How Did Music Affect The Civil Rights Movement

Introduction

Question: How crucial was music’s impact on the American civil rights movement?

In the American Civil War soldiers marched to the beating of a drum. The sounds were often played by young musicians who carried this responsibility with pride, inflicting upon them a sense of fidelity and allegiance to their companions. As famine afflicted those in Africa, Michael Jackson's song “We Are the World” created empathy and educated many about this heartbreaking reality. His efforts resulted in financial assistance from around the world. Following the terrorist attacks of 2001, musical pieces dedicated to the lives lost acted as a unifying force connecting Americans in their terror and grief. Though societal barriers and cultural differences

In the period following the civil war, when the issues of segregation and racism were predominant in the lives of many, the power of music connected people on a deeper level than themselves. Music was a large attribution to the pursuit of freedom and equality associated with the civil rights movement. As protests and marches served as a large component of the civil rights movement, the use of music at these events connected those present and promoted a sense of bravery and unity. This essay aims to explore how crucial music was during the Civil Rights Movement. What was its impact in driving the movement and creating unity? The first measure of which I will examine is the extent to which music bought white and black people together. How did music serve as a bridge narrowing the divide between these cultures, how was this shown within music and by whom? The second area of examination which I will explore is the use of music in protests and freedom marches. How was music used as a rallying force to those subjected to insurrection and turmoil, and to what effect was music responsible for the spreading of information regarding civil treatment? The final measure is how music and freedom songs gave hope and bravery to African

Elvis Presley, for example, was a significantly influential, yet controversial figure who is famously known to have mixed music from different cultures and bridged the gap of segregation, something which had hitherto never been done. His desire to see racial equality led him to a close personal friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. Billie Holiday was an extremely prominent artist of this time as she wrote songs that educated and brought awareness to certain aspects of the horrific racial treatment in the South. Charles Tindley was a methodist minister who wrote the song “We Shall Overcome”, which later served as the unofficial “anthem” of the Civil Rights movement., serving to provide unity and bravery to those subjected to racial injustice. The vehement and benevolent disposition of that intent to incite unity within the hearts of those who were oppressed by way of music served as an inspiring message to all of exactly what music is capable of. Those previously unacquainted were brought together and connected through the intrinsic and omnipotent power of music in the civil rights