Black History in America is at the root of American history. No group of Americans has ever been faced with this level of oppression and managed to maintain enough faith to still produce many of our country’s greatest contributions. Here is an in-depth look at what I mean and why I believe every American can celebrate Black History Month all year long.

Slavery

The first African slaves arrived at Jamestown, Va., in 1619. They were made up of Africans who had been stolen from a Portuguese slave ship. The slaves were then transported to an English warship flying a Dutch flag and sold to colonial settlers in American.

The years that followed set the tone for a new American culture that dehumanized Africans, beating them, lashing and lynching them. This barbaric behavior included young child slaves, as masters would rub their wounds with salt right after to intensify the violent whippings.

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Slavery was big business in America. Plantations with African slaves spread throughout the South as cotton became more profitable. Between 1800 and 1860, one million slaves were transported to new locations. According to the Equal Justice Institute, “roughly half of all enslaved people were separated from their spouses and parents; about 1 in 4 of those sold were children.”

We can never forget this dark time in American history and it is our duty as Americans to pay our respects to over a million American slaves while we continue to address the many lasting effects of our nation’s most evil sin.

Blacks’ contributions to America

Black slaves built our nation’s capital and many of our historical buildings around the United States and most didn’t live to receive even a simple a thank you. This is what Black History Month is all about – honoring the tens of thousands of individuals who have made our country great.

This month, and every month, we should celebrate men like George Washington Carver, who invented more than 300 uses for peanuts and revolutionized farming by implementing crop rotation in order to preserve the soil.

Here are more:

Richard Spikes – He invented the first gear shift in 1932 and went on to invent several other automotive improvements that still make our lives better. Oh, and, he also invented the beer tap.

Benjamin Banneker was born to freed slaves in 1731. The Baltimore Sun describes him well. He was “a scientist, surveyor and farmer whose accomplishments included helping to set the original boundaries of Washington, D.C., publishing a series of popular almanacs in the 1790s and trading letters on slavery and racial equality with Thomas Jefferson.”

John Pickering – He invented the first blimp to have an electric motor and directional controls.

Charles Drew – He was born in Washington, D.C., in 1904 and later created the first large scale blood bank. As a surgeon, researcher and inventor, his invention has gone on to save millions of lives across the world.

Dr. George Grant – A dentist by profession, he was also a golfer. He invented the first wooden golf tee.

Garrett Morgan -- He invented the precursor to the modern three-way traffic light and the gas mask.

Sarah Boone – She helped to improve the ironing board and received patent rights for her invention.

Daniel Hale Williams – He was one of the first physicians in the United States to perform open-heart surgery. He also helped to create an integrated hospital.

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Otis Boykin -- He was born in Dallas, Texas, and, according to Biography.com, "His most famous invention was a control unit for the pacemaker. Ironically, Boykin died in Chicago in 1982 as a result of heart failure. Upon his death, he had 26 patents to his name.” His invention helped improve the lives of millions – and still does to this day.

Frederick Jones – This inventor made a difference not only in the United States but around the world. Again, from Biography.com, Jones “was an inventor best known for the development of refrigeration equipment used to transport food and blood during World War II.” It goes without saying that Jones’ refrigeration machine continues to improve lives to this very day.

Lewis Latimer – Born in 1848 to runaway slaves, Latimer can be credited with bringing light into all our lives. According to Scholastic, “Latimer worked with the famous inventor Hiram Maxim at the U.S. Electric Lighting Company. While working there in 1881, Latimer patented a carbon filament for the incandescent lightbulb. The invention helped make electric lighting practical and affordable for the average household.”

Alexander Miles – He invented a device to open and close elevator doors. That’s something that still enhances our lives all year long.

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Finally, there are many, many more inventions from African-Americans that include the ice cream scooper, the rotary lawnmower, the street letter drop mailbox, portable pencil sharpener and the home camera security system!

Now you see why I say that we have many reasons to celebrate the contributions of African-Americans to our great country and why every American can be part of the celebration all year long.

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