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My President Was Black Analysis

Decent Essays
In the January/February 2017 edition of The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates takes a look at the last eight years of American history, a time when the Commander in Chief of the United States of America was an African American. The article, entitled “My President Was Black” focused on the implications of having an African American in office. Within the first subheading, which focused on the different styles of music that were being performed at the White House, my mind was off on a number of tangents. This article really showcased how much music can matter to an African American. This article reminded me of several times in history when music was used by African Americans to survive times of hardship. In the time of slavery, music was used as an escape. The negro spiritual was sung by the slaves who worked in the fields and those who worked in the household alike. The songs took them to a more peaceful time and were passed down from generation to generation. The negro spiritual was even used by Harriet Tubman and others who worked the Underground Railroad as a code. The spirituals were used as a haven for the African Americans who were not in charge of their own lives. That same music would be used in future generations as a war call and as a way to endure the struggles they would face. During the civil rights movement activists used negro spirituals…show more content…
Artists like Bruno Mars, John Legend, and Alicia Keys have reflected that in their recent music by using the same melodies that were used by the slaves and civil rights activists calling for young African Americans to follow in the footsteps of those like Martin Luther King Jr. and search for the “liberty for all” that is spoken of in the Pledge of
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