African Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestors who came from Africa. Their forefathers were brought to American colonies as slaves in the 17th and 18th centuries. About 40 million African Americans, 13% of the total population, live in the USA today.
In the past, African Americans have been known by many names. They were called Negroes, Blacks, and Coloureds. In the last 30 years, the term African Americans has officially been used.
About half of them live in the southern states of the USA, the rest in large cities of the East, Midwest and West.
African Americans – % of total population (2010)
Source; U.S. Census Bureau
Image: Ghislain Montvernay ; Licence : CC BY-SA 3.0
via Wikimedia Commons
Words
- ancestor = a member of your family who lived a long time ago
- century = a period of a hundred years
- citizen = someone who lives in a country and has rights there
- forefathers = the people, especially men, who were part of your family a long time ago
- officially =in public
- slave = someone who is owned by another person and works for them without getting any money