The African-Americans, as all other groups in the Americas, managed to contribute certain things for the development of this part of the world. One big contribution was that they were one of the major forces on the large plantations, thus they were crucial for the sustainability and economic progress of the colonies. Another contribution was that they brought the rice with it and thought the European colonists how to cultivate it, which was of great use both for the home market and for export. The shotgun houses were also a contribution of the African-Americans, as this was a Yoruba type of house that they preserved as their tradition, and being practical and easy to build it quickly became popular.