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From pain and gain, African Americans shape U.S. culture Americans have embraced the riffs of black music, lauded works from Richard Wright to Toni Morrison, and utilized the inventions, eaten the foods and emulated the credos of many African Americans. Yet 100 years after the publication of W.E.B. Du Bois' "The Souls of Black Folk," the cultural impact of African Americans is still often unrecognized, even though, as one scholar puts it, they represent "the deepest, purest expression of what America is about." Full Story Gallery: Cultural pioneers Gallery: Musical stalwarts Quiz: Black history trivia Gallery: Black visionaries

African-American performers, artists and innovators have had a profound, if not always appreciated, impact on American society. More

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Cultural pioneers

From peanut butter to pencil sharpeners to modern stop lights, black inventors have significantly altered American society. More

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Black inventors

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Game

Students examine the ideas and try to emulate the success of legendary black writers like Ralph Ellison and Richard Wright. More

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Notable authors

Many of America's most distinctive, enchanting sounds -- gospel, jazz, blues, rock 'n' roll and rap -- are rooted in black culture. More

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Legendary musicians



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