1. I believe that the main argument of these chapters is that African American history had to be created because it did not exist until many years after slavery. That is when blacks in America were allowed to largely associate with one another without consequences. “Being “African” American is part of a New World identity. Naming people only by the continent of their origin and ignoring their ethnic identity is a consequence of distance in time and space.” (pg. 5).
2. The reason African American history did not exist prior is because Africa is a continent, not a country and each country had their own people that independently had their own histories. It was not until slavery happened that there was such a large mixing of different African cultures. Due to the mixing of the cultures, many individuals lost their identity and history as well. Despite the loss of history of many African individuals, they still kept certain customs and traditions to pass down to families and their new communities, “people of many different African peoples
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Even when having the privilege to learn about their roots, African Americans were told that they came from a land of savagery and disorder by whites in order to keep them oppressed. This idea of coming from a savage background was widely publicized and placed into the education system because it was controlled by whites, then that idea was even more ingrained once learned by others. However, there were some African Americans who did not believe in this idea and used opportunities to pursue accurate knowledge. “Martin Delany (1812-1855), the “Father of Black Nationalism,” travel to what is now Nigeria and signed treaties permitting the settlement of black Americans there.”, he believed African Americans were destined to promote the greatness of