Essay on The Influence of Black Slave Culture on Early...

The Influence of Black Slave Culture on Early America The Black slaves of colonial America brought their own culture from Africa to the new land. Despite their persecution, the slave culture has contributed greatly to the development of Americas own music, dance, art, and clothing. Music It is understandable that when Africans were torn from their homes and families, lashed into submission , and forced into lifelong slave labor, they would be, on the most part, resentful and angry. Various forms of expression, clandestine yet lucent, developed out of these feelings. One such form was music. Native African music consisted mainly of wind and string melodies punctuated by hand clapping, xylophones, and drum beats. Along those†¦show more content†¦Thus Africans were rather resistant to the preaching of Christian ministers when they came to America. The Christian ideas they did absorb, however, were indoctrinated into their lives with the addition of culture such as gospel music (see Music). Later, a minister of mainly of African-American congregations would use distinctly Black preaching methods, as when he begins to employ numerous stock phrases and ideas, and, Midway in the message the preacher begins to chant his words rhythmically. Art 17th-century Africans had art forms that would be considered advanced even today. Most of their expression was religious in nature. But when they were brought to the New World, Â…[slaves] could not do this because Protestants had always frowned upon religious imagery in the church as being worldly. Thus, there was little opportunity for the slave to express his creativity in graphic and plastic art for the church as he had done in Africa where religion and art were inseparable. Moreover, the slave was afforded few opportunities to carve on his own or his masters time. This repression of the slaves creativity doubtlessly impeded the development of an African-American art standard. Although slaves could be trained in the practical arts, such as typesetting or furniture making , they could really not fully express themselves until released from the bondsShow MoreRelatedThe Exploitation Of Africans And Members Of The African Diaspora1635 Words   |  7 Pagespeople of the Afric an Diaspora continues to complexify the issue. Social concepts in modern America such as education, nationhood, fact making, discrimination, racism, systematic oppression, etc. all relate back to history, specifically slavery. Ultimately, Europeans’ dehumanization, exploitation, and demoralization of African slaves during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries continues to impact Black Americans and people of the African Diaspora negatively. 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