Sole Objectives Of Negro Spirituals

By Tamika Quinn

Negroes originally came from Africa to America through slavery. So as to preserve their heritage, they used art as a means to achieve this. They wrote songs and crafted images to portray their life on their journey and during bondage. This was to help their future generations in knowing the background they came from. They tried all they can to protect these songs, which the later generation have edited using modern technology. Below we will look at the fundamental reason as to why Negro spirituals were wrote.

Slavery was a very cumbersome activity. People were subjected to very long hours of hard labor. To lessen the feeling, the captives would use songs to motivate each other. Not only did they act to make working easier, they also had a message of hope of redemption. It played a big role in bonding them as a unit and prevented wrangles among them.

Though slavery is a very spiritually challenging, this did not detour the captives from believing in God. Many of the African Americans converted and became devoted to Christianity. They used to congregate and sing songs of faith which clearly portrayed their belief. This helped a lot in giving them hope that one day they will be released basing their arguments on the story of Moses. Also when eventually slavery was abolished, faith made them to forgive and able to leave harmoniously with their masters.

The spirituals also carried coded messages that only the slaves could understand. Though both their masters spoke English, they formed a secret language to discuss matters that they seemed confidential to them. If for example a captive would decide to escape, he may put it in a song and chant it to his mates in front of the master. This tune would describe his intention and how he envisages doing this.

Social awareness is also another matter that was played by these songs. If there were matters that needed to be passed to the whole community that needed them to fully participate, the songs were used. Especially their call for freedom was a very grueling experience and without psyche some would have given up. Songs sang during this period played the role of encouraging one both physically and mentally and made all to participate in unison. In modern times their heirs are using them to raise funds.

Music can also be used to teach history from one generation to another. Blacks in America most of whom were not subjected to slavery can educate themselves on what their ancestors underwent. These songs contain the whole story from their origin in Africa and there experience in America. This has not only made them conscious but also brought a sense of brotherhood amongst them.

To relieve sorrow that accompanied the harsh times spirituals were sang to serve this purpose. Just as an aching heart would be relieved by tears so were the songs used to calm their inner selves. Most of the tunes were drafted to deal with unhappy situations.

In conclusion, we should forever cherish our heritage and preserve it. Society can use past scenarios to come up with solutions to present problems. Negro spirituals should be used in such circumstances.

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