Europeans and people from around the world came to America to escape religious oppression and start anew with a culture unlike any other. In the 19th century, Ralph Waldo Emerson declared that America was declaring its cultural independence from its European ancestors. The United States has become a melting pot of the world; mixing people, language and heritage, creating opportunities for even the lowest and most hated ethnic groups. For the first time, slaves began to have their own culture and literature. America had its own literary movement sparking creativity that evolved into important parts of modern culture. The slave system expanded, despite the fact that more and more slaves became Christians and adopted American culture. Many slaves even considered themselves African Americans, and no longer purely Africans. The slaves worshiped the Christian God and began to baptize themselves to begin their religious life. The effort expended shows how willing slaves were to adapt their culture. Only a small minority of planters had a large n...