Reconstruction By Sandra Graham: An Analysis

Throughout Reconstruction, there were deviations of oppression towards African Americans, which caused conflictual events, and music remarkably alternated all of this. During Reconstruction, there were multiple conflicts between races. From the perspective of white people, African Americans appeared as inferior. Although this was not a valid perspective, it influenced how politics and rights progressed throughout this period. There was an overall ongoing theme of white southern resistance to Reconstruction, and following this concept, there was an abundance of efforts to restrict or strip black rights in hopes of preserving a system of white supremacy. The lives of African Americans were constantly disturbed, violated, and dismissed. Denying

Due to biases and separate views, authentic history-based reports have been lacking. Scholars hoped to convey more accurate information concerning the music that African Americans produced. For example, Sandra Graham examines how African Americans were misrepresented and includes this in her writings. There was often a conflict among African Americans’ performances where other onlookers misinterpreted and misrepresented their work from their culture. Sandra Graham elaborates on her opinions of this, “The singers were seen as a symbol rather than as individuals, and their spirituals represented an imaginary other that encompassed essentialized notions of blackness, slavery, and ultimately Africa.”In this quote, Sandra considered how African Americans have been separated from their individuality and defined in different thought-up categories. There was an idea that African American music and culture was something it was not, based on stereotypes and prebuilt paradigms. It was also a prominent form of expression and communication, and was regrettably ignored and pushed down throughout history. As a result of this there was an absence of normalized representation of African American identity. Almost all recorded information didn’t fully incorporate Black people’s perspectives. However, since there was

As history progressed, music did with it, allowing for development changes based on surroundings and circumstances. “The final topic I want to discuss is black-white musical interaction. In the narratives, one finds references to blacks listening to white music and, as just noted, whites listening to black music. One can also find a few references to whites teaching blacks how to play an instrument, mostly the fiddle,” in this quote, Robert b. Winens highlights how the interaction between two different cultures can pose different sides. Although learning about and respecting other cultures is valuable, especially in the hopes of gaining a better understanding and creating community, this usually fails to be the case between African American and white cultures. One of the most known examples of African American musical expression was shown through their spirituals, which brought them together. They often used their past or their surroundings to influence their expressions of themselves. Also, music took the path of soul and blues as it became more popular and accessible for African Americans to play together. Likewise, it opened up to blues and soul; later, it was