40.7 million 13.5% of the total U.S. population Non-Hispanic Black 36,657,280 12.15% of the U.S. population Black Hispanic 677,290-1,710,000 0.23-0.58% of the U.S. population

American English · African American Vernacular English · minorities speak Spanish · French · Haitian Creole · African languages

Predominantly Protestant (mainly of Black churches), significant numbers of Catholics and Jehovah's Witnesses. Minorities practice Islam and other religions

African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans or Afro-Americans) are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Most African Americans are the direct descendants of captive Africans who survived the slavery era within the boundaries of the present United States, although some are—or are descended from—immigrants from African, Caribbean, Central American or South American nations. As an adjective, the term is usually spelled African-American.

African-American history starts in the 17th century with indentured servitude in the American colonies and progresses onto the election of an African American as the 44th and current President of the United States – Barack Obama. Between those landmarks there were other events and issues, both resolved and ongoing, that were faced by African-Americans. Some of these were: slavery, reconstruction, development of the African-American community, participation in the great military conflicts of the United States, racial segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Black Americans make up the single largest racial minority in the United States and form the second largest racial group after whites in the United States.