How Did Gospel Music Affect African American Culture

Charley went on to inspire and influence many Blues artists (Kirkpatrick 48-49). The Blues changed when African Americans moved north. To reflect their new life, the

Religious Effects Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phyllis Wheatley was the first book to be published by a black American, and “On being brought from Africa to America” was probably one of the most famous poems included in the book. It discusses Wheatley’s experience of being taken as a slave, and the religious effects of the experience. Religion played a great role in shaping Wheatley’s outlook on many subjects. “On being brought from Africa to America” expresses religion’s effect on Wheatley through her word choices and the overall message of the poem. Wheatley learned how to read the bible from a young age, and her religion greatly affected her poetry; “Phillis Wheatley’s poetic subjects were derived from the Bible, from celebrated public events and from the religion she had absorbed from her pious owners” (McMichael 298).

But one huge influence for Elvis was listening and singing gospel music at his church. Also during Elvis’s early years he had played guitar and he had walked around beatle street to listen to the blues (2018). Even though he didn’t have many influences his interests also helped him become the singer that he was. Elvis Presley has had some interests that had helped him become the singer that he was. One of the things that Elvis would do was when he had time off school he would go to a nearby record shop.

The ability for slaves to sing together was a way in which slaves were able to come together emotionally in unison. Douglass discusses the way in which slaves would sing songs in unity, “This they would sing, as a chorus, to words which to many would seem unmeaning jargon, but which, nevertheless, were full of meaning to themselves” (Douglass 342). Douglass relates to the fact that these songs were filled with meaning for the slaves themselves. While sometimes the people around them did not understand the suffering and pain within the songs, the slaves that were singing them were able to communicate with each other the mutual pain that each of them had. By communicating these pains through song, slaves were able to develop a pride within one another and were able to continue their fight for freedom.

Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X greatly influenced by their strong individual faiths. There ideologies had important role development and practice of the ideologies. Martin Luther King Jr. embrace the beliefs of Christianity and become a minister at a Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Malcolm X after six years in prison was released where he joined the Nation of Islam (Carson, 13-14). This where his belief of racial separation, the inherent evil of whites, and the need to embrace African culture(Cone, 179).

Reflection” In my reading of this assignment Morehouse College was established from a Baptist Church in the early 1800-1900’s. If understanding correctly, it came about for freed black men that had been degraded all their lives. Lacking education, also being stereotyped the black man really didn’t have much but their spiritual life that was done in secret. Seeing others before them go through this, I wondered how one could stand in that era? Looking back at my own life during the late 1900’s, it took a strong foundation, determination, and character to realize black people can accomplish anything in life.

According to the song creators, the children of Jacksonville kept singing it and taught it to other children. The song was spread all over the South and some other parts of the country, which earned its title as “The Black National Anthem.” The song

The African Americans were encouraged to explore and celebrate their heritage. Due to the Harlem Renaissance, the United States now sees the African American community as a serious source of literature, art, and especially music. It was an opportunity for African Americans to resist the inequality and prove that if race was not a factor, that there may be aspects of African Americans that are appealing to whites The main idea of being free and open about everything regarding life has been passed down through the ages of African American culture to the music and poetry that we see and hear

Stereotype Promise- Stereotype assessment research that has maintained the tradition of the classic Princeton Trilogy studies continues to identify positive stereotypic beliefs about African Americans (Devine & Elliot, 1995; Gaertner & Dovidio, 1986; Gilbert, 1951; Karlins et al., 1969, Katz & Braly, 1933; Madon et al., 2001). Consistent across all these studies is the perception that Blacks are very musical and rhythmic. The historical roots of this stereotype can be traced from antebellum images of Black slaves singing in cotton fields, to minstrel shows and lively Black church choirs, to popular images of current Black rap artists. Indeed, in the two most recent studies, Devine and Elliot (1995) and Madon et al. (2001) found that traits related to music (e.g., musical, sing and dance well, rhythmic, listen to a lot of music) were consistently among the most endorsed stereotypes of

We all know that the power of the Black community in America came from deep in their soul. Their strength and will to fight segregation , and their love can be felt in the civil rights movement. Their ability to express their minds in a non- violent way connects to the soul music that James Brown created. James Brown’s music was a mixture of R&B and gospel. Which in a way connects to what Dr. Martin Luther King was trying to do during the civil rights movement.

Since the beginning of mankind music has been identified as a creative way of expressing one’s self. This, along with other uses such as soothing a mind or singing to gain closure with a situation that has occurred, can be found dating back to biblical times with more than enough examples. Fast-forward a thousand years or so and we find that although music has changed drastically, the uses of music are still universal. This is shown through multiple examples of history, one being the time period in which African slaves struggled during a rough time in America. Africans had developed their own style of music back in their homeland, so to no surprise when taken and brought to America their music followed.