摘要所谓美国黑人，是历史上被欧洲殖民者劫运到美国的非洲黑人奴隶的后裔，又称非洲裔美国人。
属尼格罗人种。
其中2／3为黑白混血种人。
通用英语。
美国黑人在历史上起过重要作用，他们积极参加美国独立战争和反法西斯战争，屡立战功。
对发展美国的经济文化也作出了很大贡献，他们一直是美国农业的主要力量；在钢铁工业中黑人工人约占1／3，在汽车工业中约占半数；在音乐、文艺、体育方面，黑人的成就更为显著。
本文主要从称谓，政治，经济，黑人英语，以及文化等方面来研究美国黑人在历史上角色的演变，充分考察了美国历史文化，选取在各个领域最有代表的美国黑人以及对美国黑人地位演变有着巨大推动作用的人物，从正面和侧面来证明如下结论：美国黑人从奴隶到总统这漫长的历史中，在实现族种平等摆脱奴隶制度的艰难过程中，付出了血与泪的代价；美国黑人角色的演变和地位的提高标志着美国民主制度的逐步完善。
推而广之，一个种族，一类群体要想在其所属的领域占有一席之地，有所建树，是要从各个方面来提升自己并拼搏的，即中国古语所说的文武双全；反之，要看一个种族，一类群体是否在其所属的领域地位和角色有所提升，是要从各个方面考察的。
总之，道路是曲折的，可是，前途却是光明的。
关键词: 奴隶制度美国黑人角色演变ABSTRACTAfrican-Americans are persons from America who are members of a race of people who have dark skin, originally from Africa. They were transported to the United States by European colonizers and called African, Negro, Colored, and Black in history. The original role of the African Americans in American society is African slaves. Though they lived in poor accommodations and lacked adequate food, they made a very positive contribution to American society in history.（Pollard, 2004）This study is mainly concerns on the evolution of African-Americans’ role-play in American society from the following aspects: appellation, politics, economy, Black English, literature, etc; this study is through great information about American history and culture, conspicuous representatives from respective field to analyzing African-Americans’ evolutionary roles in detail directly or indirectly.From this paper, some conclusions can be drawn. In the process of slipping slavery, fulfilling racial equality, improving American democratic system, African-Americans play a significant role in American society. They deserve a higher status in American society after all that life-long hard work with terrible cost of the revolution in death and suffering.Through analyzing that, get a deeper conclusion that it need all-round promotion in improving the role of some group of weak race or minority in society though bleeding and difficult it may be. We should respect them. Their experiences prove that process is winding, and future is promising.Key word: Slavery African American Evolutionary Role目录1. 引言 (1)1.1 美国黑人的定义 (2)1.2 美国黑人的原始角色及概况 (2)1.3 制约美国黑人发展的因素 (3)2从称谓变化看美国黑人的角色演变 (4)2.1 非洲人 (4)2.2 有色人 (4)2.3 尼格罗 (5)2.4 黑人 (5)2.5 非洲裔美国人 (6)3从政治和经济角度看美国黑人角色演变 (8)3.1 亚伯拉罕.林肯的《解放黑人奴隶宣言》 (8)3.2 马丁.路德.金的《我有一个梦想》 (12)3.3 芭芭拉.乔丹的正义之声 (14)3.4 贝拉克.奥巴马的“是的，我们可以” (17)3.5 美国黑人对经济所做出的贡献 (20)4从黑人英语看美国黑人角色演变 (22)4.1 黑人英语概述 (22)4.2 黑人英语的起源 (22)4.3 黑人英语的地位 (25)5从文化角度看美国黑人角色演变 (26)5.1 音乐 (26)5.2 体育 (28)5.3 文学 (28)结论 (30)致谢 (31)参考文献 (31)CONTENTS1. Introduction (1)1.1 The Definition of African Americans (2)1.2 The Original Role of African Americans (2)1.3 The Main Factors that shape African Americans (3)2 The Evolution in Appellation (4)2.1 African (4)2.2 Colored (4)2.3 Negro (5)2.4 Black (5)2.5 African American (6)3 The Evolution of Aframerican s’ Roles in Politics and Economy (8)3.1 Abraham Lincoln and t he Emancipation Proclamation (8)3.2 Martin Luther King and I Have a Dream (12)3.3 Barbara Jordan and Her Voice for Justice (14)3.4 Barack Obama and Yes We Can (17)3.5 African American’s Contribution to Economy (20)4 Black English (22)4.1 Introduction of Black English (22)4.2 The Historical Origins of Black English (22)4.3 The Role of Black English (25)5 The Evolution of Aframericans’ Roles in Culture (26)5.1 Music (26)5.2 Sports (28)5.3 Literature (28)Conclusion (30)Acknowledgements (31)Bibliography (31)1.IntroductionThe Main Factors that shape African Americans was their cultural differences from the European Americans excluded them from equal participation in American society through formal and informal barriers and their historical circumstances.(Robertson,1986) So the original role of African-American was very low. They were not allowed to marry, be educated or work independently. Since they were not allowed to practice their cultural activities or speak their native languages, they lost their African culture and language completely. They worked long days, did not have much of a family life, and were lynched for violation of the rules set by their owners. They lived in poor accommodations and lacked adequate food.（Pollard, 2004）Slavery was outlawed in 1780 in the northern states. At the end of the US Civil War (1865), slavery was abolished everywhere in the United States. Legal segregation slowly ended, beginning with President Truman’s directive (1948) to en segregation in the US military and the US Supreme Court decision (1954) in the case of Brown vs. the Broad of Education of Topeka, Kansas. The Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr. finally desegregated the South in the 1960’s. The Civil Rights Act (1964-1965) integrated minorities, women and other disadvantaged people into the work force. In spite of these laws and Affirmative Action which gives preferential treatment to women and minorities, discrimination in employment and housing still exists. By the 1990’s more educational and employment opportunities for African Americans and other minorities became available. However, because Affirmative Action has been controversial since its inception, it has been challenged and eliminated in some states.（Almes，2004）A large segment of the Black African-American population was trapped in ghettoes, areas in a city where minority groups lived, often because of pressure from the majority group. Unemployment, poverty, infant mortality, and a lower status in society were common in ghettoes. As members of an underclass since the days of slavery, only a limited number of educated Blacks enjoyed the moderate economic gains between the 1970’s and 1990’s.This paper will first concern on the background of the African Americans, and then make an analysis the changing of the roles from several aspects, such as politics, economy, and appellation, language, etc. Then listing the changing roles during the long process, at last gives a conclusion of the evolution of African Americans’ roles from analysis and comparison.The African-American is a particular group in America. Racial discrimination is a particular phenomenon in American society. Slavery is a particular system in American history. It deserves study.This paper gives the specific details that African American’s role-play in America from five aspects, such as appellation, politics, economy, Black English, literature. Maybe there are something that not so thoughtful or accurate. Please give your previous suggestions.1.1 The Definition of African AmericansWhat is the meaning of African-American? Macroscopically speaking, African-American is a person from America who is a member of a race of people who have dark skin, originally from Africa.Microcosmically speaking, African-Americans are also called Afro-Americans or Afromericans, which were transported unlawfully to the United States by the European colonizers in history.1.2 The Original Role of African AmericansBeginning in 1619 Africans were imported to the United States as slaves to work on the cotton, tobacco and plantations. Gradually, a racist ideology developed. African slaves were called Negro and stereotyped as subhuman, innately irresponsible, stupid, lazy and promiscuous. They were not allowed to marry, be educated or work independently. Since they were not allowed to practice their cultural activities or speak their native languages, they lost their African culture and language completely. They worked long days, did not have much of a family life, and were lynched for violation of the rules set by their owners. They lived in poor accommodations and lacked adequate food.A large segment of the Black African-American population was trapped in ghettoes, areas in a city where minority groups lived, often because of pressure from the majority group. Unemployment, poverty, infant mortality, and a lower status in society were common in ghettoes. As members of an underclass since the days of slavery, only a limited number of educated Blacks enjoyed the moderat e economic gains between the 1970’s and 1990’s.In the United States, race is a very important issue. Race guides the behavior, education, opportunities and resources of Americans. Dominant Euro-Americans have traditionally held political and economic power. Since many Euro-Americans consider the United States as theircountry, psychologically they do not seem to accept minority Americans who constitute the other 20% of the population. By the end of the twentieth century the American racial/ethnic population was approximately:The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all men are created equal and have rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Tomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence,owned slaves. Others who signed the document also had slaves and held negative attitudes toward a large number of Black African-Americans formerly called Negroes. As a matter of fact, many of the leaders in the colonies who fought for American independence owned slaves. This was true in the Northern colonies as well as the Southern ones. One example is the famous American diplomat, inventor and businessman Benjamin Franklin. He owned slaves for thirty years and sold them at his general store. But his ideas about slavery changed during his long life. Benjamin Franklin started the first schools to teach blacks and later argued for their freedom.(Pollard, 2004)1.3 The Main Factors that shape African AmericansAccording to Jan Robertson, two factors have shaped the conditions of non-Europeans in the United States. First, their cultural differences from the European Americans excluded them from equal participation in American society through formal and informal barriers. Second, historical circumstances prevented their participation as equal partners in the society. This meant that Black Africans who were imported as slaves were not usually treated as equals by their owners or employers.2 The Evolution in AppellationThere was an English saying that sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. It is always utilized self-console that one doesn’t have to worry about negative things about spoken language. However, as a matter of fact, most people would rather lose money than be slandered. That’s what people attach importance to nowadays. Due to the phenomena and ideas, the old saying gets several variants. Such as, sticks and stones may break my bones, and names can also hurt me; Sticks and stones may break my bones, and words can also hurt me, etc. That’s the voice against unequal spoken language.African Americans go through a long and bloody way in order to win a satisfying name in society. Along the way, their names have been changed several times.(Du, 2005)2.1 AfricanIn 1554, an Englishman named William Towerson took five Africans to England, where they were taught English and fostered to be translators of slavery trade so that they could be put to good use of serving for the Western African colonies. In 1557, three of the five Africans returned to Gold Coast of Africa. It symbolizes the beginning of their use of English. And they were called Africans by English from then on.The appellation of African was used to unitarily call all kinds of Africans. But Europeans in America titled “free” or “slave” respectively according to the nature and type of Afri cans. For those who were unidentified, the Europeans in America titled them Nigger or Negro. During the two to three centuries, Africans were considered as comparative single status. Africans were either “free” or “slave”. So African’s not only a name of A fricans in Africa but also a title of Africans in America.2.2 ColoredIn 19th century, “Colored” became the appellation of African America n. People cannot clearly distinguish the native place in semantics from the appellation of African, especially after the founding of the United States. The slavery trade became less and less, while the African Americans became more and more after multiplying for generations. The appellation of African would confuse people easily.At the beginning, “Colored” referred to several free Africans. Then people considered it asall the African in America. Though the “Colored” showed racial discrimination, the leading persons in the Slavery Abolishing Movement used “Colored” in their speeches or articles. So other people tacitly approved it. In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People” showed that “Colored” was the formal appellation of the Africans in America. 2.3 NegroThe appellation of Negro originated in the end of 19th century. The American Negro Academy founded in 1897 and the National Business League founded in 1900 both regarded Negro as the unified appellation of the Africans in America.At the beginning of 20th century, people changed the appellation of the Africans in America from “Colored” into “Negro”. Because “Colored” in America dedicated their valiant spirit and bleeding sacrifice to fighting against fascists. It suddenly struck American politicians that “Colored” should be treated equally. Though the ideal dream w as not fulfilled, American official abolished the old appellation and adopted “Negro” instead in order to establish and safeguard the dignity of African Americans. On March 7, 1930, the New York Times said that “Negro” should be written with a capital “N” and it's the formal appel lation of Africans in America.2.4 BlackAs time went on, newspapers and publishing houses accepted the argument that the Negro group of words had indefensible racial overtones. A new name should be substituted for the slavery-imposed name. In 1966, an American Negro leader Stokeley Carmichael issued a call for Black power. Under the influence of the Black power, many African Americans started to recognize their equal right. They unlocked coloracracy and said to themselves “I’m black, and I’m proud” instead of “If you are white, you are all right; if you are brown, stick around; if you are black, git back”.There’s an essay and a great person that showed the origination of the appellation of Black.“Seems to me that the institutions that function in this co untry are clearly racist, and that they're built upon racism. And the question, then, is how can black people inside of this country move? And then how can white people who say they’re not a part of those institutions begin to move? And how then do we begin to clear away the obstacles that we have in this society, thatmake us live like human beings? How can we begin to build institutions that will allow people to relate with each other as human beings? This country has never done that, especially around the country of white or black.”“Now we want to take that to its logical extension, so that we could understand, then, what its relevancy would be in terms of new civil rights bills. I maintain that every civil rights bill in this country was passed for white people, not for black people. For example, I am black. I know that. I also know that while I am black I am a human being, and therefore I have the right to go into any public place. White people didn't know that. Every time I tried to go into a place they stopped me. So some boys had to write a bill to tell that white man, "He’s a human being; don’t stop him." That bill was for that white man, not for me. I knew it all the time. I knew it all the time.”“And we're never going to get caught up in questions about power. This country knows what power is. It knows it very well. And it knows what Black Power is 'cause it deprived black people of it for 400 years. So it knows what Black Power is. That the question of, Why do black people -- Why do white people in this country associate Black Power with violence? And the question is because of their own inability to deal with "blackness." If we had said "Negro power" nobody would get scared. Everybody would support it. Or if we said power for colored people, everybody would be for that, but it is the word "black" -- it is the word "black" that bothers people in this country, and that’s their problem, not mine.”Since then, Black had become more and more popular both in American society and life. Such as, Black History Week, Black Culture, Black Experience, etc.2.5 African AmericanIn 1977, Smitherman suggested that Black should be replaced by African American in her works about African American language study. Her suggestion didn’t come true until 1989. The celebrated scholar, Doctor Manning Marable published an article called African-American or Black? The Politic of Culture Identify in the periodical of Black Issues in Higher Education in April, 1989. After that the voice of changing name appeared in society.Doctor Dorothy Height played an important role in changing title of Black, as well as Jesse Jackson’s eloquent speech. The appellation of African American became more and more famousin newspapers, periodicals, TV shows, etc. in 1990, MOTOWN (a TV show) made a programme for the appellation of African America. Now, especially in the south of America, people almost don’t use Black but African American.African Americans went through a long and bloody way in order to win a satisfying name in society. Along the way, their names have been changed several times. That’s all for the appellation of African American’s titles. Every title shows that their social roles became more and more significant in America. It shows that sticks and stones may break my bones, and words can also hurt me.3 The Evolution of Aframericans’Roles in Politics and EconomyThere are four representatives played important roles in the evolution of African Americans’roles in Politics. They are Abraham Lincoln who fighted for the freedom and equal rights of African slaves, Martin Luther King，and Barbara Jordan，Barack Obama. This chapter will represent the experience of them in the process of slipping slavery, fulfilling racial equality, improving American democratic system.In addition, a little information of African Americans’ positive contribution to the overall American economy will be given.3.1 Abraham Lincoln and t he Emancipation ProclamationAbraham Lincoln is the only president in American history to lead a nation divided by civil war.At the heart of the issues that divided the South from the North was slavery. Southern states withdrew from the Union because they saw a threat to their way of life. Their agricultural economy depended on the labor of slaves originally brought from Africa. The states thought the federal government would free the slaves.South Carolina was the first to leave. It did so shortly after Lincoln's election in November of eighteen sixty. Six other states followed by the time he took office in March of eighteen sixty-one. In his inaugural speech, Lincoln begged southern states not to leave the Union.Abraham Lincoln did not receive a majority of the popular vote in the eighteen sixty election. But he won enough electoral votes to become president.Lincoln fought to keep the Union together. He led a civil war in which more than six hundred thousand Americans were killed. And, in leading that war, he took the first steps that would destroy the institution of slavery.At the beginning of the Civil War, Lincoln’s main goal was the preservation of the Union. But as the war continued, the complete emancipation of the slaves became a necessity. From the beginning of the war, Blacks had come over into the Union lines. How to treat these “contrabands of war” as they were called? The Northern generals began to liberate the slaves. Meanwhile Lincoln edged toward emancipation. In Mar. 1862, he proposed that federalcompensation be offered to any state which began gradual emancipation. On July 17, 1862, a Confiscation Act was passed, liberating the slaves of all persons aiding the rebellion. (Fan, 2005) On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The Proclamation declared freedom for all slaves in the areas under Confederate control. He emphasized that this action was based on his war powers. The immediate effect of the Emancipation Proclamation did not become law until January 31, 1865 when Congress ratified the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution which completely abolished slavery in the United States. The proclamation, containing, among others things, the following, to wit:“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.”“And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States and parts of States are, and henceforward shall be, free; and that the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.”“And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God.”Most whites did not consider blacks -- or Negroes, as they called them -- to be their equal. Lincoln was no different. But he believed that slavery was wrong.Yet he thought that slavery would die out naturally over time -- and that outsiders should not force southerners to end slavery. He explained his position many times in speeches, debates and letters, including this one written in eighteen fifty-eight:The declaration that "all men are created equal" is the great fundamental principle upon which our free institutions rest; that negro slavery is violative of that principle; but that, by our frame of government, that principle has not been made one of legal obligation; that by our frameof government, the states which have slavery are to retain it, or surrender it at their own pleasure; and that all others —individuals, free states and national government —are constitutionally bound to leave them alone about it.But Lincoln changed his mind. Some historians think the death of his eleven-year-old son Willie had an influence. The president and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, had four children, all sons. Three got sick and died. Only one lived past the age of eighteen.Tom Schwartz is the Illinois state historian and an expert on Abraham Lincoln. He says the president began to think seriously about the meaning of life after Willie died in eighteen sixty-two. Lincoln never joined a church, but he believed in a supreme being who created every person with a purpose in life.After his son's death, Lincoln decided that one of his purposes was to be an emancipator -- to begin the process of freeing the slaves. A few months later, he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation.Many people think the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves. It did not. It only declared slaves in the Confederacy to be free. In other words, only slaves in the southern states that did not recognize Lincoln as president.Lincoln read the first draft of the document to his cabinet in July of eighteen sixty-two, five months after Willie's death.A new stage play has been written about those five months in Lincoln's life. "The Heavens Are Hung In Black" by James Still is the first play being presented in the newly redecorated Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. That is the same theater where President Lincoln was shot in eighteen sixty-five.Historians say that by writing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln established a moral purpose for the war. No longer was the purpose simply to bring the southern states back into the Union. Now his declaration made freeing the slaves a long-term goal of the conflict.It put the Confederate states in the position of fighting for slavery -- even though most of the soldiers were too poor to own slaves. And it increased the military strength of the Union by making it possible for free blacks to serve in the northern army.Political opponents and the press criticized actions taken by President Lincoln.The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees free speech and a free press. Yet Lincoln briefly closed some newspapers.Another action that he took was to suspend the right of habeas corpus. Habeas corpus is a legal term for the right to have a judge decide if a person is being detained lawfully. The request is made to the court in a written document called a writ.The Constitution, in setting limits on Congress, says in Article One: "The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it."Suspending habeas corpus means that a prisoner can be held without trial for as long as the government wants.Abraham Lincoln or his cabinet officers suspended that right several times. They believed they were acting within the Constitution.President Lincoln knew that he would be criticized for issuing such orders without waiting for congressional approval. Yet he himself was not sure what powers he had in many situations. American history could offer no guide. After all, the country had never before had a civil war.Yet Abraham Lincoln is often called America's greatest president. He is remembered as the man who saved the Union and re-invented it at the same time.By including blacks, Lincoln expanded "the borders of freedom," says historian Tom Schwartz. Lincoln himself said his purpose was to provide "an open field and a fair chance in life." He succeeded in beginning that process, though black Americans did not gain full civil rights until the nineteen sixties.Abraham Lincoln was the first presidential candidate of the modern Republican Party. He included political opponents in his cabinet, which is unusual. Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote about this in her two thousand five books "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln."Lincoln was the leading force behind the Thirteenth Amendment which officially ended slavery in the United States. It became law in December of eighteen sixty-five.By then, Lincoln was dead. On April 14th, 1865, Southern sympathizer and actor John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln in Ford's Theatre. It happened five days after the South surrendered and the Civil War ended.Not surprisingly, America's sixteenth president is a hero of another former Illinois lawmaker. Barack Obama has spoken repeatedly of Lincoln's influence in making it possible for the country to have its first African-American president.During the three decades after the war, the civil rights of blacks disappeared under the pressure of white rule in the South and the force of the US Supreme Court decision to narrow the application of the Reconstruction Amendments. The fundamental problem of the Black person’s place in American society has continued to haunt subsequent generations.Abraham Lincoln fighted for the freedom and equal rights of African Americans so that African Americans’roles were enhanced to some extent. At least, they were not slaveries any more.3.2 Martin Luther King and I Have a DreamIn 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in the United States. One hundred years after this decree was signed, however, the life of blacks was still "sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination." On August 28, 1963, a quarter of a million people of all races came to Washington, D. C., to show their support for freedom and justice for all Americans, and for black people in particular. At that demonstration Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered this famous speech, widely regarded as the most eloquent statement of the black people's dreams and aspirations ever made. Dr. King told the world, "I have a dream" that equality would come "to all of God's children." He said he wanted everyone to be able to "join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last! Free at last…'"“To be a Negro in America is to hope against hope,” wrote Martin Luther King. The advance of the black man in the United States, from the position of slave to that of proud and equal citizen, is slow. The black man’s hopes have often ended in despair.“Of the good things in life he has about one-half those of whites; of the bad he has twice those of those of whites,” wrote Dr. King. Half of all black people lived in poor houses. They received about half as much pay as whites. They had twice as many of their people out of work and twice as many babies dead for lack of proper care. Allowing for their numbers, twice as many black men as white fought in the war in Vietnam, and twice as many died in that war. Most。
