Why Negro Spirituals Matter

By Leia Jackson

Negro Spirituals are a type of religious folksong that is most closely associated with the enslavement of African people in the American South. Enslaved Africans in America created spirituals because it was a way of coping with the horrors that were brought along with slavery. Music was important because it was a way to communicate, provided spiritual connection and comfort, and an outlet from all the crazy things that happened in their daily lives.

African Roots

Although Negro spirituals were created during slavery in America, it was influenced by African traditions. In West Africa, griots who were oral storytellers traveled from city to city and village to village as living newspapers carrying with them an incredible amount of local history and current events. History was sung instead of written because there were a lot of people who couldn’t read or write, but could  memorize a song that was sung, and sing it to others. This was their way to preserve  their cultural traditions. These traditions survived slavery because they were consistently being used.

 Slavery & Survival

Life during slavery was extremely harsh. Enslaved people were treated as property, forced to work long hours, and were whipped. Music became necessary because it helped them survive and was the only  access to communication. It also provided them with comfort and strength.

They used five types  of  music  which were field hollers, work songs, sorrow songs,moans and groans and negro spirituals.

Religion & Meaning

Slaveowners used the bible to justify slavery, even when it was not the original  meaning. This was common especially during the enslavement of African people. These scriptures show that slavery was practiced in biblical times, with rules about obedience and ownership, instead of opposing it.

• 1 Peter 2:18-20 tells enslaved people to obey their masters even when they are harsh.
• Leviticus 25:44-46  allows the Israelites to own enslaved people from other nations and treat them as property that could be passed down to their children.

On the other hand, enslaved people focused on bible verses that brought hope. Some examples are stories about  Moses delivering the Hebrew slaves from Egypt; the many trials of Job; and God delivering Daniel from the lion’s den.They believed if they waited on God  he would deliver them  from slavery.

How Negro Spirituals Worked

There were many aspects to Negro spirituals and how they were used. One aspect is call and response. This is when one person  begins the song and other singers repeat the line back. This was used because most enslaved people couldn’t read. One person may read a line from a hymn book and the rest of the congregation would sing it back.  

Next, improvisation was used. This is the creative activity of in the moment musical composition which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to the other performers. African Americans often used improvisation because spirituals often told stories. After the leader would add to the story to keep it going, when the next person sang, it would be slightly different from each storyteller.

Finally, rhythm and syncopation is the practice of displacing the beats or accents in music or a rhythm so that strong beats become weak and vice versa. These sounds made enslaved people  feel more connected to the ancestral land and it was just a way for them to get rid of the  hardship and pain they had already experienced. This is important because it allows us to understand how enslaved people used music to make hard things in their lives more hopeful. Because they had their music they could be happy and joyful.

Coded Messages

While the enslaved people were in the field they weren’t allowed to talk with other slaves, but they could  sing songs about biblical stories. Secrecy was very important to enslaved people. Songs were coded because they expressed  sorrow at the current condition,hope that one day things would change, warnings, and messages.  Sometimes those coded messages were about how to get to freedom.

To get to freedom enslaved people had to cross the Mason-Dixon line. This was the boundary line that made up the border between Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. Over time the line was extended to the Ohio River to make up the entire southern border  of Pennsylvania. It  became the unofficial border between the North and South, and more importantly, between states where slavery was allowed and states where slavery had been abolished.

Conclusion

Negro Spirituals still matter today because they are a powerful connection to Africa, and African American music. Spirituals show resilience, musical creativity, and were an important part of the enslaved peoples way of life and how they communicated. It is a reminder that you can find hope in moments of sadness and despair.