The institution of slavery was very trying for newly captured Africans. They had to survive the “middle passage” and legions of cruelties and atrocities committed against them before they even faced the hardships of America. Once in the new world and on the plantations Africans had to deal with the continual pressures of enslavement and dominance from another culture. Slave masters intervened continually in the lives of their slaves, from directing their labor to approving or disapproving marriages. Some masters made elaborate written rules, and most engaged in constant meddling, directing, nagging, threatening, and punishing. Many took advantage of their position to exploit slave women sexually. What slaves hated most about slavery was not the hard work to which they were subjected, but their lack of control over their lives, their lack of freedom. Slaves developed their own way of life and struggled to increase their independence while their masters strove to limit it.

Enslaved African Americans developed a sense of racial identity. They naturally drew together, helping each other in danger, need, and resistance. The resource that enabled slaves to maintain such defiance was

Slave traditions still linger on with us to this day. Our ways of eating, talking, dancing, singing, worshiping, and even thinking have in one way or another been influenced by slave customs and traditions. The black church has established itself and grown from the roots of slavery. The institution of Sunday dinner continues on out of the tradition of no fieldwork on Sunday for the slaves and therefore the day is and was kept sacred. All types of dances have originated out of customary African dance, and call and response forms of music have evolved into Hip Hop, Jazz, Blues, Rock etc. In general the African culture that was unwillingly brought here by the slaves has transformed the humanities and aesthetics of modern day America.

Away from the view of owners and overseers, slaves lived their own lives. They made friends, fell in love, played and prayed, sang, told stories, and engaged in the necessary chores of day-to-day living, from cleaning house, cooking, and sewing to working on garden plots. Especially important as anchors of the slaves’ lives were their families and their religion. Throughout the South, the family defined the actual living arrangements of slaves: most slaves lived together in nuclear families with a mother, father, and children. The security and stability of these families faced severe challenges: no state law recognized marriage among slaves,

Slavery generated many types of musical styles, among them are: Field Hollers, Ring Shouts and the most popular Spirituals.

Spirituals - Were a genre of religious folk song founded in American black and white musical traditions. Black and white spirituals share many tunes and texts; blacks and whites mingled at camp meetings, and musical influences probably traveled both ways.

In the foreword, Hirsch best sums the tradition up when he states “the dynamics of cultural and social history, the relationship between individual and the community, tradition and change, social structure and social conflict are captured in the relationship between the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the stories the slaves tell” (Botkin, xii).

Some topics in this essay:
Storytelling/folklore African, African American, Underground Railroad, African Americans, Throughout South, Precious Culture, West African, Ring Shouts, Baptists Methodists, African Influences, african culture, call response, black spirituals, african slaves, african americans, underground railroad, ring shouts, black church, field hollers, owens 171,