCoy who is responsible for numerous inventions. Many other African American inventors could be named.
The impact of these African American inventions changed the course of history and society worldwide.
The impact of these African American inventions changed the course of history and society worldwide.
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org & http://blackinventor.com
Photo: Personal Archives
Modern American culture. Now, we are talking about American citizens who live in the United States of America. Okay? It is important to note that the USA has many immigrants from all over the world. They become US citizens, but only their children will begin to represent true American culture, since they are strongly influenced by the motherland. The third generation will be even more, if not completely AMERICAN and so on. So, the USA is a melting pot of different peoples. This makes the United States quite cosmopolitan.
Many comment that Americans are unfriendly, too direct and too objective. By this, it is meant that Americans are seemingly not concerned about what one might be going through, one's family affairs, kids, pets or challenges of life, etc. But, once an American gets to know you, things warm up considerably. This can be a slow or even fast process depending on the individuals involved.
Photo: Personal Archives
Photo: Personal Archives
During the hippie movement, which started in the early 60s, the affectionate gesture of hugging began to take its place in American society as the customary way to greet friends. Before that, hugs were only seen among dating and married couples or parents and their small children. Hugs almost completely replaced the traditional handshake outside of business circles. Hugging became an acceptable gesture even when meeting new people.
I will never forget the day I went back home after completing my freshman year at college in 1970, and introduced the hug to my parents. It was a bit uncomfortable for them (a bit of embarrassment and rigidity), since we were not a family which expressed physical affection, when I was growing up. Gradually, we all got used to hugging as a practice when greeting each other. My older brothers and I helped to break us all into hugging as a greeting practice when we would visit each other.
Photo: Personal Archives
Photo: Personal Archives
Among businesspeople who are meeting for the first time, the handshake usually initiates with an exchange of "Hello" and "How are you?". Hugs are pretty common among business colleagues. This is the influence that came from the hippie era. After the greetings and business is on the table, Americans want to get down to business and not engage in small talk. But, once they get to know you, these interests that are seemingly suppressed or absent all together, can show up.
Another comment we hear is that Americans are cold and calculated. This can be explained by the objective approach to life, being task rather than relationally oriented, wanting to save and not waste time, seeking to be efficient, and the view that they grow up with - "time is money". Again, once they get to know you, I believe you will discover that there is a "warm fuzzy" heart behind all the apparent coldness.
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