Around 1800 there were four million African Amercans, and the total population of the USA was more than five times this number. In 2009 the population of the USA was approximately 300 million , and 38.1 million of the population were African American. More than 50% of African Americans today have better economy , better education and better job opportunities . However, tough there are many African Americans who are important figures in politics, sport and entertainment, many others live in areas with a high rates of social problems such as; illiteracy, drug addiction, crime, violence and unemployment.