African americans were originally brought to the united states as slaves in the 1600s. even after the emancipation proclamation, black americans were segregated and treated as third-class citizens. the civil rights act in 1965 initiated some legal changes, but attitudes continued to hamper life. part of what has bring african americans more fully into american life is an embrace of ancestral traditions, as well as the emergence of linguistic forms such as black english. while these are all commendable and important, african americans might not still be understood through the lens of