The construction of hypotheses concerning blacks in America requires an understanding of two enduring influences on collective black experience: (1) whites' treatment of blacks as slaves and (2) West African culture that helped to shape black adaptation to the conditions engendered by slavery. White racist attitudes and the psychological distance that whites kept between themselves and blacks under slavery strengthened African cultural values of cooperation, community, and strong family ties and fostered a supportive black social structure, a unique black culture, and a consciousness of race. Negative black behavior during slavery and at present, viewed in the context of the hostility and violence perpetrated by whites against blacks in America, emerged as blacks' adaptive responses for their survival in inhumane conditions. Factors that contributed to the slaves' psychological survival include (1) genetic selection; (2) ability to adjust to harsh realities; (3) self-esteem; (4) community support; and (5) creativity. This perspective on blacks under the slave system suggests the hypotheses that in current black communities, human support networks are more important than institutional structures for emotional survival and that white racism and black traditions continue to affect blacks' perceptions of themselves individually and in communities. (Author/MJL)