African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. In the United States the term is generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Most African Americans are the descendants of captive Africans who survived the slavery era within the boundaries of the present United States, although some are — or are descended from — voluntary immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, South America, or elsewhere. Black Americans made up the largest minority in the United States until officially being overtaken by Hispanics for the first time in 2003.