Songs of the Slaves

The Spread of U.S. Slavery, 1790–1860

Interactive maps of enslaved and free African Americans

before the Civil War.

•Music was one of the only "freedoms" offered to slaves. Slaves often sang to relieve boredom, keep a beat to work by or raise their spirits.

•Sometimes slaves used music as a way to communicate with each other in code and sometimes just to have fun.

•Many of the songs were called spirituals which were songs about stories from the Bible or about going to heaven to be free.

•The lyrics to the songs were usually very simple and repetitive but the melodies and harmonies were complex and creative.

•Slave music affected the development of American music. It changed overtime and served as the basis for gospel music, the blues and jazz which in turn influenced rock and roll, soul, reggae and hip-hop.