Slaves first came to the United States in the early 17th century, and slavery did not end until after the Civil War. Though slaves spent their time suffering by working on plantations, they spent some of the time singing songs that were passed down to them by their ancestors. Spirituals are religious songs associated with slavery of African Americans in America, typically in the southern states. Music has been a key part of people’s lives in Africa, and they made music to worship. White colonists did not approve of this form of worship because they viewed it as idolatrous, so the slaves turned to secret meetings to worship in the way that they wanted to. The slaves were introduced to Christianity in the late 17th century, and as the slave population took up these religious beliefs, they created spirituals to express their faith that were inspired by Biblical stories.
Spirituals usually take on a call and response form, and they capture a rage of emotions. For example, “sorrow songs” are usually slow and melancholic to represent their struggles and the connection they have to Jesus Christ’s suffering, while “jubilees” are more joyful and sung at a faster pace. There are also other spirituals that are viewed as protest songs because they used code words and phrases to help slaves escape (Library of Congress). A source called the “Slave Songs of the United States” has done their best to codify these songs and track down their location of origin, which shows what types of songs were sung in each area of the United States (Slave Songs of the United States). It is interesting to see running themes in many of them but also minor differences in the way that some are sung or how some exhibit stronger emotions. Overall, these songs created a sense of community and connection that the slaves used to survive throguh all of their struggling, and some eventually experienced the joy of emancipation and life as newly freed people.
Works Cited
“African American Spirituals.” The Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197495/.
Allen, William Frances. Slave Songs of the United States. Dover Publications, 2000. https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/allen/allen.html
