The term African American generally denotes descendants of enslaved Africans who are from the United States and constitute the second largest racial group in the US. African American history began in the 16th century, with Africans being sold to European slave traders and transported across the Atlantic to the Thirteen Colonies. During Reconstruction, they gained citizenship and the right to vote, but due to White supremacy, they were largely treated as second-class citizens and found themselves soon disenfranchised in the South. These circumstances only slowly changed due to participation in the military conflicts of the United States, substantial migration out of the South, the elimination of legal racial segregation, and the civil rights movement which sought political and social freedom.
