I (as a white American) didn't know about this history, and have played Spades as a family game for as long as I can remember.
Some interesting variations - we usually played with no Jokers, no bag, but with a negative score rule when not meeting bid. Also, a card selection mechanic if 2 players are playing - the players would alternating picking cards from from the deck, decide whether they wanted it, then keep it and discard the next card, or discard and have to keep the next card. This prevents knowing exactly what the other player has in the 2 player scenario.
Some interesting variations - we usually played with no Jokers, no bag, but with a negative score rule when not meeting bid. Also, a card selection mechanic if 2 players are playing - the players would alternating picking cards from from the deck, decide whether they wanted it, then keep it and discard the next card, or discard and have to keep the next card. This prevents knowing exactly what the other player has in the 2 player scenario.