Most African Americans are descendants of enslaved people within the boundaries of the present United States. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States. after White Americans and Hispanic and Latino Americans. African Americans constitute the third largest racial or ethnic group in the U.S.
African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or Black Americans, are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa.