Blacks in Florida Term Paper

Blacks in Florida

The history of slavery that has haunted the African-Americans for centuries has allowed the society to forget the heritage of their culture. The shame and considerable violence that surrounds their slave pasts overwhelms people so that they are apt to forget that these peoples had a history before they came or were brought to the 'western' world. Most historians and academics follow the impact of the African-American culture on the U.S. lands and people, much like the influence of the African-Americans on Spanish Colonial Florida as presented by Jane Landers in her article, "Traditions of African-American Freedom and Community in Spanish Colonial Florida" and Hall's "African Religious Retentions in Florida" through the basis of slaves being seen as mere 'animals' that had to be civilized. What influence they are seen to have then is seen to emerge from their repressive slave pasts rather than from the time when they lived in their homelands.That is why Samory Rashid's thesis in his article, "Islamic Origins of Spanish Florida's Fort Musa" is controversially refreshing. The articles suggests that the African America influence began from the their past when they lived in the West African and Islamic North regions and to actually understand the heritage and influence the African-Americans have had we must study the culture evident in these areas.

The influence of Africans on the New World should not be viewed through their slave past, rather the influence should be studied from the origins of the African peoples which can be traced back to the African region and its claim to glory that came from the Spanish Moors and the Islamic roots. Only then can the African influence on the New World be viewed as having more than 'survived'….....