Keeping Slave’s Spirits Alive through Spirituals
United States slaves suffered under harsh conditions and were denied numerous human rights. Nevertheless, they still managed to develop their own culture through art and music. Their spirits remained high and their faith in a Christian God never wavered. The spirituals of the African American slaves were created as a reformation of this faith, as well as a pastime, outlet for emotion, and conveyors of hidden messages to plan secret gatherings and escape plans to the North. While these songs were originally spread orally to other slaves, Methodist preacher Richard Allen published them in a hymnal, including No More Auction Block, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Steal Away to Jesus, and Promises of Freedom, so that these songs, and their culture, may be preserved for on going generation.
No More Auction Block relays the feeling of Africans who are fed up with their oppressed way of living. The narrator of the song states that they are no longer going to be a part of these customs. The narrator of this song may be a freed slave, who is happily rejoicing that they have gotten past this suffering and now are ready to enjoy a life a freedom. It may also be sung as a song of hope for freedom …show more content…
It was not until long after its creation that this song with written down. The heavy use of repetition in this song makes is simple to remember and easily orally spread to a wider group of slaves, so that the messages of hope and strong spiritedness may carry on to others.
The themes of hope and salvation carry on in another African slave song Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Here the narrator expresses their view of death as a welcomed escape from slavery. The chariot the poem refers to is symbolic of death and is there to carry them home, to heaven. This symbolism is made clear by the second stanza:
“I looked over Jordan and what did I
United States slaves suffered under harsh conditions and were denied numerous human rights. Nevertheless, they still managed to develop their own culture through art and music. Their spirits remained high and their faith in a Christian God never wavered. The spirituals of the African American slaves were created as a reformation of this faith, as well as a pastime, outlet for emotion, and conveyors of hidden messages to plan secret gatherings and escape plans to the North. While these songs were originally spread orally to other slaves, Methodist preacher Richard Allen published them in a hymnal, including No More Auction Block, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Steal Away to Jesus, and Promises of Freedom, so that these songs, and their culture, may be preserved for on going generation.
No More Auction Block relays the feeling of Africans who are fed up with their oppressed way of living. The narrator of the song states that they are no longer going to be a part of these customs. The narrator of this song may be a freed slave, who is happily rejoicing that they have gotten past this suffering and now are ready to enjoy a life a freedom. It may also be sung as a song of hope for freedom …show more content…
It was not until long after its creation that this song with written down. The heavy use of repetition in this song makes is simple to remember and easily orally spread to a wider group of slaves, so that the messages of hope and strong spiritedness may carry on to others.
The themes of hope and salvation carry on in another African slave song Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Here the narrator expresses their view of death as a welcomed escape from slavery. The chariot the poem refers to is symbolic of death and is there to carry them home, to heaven. This symbolism is made clear by the second stanza:
“I looked over Jordan and what did I