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Question: Besides their work through slavery, what did african-americans contribute to America before the Civil War!?
I am writing an essay on the contributions of both women and African-Americans [both minorities at the time] before the Civil War!. It was easy enough to find information on female contributions, but the only thing that the internet likes to give details about is African-American slavery!. It's difficult to find information of any of their other contributions to our country!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
redgriffin728 gave a very good answer!. I listen to a black history professor give a lecture once on how slaves were often times trained in skill labor to make the master and himself extra money!. Almost all the skilled craftsmen, (glass makers, carpenters, stone masons, blacksmiths) were African American!. Many old churches in the South were build by these Black Craftsmen!. Stain Glass windows were a specialty of their art work and some even tell a story about their life, in parallel with biblical stories!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

There are many notable pre-Civil War individuals you can look at, for example:
York, one of the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition
Jean Baptiste Pointe de Sable, who founded Chicago
Crispus Attucks, one of those killed in the Boston Massacre
and many others!.

Women were not, by the way, and have never been, a minority in the US!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

In early America, the were some notable people of Afro descent, like Mathias DeSouza in the 1630's in colonial America!. If you go to St!. Mary's county in Maryland, there you can read more about him in the local museum!. He was also merchant trader, had own ship and commanded his crew, which helped establishment of the settlements around Chesapeake Bay!. He even sit in Maryland General Assembly!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The Free Black man did every job that a white man would do!. They had the rights of a citizen since they had saved their money up and bought their freedom!. The way in the South until the 1840's was that a slave could be loaned out to another man's farm for a fee!. The fee was paid top the Slave holder but an extra amount might be paid to the Slave if he /she did extra work not originally agreed upon like a field hand helping with some smithing or a woman being a Midwife to the lady of the farm when she was hired to do just housework!. The slaves knew that this would happen and so they might do more so thaqt they could get extra money and hopefully buy their freedom!. Read Huck Finn that was what Jim had done was going back to buy his family out of slavery!.

The Blacks had set up complete societies in the Cities and Towns of the US before even as they did after the Civil War!. There was an Upper, Middle and Lower class in the Black parts of those towns!. So you could say that the free black man along with the white man built this country into what it was but they did it the same way as most women did it behind the scenes or unknown!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well lets see:
Philis Wheatley was the first published African American poet in the late 1700's!.

Henry Blair patented his corn harvester in 1834

Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806)
Mathematician, InventorWww@QuestionHome@Com

There were some who fought in the American Revolution and War of 1812 (for both Americans and the British)!.!.!.

Others were writers, poets, or early champions of civil rights!.Www@QuestionHome@Com