African-American Slavery

Today, we're learning about the slavery of African-Americans.

We listened to two slave songs- "I Be So Glad When The Sun Goes Down" and "Song from a Cotton Field". We were asked to answer questions.

Explain the feeling you get when you listen to these songs.
It depicts the pain that the slaves are in. It makes me feel kind of sick, knowing that people used to imprison people of colour and some people still don't respect them after what their race has gone through.

What kind of information about slavery did you learn from these songs?
From the first song, it can be depicted that the slaves worked dusk til dawn and were tired all day due to the heat. They just wanted to lie down. The second song depicts that the woman singing must keep working until her children are grown and she's too old to work.

Do you feel songs today are similar, where they have hidden meanings or messages in their lyrics? If so, what examples can you think of?
I do strongly think that some modern songs have hidden meanings to their lyrics. One example I can think of is Shelter by Porter Robinson and Madeon. The lyrics depict someone who has set out on an adventure and left behind someone important, knowing that others will carry on what they and the other person started. However, if you watch the music video for Shelter, then the true plot becomes clear- the person singing the song is actually a girl who lives in a simulation pod in space, and the other person is her dad who died after a comet hit and destroyed Earth.

Spirituals

The River Jordan/Roll Jordan Roll

This song is about slaves who wished they could cross the River Jordan, or more accurately, the Ohio River or Mississipi, or really any body of water that could lead them to freedom.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

This song was either yelled in the middle of the day or sung softly at night to signal that the coast was clear and it was safe to try and escape.