Many people believe that the first inhabitants of America were the pilgrims, but they are wrong. Indians and Africans were here long before pilgrims. African culture has bled through society. Today many foods such as collard greens and architecture such as pyramids and the sphinx come from early african culture. Perhaps the biggest African influence is music; including jazz, blues, early forms of rock and roll, and especially rap. Elements of rap can be seen in early African songs such as James Weldon Johnson's Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Through the readings so far in the book African American Literature I have learned that African slaves would