▁spiritual ▁practices . ▁The ▁ens la ved ▁Afr icans ▁brought ▁this ▁complex ▁religious ▁dynamic ▁within ▁their ▁culture ▁to ▁America . ▁This ▁fusion ▁of ▁traditional ▁African ▁belief s ▁with ▁Christian ity ▁provided ▁a ▁common place ▁for ▁those ▁pract icing ▁religion ▁in ▁Africa ▁and ▁America . ▁ ▁After ▁em an cip ation , ▁unique ▁African - American ▁trad itions ▁continued ▁to ▁fl our ish , ▁as ▁distinct ive ▁trad itions ▁or ▁radical ▁innov ations ▁in ▁music , ▁art , ▁literature , ▁religion , ▁cu is ine , ▁and ▁other ▁fields . ▁ 2 0 th - century ▁soci olog ists , ▁such ▁as ▁G unn ar ▁My rd al , ▁believed ▁that ▁African - Amer icans ▁had ▁lost ▁most ▁of ▁their ▁cultural ▁t ies ▁with ▁Africa . ▁But , ▁anth rop ological ▁field ▁research ▁by ▁Mel ville ▁H ers kov its ▁and ▁others ▁demonstrated ▁that ▁there ▁has ▁been ▁a ▁continu um ▁of ▁African ▁trad itions ▁among ▁Afr icans ▁of ▁the ▁di as por a . ▁The ▁greatest ▁influence ▁of ▁African ▁cultural ▁practices ▁on ▁European ▁culture ▁is ▁found ▁below ▁the ▁Mason - D ixon ▁line ▁in ▁the ▁American ▁South . ▁ ▁For ▁many ▁years ▁African - American ▁culture ▁developed ▁separately ▁from ▁American ▁culture , ▁both ▁because ▁of ▁sla very ▁and ▁the ▁pers istence ▁of ▁ra cial ▁disc rim ination ▁in ▁America , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁African - American ▁slave ▁descend ants ' ▁desire ▁to ▁create ▁and ▁maintain ▁their ▁own ▁trad itions . ▁Today , ▁African - American ▁culture ▁has ▁influenced ▁American ▁culture ▁and ▁yet ▁still ▁remains