CULTURE

There are certain attributes or characteristics that cause a group of people to be recognized as a race of people.

• A common language—Some races are tribal, however and do speak different languages
• Genetic similarity
• Social order and traditions that define a culture
• The family unit as a central and stabilizing factor
• The ability to pass on heritage and culture

The Africans had all these characteristics in their homeland. However, when they emerged thousands of miles and months removed from that reality as slaves in America they were destined to centuries of hardships that afforded them little chance to function as a race of people. They were captives in a hostile land thousands of miles from what was familiar to them with little or no chance to reclaim their lives or to continue their cultures as they knew them.

 

INVENTIONS

INVENTION

BLACK INVENTOR

The Refrigerator The Shoe Lasting Machine The Fountain Pen & the Hand Stamp The Electric Lamp The Gas Mask and Traffic Light Railway Telegraphy The Rotary Engine Air Conditioning Unit The Typewriter The Elevator The Automatic Gear Shift (cars) The Electric Trolley The Street Sweeper The Pencil Sharpener The Postmarking Machine The Letter Drop The Lawn Sprinkler The Lawn Mower The Heating Furnace The Ironing Board The Clothes Dryer

John Standard John Matzelinger W.B. Purvis Joseph Nichols/Lewis Lattimer Garrett Morgan Grandville Woods Andrew Beard Frederick Jones Lee Burridge Alexander Mils Richard Spikes Elbert R. Robinson Charles Brooks John Love William Barry Phillip Downing Joseph Smith John Burr Alice Parker Sarah Boone George T. Sammons