Rhythmically Apparent
Tap dance is a dance where the artist utilizes only his feet. The upper piece of the body isn't moved a lot, but more so relaxed. In this dance, the artist puts on extraordinary shoes which have metal plates at the heel and at the toe. The entertainer moves by tapping these shoes onto a hard surface in a rythmic and or syncopated pattern with company of music and/or no music at all. The sound that leaves the tapping is like that made by a percussionists. Tap artists just need a particular rhythm and the rest is up to them.
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Africans
People within the African Diaspora were not the only ones to invent percussive foot movements in their dance styles, however it is often mislead by many scholars that African learned it from Irish people.
Irish
The Irish percussive foot movements weren't recognized until 100 years after the Africans. Most people are aware of the Irish jig however, this was only made by them so there was a distinction between the African Jig which was made 1st.
English
English Clogging emerged in the 19th century, it is entitled differently because the shoes used are "clogs", however it is very similar to tap. This is because it is still a percussive style dancing, inn which they strike the wooden soles of the clogs onto hard surfaces.
Fusion
Tap dance today combines all these styles (African, Irish and English) making it a fusion of the cultures. Once these three stylized percussive foot movements were in one area they all feed off each other creating new steps and more.