- Please summarize major points of discussion in which your author used as a critical argument to highlight the significance of the Spirituals.
(15 points)
- In what ways does the Author present the captivating story of how enslaved African Americans used music to affirm their essential humanity in the face of oppression?
(15 points)
- Many enslaved African Americans knew the secret meanings of the Negro Spirituals and the significance of how these songs could be used to identify many things. For example, Harriet Tubman used the song “Wade in the Water” to tell escaping African Americans to get off the trail and thread the water to make sure their armed masters, sniff dogs, and plantation patrolmen, could not locate or seek out their trail.
With the immense and massive amount of research available on encoded meanings within the text of these early Spirituals, please choose 3 spirituals; write the lyrics of each, and explain the hidden meaning within the text of each song.
This question MUST include outside research to complete your answer. Please cite and document the source in which you received your information.
(15 points)
- Some Spirituals served as geographical Maps or road maps that pointed to directions leading African Americans to designated points in their attempts to escape brutal and harsh conditions of the southern plantations. Include outside research beyond the text to cite examples of some of these Spirituals and their encoded meanings.
Submit the source or bibliography of the materials in which you used as outside references to answer above question #4.
(15 points)
- The well-known religious song, “Let Us Break Bread Together” is used as a communion hymn in many Church services today. According to the author, how did enslaved African Americans use this song (in a covert purpose) to undergird their secret meetings while being restricted on southern plantations.
(15 points)
6 Based upon the religious music that you are familiar with today, how different are Spirituals from the way you perceive religious music today?
(15 points)
- Choose one of your favorite gospel songs, hymns, or a Spiritual of your choice and tell me how meaningful the song, music, or text is to you.
(10 points)
Sample Solution
