My President Was Black Analysis

Popular singer Elton John once said; “music has healing power; it has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours”, and for most, music is the portal to an out of body experience. African American lyricists especially have been found to use the art of music to escape the real world, commencing from the slavery era and onward. The blues song titled The Tracks of My Tears does just that; expresses the ability to remove your soul from a treacherous reality. Similarly, the lyrics from popular modern songs, written by black artists, speak volumes about what is presently going on in the country, parallel to the way African American slavery songs did. Music written at an earlier period have been found to correlate to music of the past through providing strong emotion toward present day commentary.

“My President Was Black” written by Ta-Nahesi Coates has many arguments between Coates and the former president Barack Obama. They both had many differences and similarities throughout this passage. Barack Obama is the only black man that could of have pulled of the job of being President in this racist “White America”. The reason why he pulled it off is because of his great personality, the way he sees the United States as a whole and his policies. I believe in this because in “ My President Was Black” there is many evidence that can prove my fact about Barack Obama.

Amidst the development of a private society, African-Americans had created a large music scene that aided in the raising of their spirits and creating hope. Music that was heavily inspired by their ancestors Negro spirituals. In the close-knit, southern community brought comfort to the African-Americans as well. Maya Angelou describes the use of music in her autobiography Gather Together in My Name as “Harmonious black music drifts like perfume through this precious air, and nothing of a threatening nature intrudes.” (Gilyard & Wardi, 319)

During this call to action, people had different ideas on how to respond to the events surrounding the bombing on 16th street Baptist church. The response ranged from marching, protests, and most importantly, music. During the Civil Rights movement, music allowed artists to express their dissent through a medium in which their message could reach a plethora of peoples. Music during this time was also akin to the music effect of “work songs” sang during slavery as well as songs such as “we shall overcome” which draws parallels to songs sang as slaves attempted to escape to the north. Music also helped those involved in the civil

The Untold Story Behind Slave Spirituals Music can be used as a powerful tool to help us combat the sorrows and evils of our lives. The slaves in early American history used music to help themselves endure their difficult way of life. The slaves used their music, called spirituals, in many different settings and for many different purposes. The African Americans sang around campfires, for church worship, and in hidden meetings called bush meetings or camp meetings. African slave spirituals gave meaning and light to a slave's life, had hidden meanings buried in the words, and described the conditions and situations of slaves everyday life.

The genre of country music’s relationship to whiteness and American, right-wing norms often overshadows the presence and contributions of African-American and Latinx musicians. Contrary to the genre’s common associations, African-American and Latinx musicians have had a great influence on the genre since its conception. Recognizing that the journeys of these artists were shaped by systemic challenges, including government pressures, policies, and wartime environments, is essential for understanding the specific ways in which they were affected in comparison to their white counterparts. The historical context of government policies, such as segregation and discrimination laws, deeply ingrained racial hierarchies in American society. These policies bled over to the music industry, barring the

The protests in Albany, Georgia, proved an important training ground in which to learn the techniques for mobilizing the dormant black populace of the Deep South. Perhaps of greatest importance, they became more aware of the cultural dimensions of the black struggle, quickly recognizing the value of freedom songs to convey the ideas of the southern movement and to sustain morale. (Stanford

The video, “The Songs Are Free: Bernice Johnson Reagon and African- American music was very interesting and brought up a lot of topic I had not thought about before. To begin, I never really thought about congregational music being the music of community. As a child, I can remember not being to worried about how I sounded when I sang in church because everyone else was also singing. It never really registered that we were doing that together. A group of people singing for the same purpose: to feel closer to God. Reagon talks about how the songs her ancestors sang brought them together. By the different meaning the words of the songs could, African Americans knew when it was safe to leave and where to go during the time of the Underground Railroad.

"In camp and hospital they sang -- sentimental songs and ballads, comic songs and patriotic numbers.... The songs were better than rations or medicine.” Music plays a huge role in our society today, and it played a huge role in our society a hundred years ago. Music is fluid, ever changing, and never the same. And yet, one thing remains constant; it tells stories, keeps records, and lift spirits.

For centuries, Gospel music has influenced and promoted African-American social, moral and ethical values, playing an imperative role in modelling their past and future. Originating from the hardships of slavery and the strength of Christian worship, Gospel music has adapted to musical tastes through the development of a number of sub-genres, while retaining its moral and spiritual framework. Throughout its musical history, Gospel music has had a profound and predominant influence on its devotees and followers. During the turbulent years of the American Civil Rights Movement, Gospel music played a vital role in building the foundations of stability and

     The power of song helped slaves through their dehumanized lives. They created unity in songs of religion and denounced the power their masters held over them. They were going to rebel in all facets of life. Slaves knew “that a happy slave is an extinct man” (p.33). The meanings of these songs can not be overstated. One who knew the importance of song was Frederick Douglass. “They told a tale of woe...they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the

The music of a people, Negro spirituals were the way in which American slaves expressed their faith. Spirituals had other uses as well, uses outside of worship, such as in work and as signals. These songs expressed the slave’s feelings about their lives. Because of their Biblical message, spirituals also gave slaves hope that they would one day experience freedom, something contrary to what the slave owners hoped would happen when they Christianized their slaves. Even after the war, spirituals continued on, though changing, affecting all sorts of music in the modern era.

To what extent can music provide a means of resistance for challenging the power relations of racism, class and gender?

African American influence in music has been an ever present and controversial subject in American history. Stemming from many different cultures, religions and backgrounds, large portions of American music was introduced by, and credited to African Americans. Although in many cases, this music was used for entertainment by the masses or majority, contrary to popular belief, black music served a greater purpose than just recreation. Dating all the way back to the beginning of slavery in the U.S. during the 17th century, music has been used to make a statement and send a message. As African American music progressed over the years, there were common themes expressed as the genres evolved. It has been an open letter to the world, documenting and protesting the ongoing oppression faced by blacks in the United States, as well as an outlet for frustration. For many African Americans, the music gave them the only voice that couldn’t be silenced by their oppressors.

The rise of Soul music was a product of the particular environment of that time in which the musicians who created it lived, a period much paralleled with the Civil Rights Movement (CRM) and Black Power Movement (BPM) (Maultsby, 1983, 54). The objective of this research was to examine any existence of political and social messages delivered in Soul music around the civil rights movement era in America, which would lead to a better understanding of the role of Soul music having served in the process of political and social changes in the country.