Slave songs

Explain the feeling that you get when you listen to these songs?
I feel sad because I heard what they felt like as slaves. I can't imagine myself being in there place.I feel so guilty, listening to these songs, them working everyday 24 hours without resting, and here we are in school learning and making friends, but some of us don't even appreciate things we have in life. Think about others, not just yourself.

What kind of information about slavery did you learn from these songs?
That they get taken away from their families. They want freedom.
They were picking cotton all day everyday, and white people take them. They really want their old lives back. They want to lye down and taking breaks.


What can you relate to in any of these songs?
-Moses in the bible
-Me in the kitchen
...


What do you think the slaves are talking about in these songs?
The slaves are expressing their feelings to each other by singing(making up) songs.
Each song has meanings to them. Signals to escape.

When slaves were working on the field, they wanted to express their feelings. So they would sing songs, but make it up while singing. They weren't singing songs that were already written, they didn't write anything down, they just sang while working. 
Some of the songs they sang have meanings to it. 
E.g, 'Swing low Sweet chariot'

This is my favourite because, if you hear any slave singing this song on the field or at night, the Americans thought Oh it's a lovely Christian song, but actually they sing it when the case is clear, it's time to escape.(Smart)
This song would reference the way to the Underground Rail Road

Another good song is called 

'The River Jordan'
Meaning: Become the Ohio River, or the Mississippi, or another body of water that had to be crossed on the journey to freedom.