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How Did African American Music Influence The Civil Rights Movement

1443 Words6 Pages

African American music has a rich history of serving as a form of resistance against oppression and injustice. Four prominent musical forms during the Antebellum period were work songs, field hollers, folk songs, and spirituals. Work songs were sung by slaves while they performed manual labor and often contained hidden messages of resistance and hope. For example, Levine (587-598) notes that work songs often contained coded lyrics that referred to escape or rebellion. For example, “Pick a Bale of Cotton” was a work song that contained hidden references to the difficulties of slave life and the hope of freedom. Field hollers were solo or communal songs sung by slaves in the fields and served as a way to communicate and express emotions. According …show more content…

According to Bernice Johnson Reagon in "The Civil Rights Movement" (Reagon, pages 598-623), music served as a source of inspiration, motivation, and solidarity among the activists and the African American community. "Freedom songs" were a central aspect of the Civil Rights Movement and were often borrowed from older African American spirituals, gospel, and blues music. One of the most famous examples of freedom songs is "We Shall Overcome," a gospel song transformed into a protest anthem. According to Soundtrack for a Revolution, "We Shall Overcome" became the unofficial anthem of the Civil Rights Movement and was often sung at rallies, marches, and sit-ins. The song's message of hope, resilience, and determination was a source of inspiration for the activists and a symbol of the African American struggle for freedom. Another example of a freedom song is "This Little Light of Mine." According to Reagon (Reagon, pages 598-623), "This Little Light of Mine" was transformed from a gospel song into a protest song and was used by Civil Rights activists as a symbol of their resistance to oppression. The song's message of hope and determination was a source of inspiration and motivation for the activists, and its upbeat rhythm was used to sustain the energy of the marchers and protesters. To conclude, music played a critical role in the American Civil Rights Movement, serving as a form of resistance, expression, and inspiration for the African American community. Freedom songs transformed from older African American music, such as gospel and blues, became powerful symbols of the Civil Rights struggle and served to unify the activists and the

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