Gospel Music in the United States

Abstract

When Africans were forced to leave their homes in Africa and brought to North America to live and die in servitude, they brought with them their rich culture. Culture is a vital human resource for resisting oppression. This included music. The story of black music is also the tale of the enduring social struggles of American history. For slaves, songs were very important, they were used to communicate. Among the most powerful resources that sustained African Americans through difficulty was strong religious faith. The songs sung in slave times gave birth to religious songs known as Spiritual Songs. The secular and sacred songs of everyday black folk are bound up in loss, despair, hope, and dreams. Since the majority of slaves could not read, they used a variety of means to protest, for example, coded songs which encouraged escape and sabotage. Not to endanger their lives, they would use ambiguous languages and coded languages. Slaves sung of a desire for freedom and sung to warn others of a potential danger. African still use songs to criticize, to protest, and to resist oppression. The Spiritual Songs went through different stages and evolve throughout the years. The spirit of this style has influenced much of the American music that has followed. This research will reveal the essential grassroots force and spirit of gospel music and demonstrate that if music springs from America’s soul, then gospel arises from its heart.