music and migration
From years 1505 to 1870, the world underwent the largest forced migration in history. West Africa was soon to be convulsed by the arrival of Europeans and become the advent of the transatlantic slave trade. Ships from Europe, bound for America, appeared on the horizon, and their captains and sailors-carrying muskets, swords, and shackles-landed on the coast, walked up the beach in their strange clothes, looked around, and demanded slaves. A horrific chapter in history had begun, and neither Africa nor America would be the same again. Approximately ten million Africans were brought across the seas to the Americas to be manipulated into slavery. It became apparent that these African men, women and children were meant to generate money. They were meant to work harsh labor, yet they were no longer meant to have a voice. A few Americans took the time to appreciate the hard work performed by the slaves; however, appreciation is a short step in the long road to equality. It was no!t until the late 19th century that America began to repair the damages done by this immoral trading of human beings. Once the slaves were "freed" after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it did not do much to end the oppression and prejudice against t
Blues music originated in the cotton fields of the southern United States where the majority of the slave hands were put to work. This became such a trademark with the African expression of Blues that it is now referred to as playing "blue notes. Traditional Blues music is reflected in modern music, which displays vague or blatant Blues influences. This flourished in the 1920's especially. The first minstrel tune identified as such to make a dent in !the national consciousness was Tim Rice's 'Jump Jim Crow,' published in 1830 . " Finally, Blues musicians rarely used the same style of voice. It was this distinction that made black entertainers indispensable and continued to cultivate white appreciation for black music. Whites began recording the blues in the early 20th century thus extending the typical relationship between blacks and whites in a positive direction. A griot was an African version of the European wandering minstrel. While this sort of activity seemed to happen while the music was playing, and playing good, this remains symbolic of the whites' willingness to deconstruct the racism and prejudice prominent of the time. A minstrel show was a musical event where white folks got the chance to paint their faces black with burnt cork and perform in the persona of a black man. This may have aided in the increasing popularity of a stereotyped black man, however, if it is true that imitation is the utmost form of flattery, then these shows were evidence of white's attraction and fondness for black culture. Although it was socially acceptable for the Blues musicians to write, compose and produce their music, it was frowned upon, until the late 1950's, that the teenage generation is exposed to black Blues musicians. There were many white men who thought the show's purpose was to make a joke at the black man's expense. And once in America, there were other hardships to sing about: the ignominy of the auction block, the separation of family members, and the remorseless treatment at the hands of landowners.
Common topics in this essay:
Emancipation Proclamation,
Minstrel Medicine,
Klan Playboy,
Frederic Douglas,
Jim Crow,
Louisville Kentucky,
Civil War,
West African,
America Approximately,
African European,
blues music,
blacks whites,
blues musicians,
black white,
black race,
black blues,
black music,
jim crow laws,
black man's,
black musicians,
crow laws,
blues musicians white,
civil rights movement,
appreciation black music,
white blues musicians,
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Acceptance Essays
