The Impact of Music and Dance on Saving African Slaves Culture

Art is important to every culture, in every country, on every continent. Art is especially important to those who are oppressed in society. This reasoning is true for the culture of the African slaves in the United States from 1830 to 1877 in particular who were forced out of the life they knew, stripped of their names, and told even beaten to forget their heritage. The method to doing this is by examining the works of several enslaved artists from that time in history, and events that happened during their daily lives, surrounding major historic events we study today. Also reading articles, journals, and important historical documents about slaves and slave culture and how life was for them in this time in the United States. Then, one can better understand exactly how essential the different forms of artistic expression were in the lives of the slaves. The right to education and showing their culture through song, and music allowed slaves to pass on their history, morality and their individual stories for all to adhere and learn to tell their story. Therefore this paper will demonstrate art was important to the culture of American slaves from 1830-1877 because it allowed self-expression, taught history and practiced morality through education, song and music.

Music and Dance

In music and dance, Slaves expressed their personal creativity and their cultural heritage. They brought aspects of their culture with them and kept alive the rhythms of their homeland. They created instruments such as the drums, banjo, and even wooden flutes to help chime together the rhythm of their Negro ballads. They seldom had free time, but slaves spent that time enjoying family time surrounded by dancing and singing together. Slaves used music for a lot of different reasons. Some for celebration, others for ceremonial reasons. Songs were known as ‘Negro spirituals’ sung in the black churches. Songs such as ‘Adam in the garden’ and then ‘wade in the water’ and many other religious hymns to keep them moving through the days. Other songs were about the work they had to do and how hard it was. Some songs even were about the harsh treatment the masters were to them and how it made them all feel. Some were sad, some rejoiced. All in all, slaves put feeling in everything they did and it was beautiful.

All the songs created had roots in their African heritage that they refused to get rid of. Other types of songs were the work songs and of course songs for entertainment. Around this time in the 1830s, “The musical capacity of the negro race had been recognized for so many years from old popular plantation songs such as ‘Coal-black Rose’ and ‘Zip Coon’, collectively, along with 5 other spirituals in the collection, were regularly sung in black churches and communities .” African Americans overall helped mold the roots for today’s culture; popular genres of music such as gospel, jazz, and blues that many enjoyed and many became used to.

Conclusion

Art, especialy music and dance, was important to the culture of American slaves from 1830-1877 because it allowed self-expression, taught history and practiced morality through education, song, and music. Art is still a key importance to our everyday life today. Thanks to African American slave songs which were renovated over the years we have today a few genres such as jazz, rhythm and blues, ragtime, soul and many other that roots all come from what was said and sung in years back.