As there were intentional and systematic efforts on the part of Europeans to erase the culture of their African slaves, much more Europeanization took place than Africanization. That being said, there were a number of subtle ways in which elements of African culture were adopted by Europeans and European-Americans.

Music is perhaps the most tangible and widely available example of how Europeans in America were "Africanized." Almost all American music owes its existence to musical elements brought to the continent by West African slaves. Any song that you hear that utilizes call and response or poly-rhythmic beats can trace these back to Africa. As slaves would sing in the fields or at religious services, they utilized these and other African musical elements. This gave birth to genres such as gospel, which in turn, led to the development of the blues, jazz, R&B, country, rock and roll, rap, hip-hop, and so forth.

The same happened in Latin America, and these African musical elements can be found in Salsa, Bachata, and other Latin musical genres. It is safe to say that the music of the Americas owes a lot to slaves from Africa. Furthermore, as music and dance was and is a central part of West African social interaction, it became imbued in much of the social fabric of America as well.

Speech patterns in certain parts of America were also heavily influenced by African slaves. Linguists have traced certain words and the influence of some accents to Africa. One of the most common words in America—"okay"—may very well have originated in the slave community.

American storytelling owes a lot to the legacy of slavery. Africans brought their folktales with them, which were adapted over time to suit their new environment and conditions. Many of these, such as Bre’r Rabbit and Uncle Remus, have become integrated into the overall cultural identity of the nation.

It is clearly true that African slaves were Europeanized to a great degree.  They typically learned to speak English and became Christian.  Their descendants born in the New World were born into a society dominated by Europeans.  However, the African slaves also had an impact on white society, even if it was not as great as white society’s impact on them.

Slaves, of course, often cooked for their masters.  This meant that African cooking influenced the food culture of the South.  African Americans are given credit for introducing such things as fried chicken, barbeque, and collard and mustard greens into the Southern diet.  They are credited with making Southern food more highly spiced than food from other places.

The slaves also had a great influence on music and dance in the South.  For example, the banjo is an instrument that was developed from an African musical instrument.  When playing European instruments, black musicians also inserted aspects of their own native musical tradition.  African dance styles also influenced the whites who saw them performed.

Blacks also Africanized their masters in other ways.  The fact that many plantation children were raised by black caregivers had an influence on their speech patterns, for example.  Some linguists believe that the Southern way of speaking was heavily influenced by African speech patterns.

Thus, Africans had a strong influence on European colonists even if the reverse influence was more obvious and more prevalent.