he Golden Crescent is
rich in African American history. On isolated coastal plantations, enslaved blacks created
the unique Gullah culture, based on mixed European and African elements. At the center of
Gullah culture was the Gullah language, which drew most of its vocabulary from English and
its grammar from West African languages. Other aspects of Gullah culture included musical
and dance styles of African origin and a Christianity infused with African spirituality
and emotionalism. African storytelling traditions survived in tales of "Brer
Rabbit" and "Brer Bear," tales in which the weak often outsmarted the
strong. Features of this rich cultural heritage survive in many crescent communities. Following emancipation, freedpeople in Georgia and Florida created educational institutions, supported black political leaders, and struggled to escape exploitative sharecropping and tenant arrangements. Throughout the era of segregation, blacks relied on their churches, schools, mutual aid societies, and other institutions to survive. |
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