Negro spirituals have been prevalent since the time of their creation. In times of enslavement, enslaved Africans were exposed to Christianity.
Many people believe that the journey during the transatlantic trade washed away all African cultural practices. While many things were stripped from these individuals through chattel enslavement, some still remained.
The way enslaved Africans worshipped and praised was rooted in homeland culture, therefore different in the eyes of white people. Negro spiritual practices were misunderstood, and shamed by some white people.