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80-572: The melting-together metaphor was in use by the 1780s. The exact term "melting pot" came into general usage in the United States after it was used as a metaphor describing a fusion of nationalities, cultures and ethnicities in Israel Zangwill 's 1908 play of the same name . The desirability of assimilation and the melting pot model has been rejected by proponents of multiculturalism , who have suggested alternative metaphors to describe

160-529: A form of worship but also as a collective spiritual experience. Congregants engage fully in musicking, responding to the choir with shouts of affirmation, clapping, and even dancing, which fosters a powerful sense of unity and shared purpose. The tradition of call-and-response, which originated in African and African-American spirituals, is a key feature in many genres, including gospel, jazz, and hip-hop. This dynamic interaction between performer and audience blurs

240-545: A geometric simplicity that developed separately but was like that of Amish quilts and modern art . After the American Civil War , museums and galleries began more frequently to display the work of African-American artists. Cultural expression in mainstream venues was still limited by the dominant European aesthetic and by racial prejudice . To increase the visibility of their work, many African-American artists traveled to Europe where they had greater freedom. It

320-542: A number of countries in Southeast Asia . Given the region's location and importance to trade routes between China and the Western world, certain countries in the region have become ethnically diverse. In Vietnam, a relevant phenomenon is " tam giáo đồng nguyên " (lit. "Three spears, one point," idiomatically "three teachers, one lesson"), references the harmonious co-existence and mutually influencing teachings of

400-432: A vast hot pot". The [baseball] field is the real crucible, the melting pot wherein the rival races are being mixed, combined and molded to the standards of real citizenship and the requirements of the true American. W. A. Phelon (1910), There were a number of ways that the melting pot is considered to have worked throughout American history. For example, baseball , whose unifying powers were first perceived in

480-511: Is another aspect of African-American oral tradition often evident in the pulpit in a tradition sometimes referred to as "prophetic speech". Modernity and migration of African-American communities to the North has had a history of placing strain on the retention of African-American cultural practices and traditions. The urban and radically different spaces in which black culture was being produced raised fears in anthropologists and sociologists that

560-492: Is deeply rooted in shared practices, identity, and community. African American culture encompasses many aspects, including spiritual beliefs , social customs , lifestyles, and worldviews. When blended together these have allowed African Americans to create successes and excel in the areas of literature , media , cinema, music , architecture , art , politics, and business , as well as cuisine marriage, and family. A relatively unknown aspect of African American culture

640-544: Is descended from these earlier forms and also draws influence from African and Caribbean dance forms. Groups such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have continued to contribute to the growth of this form. Modern popular dance in America is also greatly influenced by African-American dance. American popular dance has also drawn many influences from African-American dance most notably in

720-619: Is evident from its dominant performance on the Billboard charts, where genres such as hip-hop and R&B, deeply rooted in African-American culture, have surpassed even pop in terms of streaming and sales (Nielsen, 2018). The impact of African-American artists on contemporary music, fashion, and cultural trends is significant, with figures like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake shaping the industry and reflecting its broad appeal across diverse audiences (Billboard, 2020). Furthermore,

800-768: Is evident in a myriad of ways: in politics, economics, language, music, hairstyles, fashion, dance, religion, cuisine, and worldview. Throughout all of this, African Americans have created their own culture and unique history in the United States. In turn, African-American culture has had a pervasive and transformative impact on many elements of mainstream American culture. From inventors and scientists to media moguls and entertainers, African Americans have made significant contributions that have profoundly impacted daily American life. Their innovations, discoveries, and creative works have shaped various aspects of society, from technology and science to entertainment and media. Despite these substantial contributions, many people remain unaware of

880-781: Is influenced by Indigenous African Culture , and Native American culture . Before the Civil Rights Movement , religious and spiritual life dominated many aspects of African American culture, deeply influencing cultural expression. Since the Movement, which was a mere 60 years ago—effectively just two generations—African Americans have built on the foundation of resilience and advocacy established during that era. This legacy has catalyzed significant progress, enabling African Americans to achieve success across every field of American life . African-Americans have faced racial biases throughout various periods since arriving in

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960-579: Is predicated upon racist hatred for the Japanese enemy: "the emotion which enables the platoon to transcend racial prejudice is itself a virulent expression of racial hatred...The final heat which blends the ingredients of the melting pot is rage against an enemy which is fully dehumanized as a race of 'dirty monkeys. ' " He sees this racist rage as an expression of "the unresolved tension between racialism and civic egalitarianism in American life". Following

1040-420: Is the significant impact it has had on both science and industry. Some elements of African American culture come from within the community, others from the interaction of African Americans with the wider diaspora of people of African origin displaced throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, and others still from the inner social and cultural dynamics of the community. In addition, African American culture

1120-704: The Harlem Renaissance pioneered by Alain Locke . In the 1920s and 1930s, African-American music, literature, and art gained wide notice. Authors such as Zora Neale Hurston and Nella Larsen and poets such as Langston Hughes , Claude McKay , and Countee Cullen wrote works describing the African-American experience. Jazz , swing , blues and other musical forms entered American popular music . African-American artists such as William H. Johnson , Aaron Douglas , and Palmer Hayden created unique works of art featuring African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance

1200-439: The Harlem Renaissance , African-American Broadway shows such as Shuffle Along helped to establish and legitimize African-American dancers. African-American dance forms such as tap , a combination of African and European influences, gained widespread popularity thanks to dancers such as Bill Robinson and were used by leading white choreographers, who often hired African-American dancers. Contemporary African-American dance

1280-496: The NAACP in 1919. Many African-American children are taught the song at school, church or by their families. "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" traditionally is sung immediately following, or instead of, "The Star-Spangled Banner" at events hosted by African-American churches, schools, and other organizations. In the 19th century, as the result of the blackface minstrel show , African-American music entered mainstream American society. By

1360-636: The Western , Sahelean , and Central and Southern regions. African oral traditions, nurtured in slavery, encouraged the use of music to pass on history, teach lessons, ease suffering, and relay messages. The African pedigree of African-American music is evident in some common elements: call and response , syncopation , percussion, improvisation , swung notes , blue notes , the use of falsetto , melisma , and complex multi-part harmony. During slavery, Africans in America blended traditional European hymns with African elements to create spirituals . The banjo

1440-635: The afro , and African clothing, such as the dashiki , gained popularity. More importantly, the African-American aesthetic encouraged personal pride and political awareness among African Americans. Music in African-American culture extends far beyond the realms of performance and consumption; it is deeply rooted in community participation and interaction. The act of musicking—actively engaging with music in various forms—includes singing together in churches, participating in call-and-response patterns, dancing, and even informal music-making in social settings. In African-American churches, gospel music serves not only as

1520-623: The hip-hop genre. One of the uniquely African-American forms of dancing, turfing , emerged from social and political movements in the East Bay in the San Francisco Bay Area. Turfing is a hood dance and a response to the loss of African-American lives, police brutality, and race relations in Oakland, California. The dance is an expression of Blackness, and one that integrates concepts of solidarity, social support, peace, and

1600-471: The "composite nationality" of the American people, arguing that the frontier had functioned as a " crucible " where "the immigrants were Americanized, liberated and fused into a mixed race, English in neither nationality nor characteristics". In his 1905 travel narrative The American Scene , Henry James discusses cultural intermixing in New York City as a "fusion, as of elements in solution in

1680-521: The "racial masquerade" that was involved in creation of a white "melting pot" culture through the stereotyping and imitation of black and other non-white cultures in the early 20th century, historian Michael Rogin has commented: "Repudiating 1920s nativism, these films [Rogin discusses The Jazz Singer , Old San Francisco (1927), Whoopee! (1930), King of Jazz (1930) celebrate the melting pot. Unlike other racially stigmatized groups, white immigrants can put on and take off their mask of difference. But

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1760-407: The "salad bowl" or the "symphony" are more often used by sociologists to describe how cultures and ethnicities mix in the United States. Mayor David Dinkins , when referring to New York City, described it as "not a melting pot, but a gorgeous mosaic...of race and religious faith, of national origin and sexual orientation – of individuals whose families arrived yesterday and generations ago..." Since

1840-574: The 17th century and the early 19th century, art took the form of small drums, quilts, wrought-iron figures, and ceramic vessels in the southern United States. These artifacts have similarities with comparable crafts in West and Central Africa. In contrast, African-American artisans like the New England–based engraver Scipio Moorhead and the Baltimore portrait painter Joshua Johnson created art that

1920-588: The 1960s and 1970s fueled the growth of funk , soul , and later hip hop forms with sub-genres of hip hop to include; rap , hip house , new jack swing , and go-go . House music was created in black communities in Chicago in the 1980s. Hip hop and contemporary R&B would become a multicultural movement, however, it still remained important to many African Americans. In the 21st century, African-American music has achieved unprecedented levels of mainstream acceptance and influence in American popular music. This

2000-661: The 1960s and 1970s followed in the wake of the non-violent Civil Rights Movement . The movement promoted racial pride and ethnic cohesion in contrast to the focus on integration of the Civil Rights Movement, and adopted a more militant posture in the face of racism. It also inspired a new renaissance in African-American literary and artistic expression generally referred to as the African-American or " Black Arts Movement ". The works of popular recording artists such as Nina Simone (" Young, Gifted and Black ") and The Impressions (" Keep On Pushing "), as well as

2080-610: The 1960s, much research in Sociology and History has disregarded the melting pot theory for describing interethnic relations in the United States and other countries. Whether to support a melting-pot or multicultural approach has developed into an issue of much debate within some countries. For example, the French and British governments and populace are currently debating whether Islamic cultural practices and dress conflict with their attempts to form culturally unified countries. Today

2160-569: The 19th century, African-American dance began to appear in minstrel shows . These shows often presented African Americans as caricatures for ridicule to large audiences. The first African-American dance to become popular with white dancers was the cakewalk in 1891. Later dances to follow in this tradition include the Charleston , the Lindy Hop , the Jitterbug and the swing. During

2240-883: The African American cultural Movement, Melvin Charles and Gleason T Jackson created the Black American Heritage Flag (also known as the African American Heritage Flag) in 1967 for Black Americans. It is used today as an ethnic flag that represents the African American people. Another major aspect of the African-American Arts Movement was the infusion of the African aesthetic , a return to a collective cultural sensibility and ethnic pride that

2320-430: The African-American oral tradition. It manifests in worship in what is commonly referred to as the "amen corner". In direct contrast to the tradition present in American and European cultures, it is an acceptable and common audience reaction to interrupt and affirm the speaker. This pattern of interaction is also in evidence in music, particularly in blues and jazz forms. Hyperbolic and provocative, even incendiary, rhetoric

2400-419: The American national anthem , " The Star-Spangled Banner ", or in lieu of it. Written by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson in 1900 to be performed for the birthday of Abraham Lincoln , the song was, and continues to be, a popular way for African Americans to recall past struggles and express ethnic solidarity, faith, and hope for the future. The song was adopted as the "Negro National Anthem" by

2480-702: The European tribes—of the Africans, and of the Polynesians—will construct a new race, a new religion, a new state, a new literature, which will be as vigorous as the new Europe which came out of the smelting-pot of the Dark Ages, or that which earlier emerged from the Pelasgic and Etruscan barbarism. These good people are future 'Yankees.' By next year they will be wearing the clothes of their new country, and by

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2560-583: The Melting-Pot (1915), and Randolph Bourne in Trans-National America (1916), laid the foundations for the concept of cultural pluralism . This term was coined by Kallen. In the United States, where the term melting pot is still commonly used, the ideas of cultural pluralism and multiculturalism have, in some circles, taken precedence over the idea of assimilation. Alternate models where immigrants retain their native cultures such as

2640-501: The New World in general and in the United States in particular, the physical isolation and the societal marginalization of African enslaved people , and, later, the physical isolation and the societal marginalization of their free progeny facilitated the retention of significant elements of traditional culture among Africans . Slave holders deliberately tried to repress independent political or cultural organization in order to deal with

2720-605: The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City strongly revived the melting pot image, returning to a bedrock form of American nationalism and patriotism. The reemergence of Olympic melting pot discourse was driven especially by the unprecedented success of African Americans , Mexican Americans , Asian Americans , and Native Americans in events traditionally associated with Europeans and white North Americans such as speed skating and

2800-464: The United States took inspiration from these ideas. Man is the most composite of all creatures.... Well, as in the old burning of the Temple at Corinth, by the melting and intermixture of silver and gold and other metals a new compound more precious than any, called Corinthian brass , was formed; so in this continent—asylum of all nations—the energy of Irish, Germans, Swedes, Poles, and Cossacks, and all

2880-505: The United States. These systemic injustices have included, but are not limited to; enslavement , oppressive legislation like discriminatory Jim Crow laws , societal segregation , as well as overt denial of basic human Civil Rights. Racism has caused many African-Americans to be excluded from many aspects of American life during various points throughout American history and these experiences have profoundly influenced African-American culture, and how African Americans choose to interact with

2960-615: The Utopian product of a culturally and racially mixed " smelting pot", but only in 1912 were his remarks first published. A magazine article in 1876 used the metaphor explicitly: The fusing process goes on as in a blast-furnace ; one generation, a single year even—transforms the English, the German, the Irish emigrant into an American. Uniform institutions, ideas, language, the influence of

3040-438: The active role of music as a social connector, shaping cultural identity and fostering communal bonds. This dynamic interaction with music reflects not only the rich musical heritage of African-American communities but also the centrality of music in expressing cultural values, resistance, and resilience. African-American music is rooted in the typically polyrhythmic music of the ethnic groups of Africa, specifically those in

3120-629: The aftermath of the 1860s Civil War , was often said to play a significant role in integrating immigrants in particular. In New York City, where the modern version of baseball began , immigrants invented variations of the game in the streets at the turn of the 20th century in their rush to integrate themselves. Baseball also improved race relations: Jackie Robinson was a major black baseball-playing icon who crossed Major League Baseball's color line by 1947, which helped to reduce racial segregation. White Americans long regarded some elements of African-American culture quintessentially "American", while at

3200-553: The bobsled. The 2002 Winter Olympics was also a showcase of American religious freedom and cultural tolerance of the history of Utah's large majority population of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , as well as representation of Muslim Americans and other religious groups in the U.S. Olympic team. In Henry Ford 's Ford English School (established in 1914), the graduation ceremony for immigrant employees involved symbolically stepping off an immigrant ship and passing through

3280-544: The broader American society. African Americans are the result of an amalgamation of many different countries, cultures, tribes and religions during the 16th and 17th centuries, broken down, and rebuilt upon shared experiences and blended into one group on the North American continent during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and are now called African American. Most African Americans are

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3360-422: The complexity of the stories nor their potential for a lasting impact on society. Other narratives that appear as important, recurring motifs in African-American culture are the " Signifying Monkey ", "The Ballad of Shine", and the legend of Stagger Lee . The legacy of the African-American oral tradition manifests in diverse forms. African-American preachers tend to perform rather than simply speak. The emotion of

3440-516: The cultural expressions of African Americans , either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. African-American culture has been influential on American and global worldwide culture as a whole. From their origins in Africa and subsequent journey to the Americas to modern-day accomplishments, African American culture is not simply defined by race or historical struggle but

3520-466: The current American society, such as a salad bowl , or kaleidoscope , in which different cultures mix, but remain distinct in some aspects. The melting pot continues to be used as an assimilation model in vernacular and political discourse along with more inclusive models of assimilation in the academic debates on identity, adaptation and integration of immigrants into various political, social and economic spheres. The concept of immigrants "melting" into

3600-453: The dances of the hundreds of African ethnic groups that made up the enslaved African population in the Americas as well as in traditional folk dances from Europe. Dance in the African tradition, and thus in the tradition of slaves, was a part of both everyday life and special occasions. Many of these traditions such as get down , ring shouts , Akan Line Dancing and other elements of African body language survive as elements of modern dance. In

3680-557: The depiction of a multiracial American unit. At the time blacks and Japanese in the armed forces were still segregated, while Chinese and Indians were in integrated units. Historian Richard Slotkin sees Bataan and the combat genre that sprang from it as the source of the "melting pot platoon", a cinematic and cultural convention symbolizing in the 1940s "an American community that did not yet exist", and thus presenting an implicit protest against racial segregation. However, Slotkin points out that ethnic and racial harmony within this platoon

3760-519: The descendants of enslaved people who lived within the boundaries of the present United States. In addition,   African Americans that are American Descendant of Slaves (ADOS) are primarily of West African and coastal Central African ancestry, with varying amounts of Western European and Native American ancestry. Roughly one-in-five Black people in the U.S. are immigrants or children of Black immigrants. While some Black immigrants or their children may also come to identify as African American,

3840-507: The discourse of the state of black people in our current social structures. Twerking is an African-American dance similar to dances from Africa in Côte d'Ivoire , Senegal , Somalia and the Congo. From its early origins in slave communities, through the end of the 20th century, African-American art has made a vital contribution to the art of the United States. During the period between

3920-500: The dozens , signifying , trash talk , rhyming, semantic inversion and word play, many of which have found their way into mainstream American popular culture and become international phenomena. During slavery, African Americans adapted these linguistic traditions as a form of covert resistance and survival. Enslaved people developed signifying as a way to communicate subtly under the watchful eyes of slaveholders, often using coded language, humor, and indirection to express dissent, critique

4000-617: The early 20th century, several musical forms with origins in the African-American community had transformed American popular music. Aided by the technological innovations of radio and phonograph records, ragtime , jazz , blues , and swing also became popular overseas, and the 1920s became known as the Jazz Age . The early 20th century also saw the creation of the first African-American Broadway shows , films such as King Vidor 's Hallelujah! , and operas such as George Gershwin 's Porgy and Bess . The African-American Cultural Movement of

4080-401: The enduring impacts of systemic inequality have led to both challenges and innovations within African-American communities, driving a commitment to empowerment and social change that echoes through generations. This is heavily evident in the cultural practices and traditions that are displayed in the present day community. Traditions like songs, dances, language, and more. The imprint of Africa

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4160-439: The extent to which African Americans have influenced and enriched everyday experiences in the United States. This process of mutual creative exchange is called creolization . Over time, the culture of African slaves and their descendants has been ubiquitous in its impact on not only the dominant American culture, but on world culture as well. The holders of enslaved trapped people (slaves) limited or prohibited their education,

4240-480: The fear was that education might empower the people, and inspire or enable emancipatory ambitions. In the United States, the legislation that banned enslaved people from getting a formal education likely contributed to their maintenance of a strong oral tradition, a common feature of indigenous or native African culture. This prohibition remained in effect until the passage of the Reconstruction Acts in

4320-589: The following year they will be speaking its language. Their children will grow up and will no longer even remember the mother country. America is the melting pot in which all the nations of the world come to be fused into a single mass and cast in a uniform mold. No reverberatory effect of The Great War has caused American public opinion more solicitude than the failure of the 'melting-pot.' The discovery of diverse nationalistic feelings among our great alien population has come to most people as an intense shock. Blacks, Chinese, Puerto Ricans, etcetera, could not melt into

4400-444: The freedom promised immigrants to make themselves over points to the vacancy, the violence, the deception, and the melancholy at the core of American self-fashioning". This trend towards greater acceptance of ethnic and racial minorities was evident in popular culture in the combat films of World War II, starting with Bataan (1943). This film celebrated solidarity and cooperation between Americans of all races and ethnicities through

4480-515: The integration of African-American musical styles into mainstream media has been highlighted by high-profile collaborations and genre-blending successes, such as Lil Nas X ’s "Old Town Road," which achieved historic chart success by merging hip-hop with country music (Billboard, 2019). Streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music also show the substantial engagement and commercial success of African-American music across various demographics, underscoring its wide-reaching influence and acceptance in

4560-580: The late 1860s. Specifically, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Fourteenth Amendment (ratified in 1868) both helped lay the groundwork for broader educational opportunities by granting citizenship and equal protection under the law to African Americans , although they did not directly mandate school integration. African-based oral traditions became the primary means of preserving history, mores, and other cultural information among

4640-475: The line between the two, inviting the entire community to participate. In jazz, for instance, improvisation between musicians can be viewed as a form of musicking where the performers engage in a musical dialogue that often involves audience feedback and interaction. Similarly, early hip-hop culture emphasized the participatory nature of musicking, with community members engaging through freestyle rap battles, breakdancing, and DJing. These musicking practices highlight

4720-568: The majority of first-generation immigrants from Africa, do not, preferring to identify with their nation of origin. There is some recent research which shows that some Black immigrants to the US resist assimilation to reduce exposure to racial discrimination faced by native-born African Americans. From the earliest days of American slavery in the 17th century, slave holders sought to exercise control over their people that were forced into slavery by attempting to strip them of their African culture . In

4800-546: The majority, bring us soon to a similar complexion; the individuality of the immigrant, almost even his traits of race and religion, fuse down in the democratic alembic like chips of brass thrown into the melting pot. In 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner also used the metaphor of immigrants melting into one American culture. In his essay The Significance of the Frontier in American History , he referred to

4880-583: The many slave rebellions or acts of resistance that took place in the United States, Brazil , Haiti , and the Dutch Guyanas . African cultures, slavery, slave rebellions, and the civil rights movement have all shaped African-American religious, familial, political, and economic behaviors. The rich tapestry of African traditions provided a foundation for the spiritual practices of enslaved individuals, blending ancestral beliefs with Christianity to create vibrant forms of worship. This cultural resilience

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4960-476: The melting pot , entering at one end in costumes designating their nationality and emerging at the other end in identical suits and waving American flags. In response to the pressure exerted on immigrants to culturally assimilate and also as a reaction against the denigration of the culture of non-Anglo white immigrants by Nativists, intellectuals on the left, such as Horace Kallen in Democracy Versus

5040-534: The modern music landscape (Rolling Stone, 2021). In addition to continuing to develop newer musical forms, modern artists have also started a rebirth of older genres in the form of genres such as neo soul and modern funk-inspired groups . As of November 2018, the leading music genre listened to by African Americans is R&B Rhythm & Blues (62%), Hip Hop (39%), Gospel (26%) Rap (21%) Soul/Funk(19%), Jazz(18%) African-American dance , like other aspects of African-American culture, finds its earliest roots in

5120-598: The nation's three major religious schools, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, demonstrating a process described as "cultural addivity". In contrast to the melting pot theory, Malaysia and Singapore promote cultural preservation of their various ethnicities. In Malaysia they say "agama, bangsa, negara" which means "various religions, various ethnicities, one nation." Malaysia is made up of different religions and ethnicities yet all are citizens and everyone should respect one another, join hands, and work together. Each ethnicity should work to preserve their own ethnic identity while at

5200-416: The new rank he holds. He becomes an American by being received in the broad lap of our great Alma Mater . Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world." In 1845, Ralph Waldo Emerson , alluding to the development of European civilization out of the medieval Dark Ages , wrote in his private journal of America as

5280-647: The people. This was consistent with the griot practices of oral history in many native African culture and other cultures that did not rely on the written word. Many of these cultural elements have been passed from generation to generation through storytelling. The folktales provided African-Americans the opportunity to inspire and educate one another. Examples of African-American folktales include trickster tales of Br'er Rabbit and heroic tales such as that of John Henry . The Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris helped to bring African-American folk tales into mainstream adoption. Harris did not appreciate

5360-518: The poetry, fine arts, and literature of the time, shaped and reflected the growing racial and political consciousness. Among the most prominent writers of the African-American Arts Movement were poet Nikki Giovanni ; poet and publisher Don L. Lee, who later became known as Haki Madhubuti ; poet and playwright Leroi Jones, later known as Amiri Baraka ; and Sonia Sanchez . Other influential writers were Ed Bullins , Dudley Randall , Mari Evans , June Jordan , Larry Neal , and Ahmos Zu-Bolton . During

5440-766: The pot. They could be used as wood to produce the fire for the pot, but they could not be used as material to be melted into the pot. Israel Zangwill Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 221254841 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:44:53 GMT African-American culture African-American culture , also known as Black American culture or Black culture in American English , refers to

5520-498: The powerful, or convey hidden meanings without being detected. Spoken-word poetry is another example of how the African-American oral tradition has influenced modern popular culture. Spoken-word artists employ the same techniques as African-American preachers including movement, rhythm, and audience participation. Rap music from the 1980s and beyond has been cited as an extension of African oral culture. The first major public recognition of African-American culture occurred during

5600-479: The reaction to this doctrine is ambivalent; some say that it was a necessary measure in the founding years, while others claim that it amounted to cultural oppression . Others argue that the melting pot policy did not achieve its declared target: for example, the persons born in Israel are more similar from an economic point of view to their parents than to the rest of the population. The term has been used to describe

5680-407: The receiving culture is found in the writings of J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur . In his Letters from an American Farmer (1782) Crèvecœur writes, in response to his own question, "What then is the American, this new man?" that the American is one who "leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the government he obeys, and

5760-494: The same time treating African Americans as second-class citizens. White appropriation, stereotyping and mimicking of black culture played an important role in the construction of an urban popular culture in which European immigrants could express themselves as Americans, through such traditions as blackface , minstrel shows and later in jazz and in early Hollywood cinema, notably in The Jazz Singer (1927). Analyzing

5840-442: The same time working together to build Malaysia as a national effort, living in peace and harmony. The Caribbean has a substantial amount of mixing between different ethnic groups, due to the history of various labor groups being imported into the region. Mexico has had a significant amount of cultural and ethnic fusion among its many groups, with its government pursuing a " mestizo " (mixed heritage) ideal. Civil rights reformers in

5920-662: The southern African-American folk aspect of black popular culture were at risk of being lost within history. The study over the fear of losing black popular cultural roots from the South has been a topic of interest to many anthropologists, who among them include Zora Neale Hurston . Through her extensive studies of Southern folklore and cultural practices, Hurston has claimed that the popular Southern folklore traditions and practices are not dying off, instead they are evolving, developing, and re-creating themselves in different regions. Other aspects of African-American oral tradition include

6000-402: The subject is carried through the speaker's tone, volume, and cadence, which tend to mirror the rising action, climax, and descending action of the sermon. The meaning of this manner of preaching is not easily understood by European Americans or others of non-African origin. Often song, dance, verse, and structured pauses are placed throughout the sermon. Call and response is another element of

6080-642: Was also a time of increased political involvement for African Americans. Among the notable African-American political movements founded in the early 20th century are the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People . The Nation of Islam , a notable quasi- Islamic religious movement, also began in the early 1930s. The Black Power movement of

6160-399: Was conceived in a thoroughly western European fashion. During the 19th century, Harriet Powers made quilts in rural Georgia, United States that are now considered among the finest examples of 19th-century Southern quilting. Later in the 20th century, the women of Gee's Bend developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style based on traditional African-American quilts with

6240-513: Was evident in slave rebellions, which not only challenged the institution of slavery but also fostered a sense of community and shared identity among African Americans. The civil rights movement emerged as a powerful continuation of this struggle, emphasizing the importance of solidarity and collective action in the fight for justice. This historical legacy has influenced contemporary African-American families, shaping their values, community structures, and approaches to political engagement. Economically,

6320-532: Was much in evidence during the Harlem Renaissance and in the celebration of Négritude among the artistic and literary circles in the US, Caribbean, and the African continent nearly four decades earlier: the idea that " black is beautiful ". During this time, there was a resurgence of interest in elements of African culture within African-American culture that had been suppressed or devalued to conform to Eurocentric America. Natural hairstyles , such as

6400-558: Was the first African derived instrument to be played and built in the United States. Slaveholders discovered African-American slaves used drums to communicate. As far back as the 1700s, after drums were outlawed after the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina, African Americans created hamboning , patting their bodies in order to make their music. Many African Americans sing " Lift Every Voice and Sing " in addition to

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