How The African American Spirituals Have Influenced The Black Culture

By Tamika Powell

The African American spirituals are nothing more but the religious songs that were composed and sang by the blacks before the abolition of slavery became legal. These racial groups were deeply rooted to Christianity during those times. The term is said to derive from the word spiritual song which is taken from the book of Ephesians in the bible.

There are several elements in the music that can be traced from the racial origins of the group. The music that comes out is basically specific and religious in the area. It is also among the things that people would have to consider in the area. It should be something that they need to do once and for all.

They were also encourage to hold their own prayer meetings which would often take place after the regular worship services. There are also designated prayer houses which are dedicated to these racial groups. Other slaves have held their own worship services where they are free to express what they can express in terms of worship.

In many cases, it is noticeable that the songs that were written were strictly biblical. These are then passed from generation to generation. These are often sung and taught to the next generation so that they will be familiar with it. The people were able to relate with the bible stories as these were the then acts that had a similar nature to what they were going through.

A number of those who sympathiized with the plight of the slaves and those who have escaped from their owners operated the underground railroad. This was then the escape route of the slaves which is located in the southern states and stretches all the way to the north in the Canadian regions. It was one of the things that have led them to the organizing of a resistance against the whites.

There were restrictions back then to the way they had to worship God. In some cases, there are many rules that oppose the jumping and dancing inside the church. The Jumping and the dancing are part of the culture of the African. Aside from the proper conduct, they were also forbidden to go back to paganism which was the primary culture in the area.

Slave composers then took the traditional songs and hymns and made it their own. They had infused their own culture into the songs making it more lively than before. This is not different from the Biblical version, it is a new and a much more creative presentation of the raw materials. This could be the cause why many people believe their music to be much brighter than before.

This marked the beginnings of other genres of music which are blues, jazz and the more recent hip hop. This phase in the musical history should make the person do the things that they need to do. The slaves have contributed a lot to the shaping and reformation of the culture of America.

It was not until the twentieth century that the African American spirituals (http://www.calvinearl.com) are among the things that people want to have. There are so many things that they needed to do. It has served as a foundation for the creation of other musical genres.

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