African Americans
"African American" is the often Liberal term used to describe the ethnic background of Americans with African ancestry. Because many African Americans are descended from Africans brought to America as slaves beginning four centuries ago, the vast majority of African Americans today have European and American Indian ancestry as well as African.
History
Black people were originally brought to America to serve as slaves in southeastern states where large-scale agriculture was predominant. During the Civil War, the slaves in states in "open rebellion" were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Freedom, however, did not necessarily bring an improvement in conditions, as the system of sharecropping instituted after the end of the war left many ex-slaves in a continuing cycle of poverty. In large part as a result, many African Americans migrated in the early twentieth century to the northeastern and midwestern states, where they could find wage-paying jobs.
Religion
The majority of African Americans are members of Christian congregations, with Baptist, Pentecostal, and Methodist affiliations being among the most common. Some also belong to Islamic organizations, including the Nation of Islam founded by Elijah Muhammed, to which group Malcolm X belonged to until the last years of his life.
