Negro spirituals are an African American genre of Christian music. Originated during slavery, the songs were sung as enslaved people worked on the plantations. The very first Negro spirituals were inspired by African music. Songs were used as a way to spread hope through Christianity, often speaking about God and his promise to save the enslaved people. These songs were also used for enslaved people to communicate secretly. Songs like “The Gospel Train” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” refer to the Underground Railroad, used to help slaves escape to freedom. As traditional negro spirituals continued to be sung, new songs were created. The lyrics of these new songs dealt with praising the Lord, personal improvement and community life. Many of them were inspired by social problems like segregation. For the struggle for Civil Rights, in the 1960s, negro spirituals like “We shall overcome”, “Oh Freedom” and “This Little Light of Mine” used to be sung.
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