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spirituals  

Definition

  • Spirituals are the musical expressions created by enslaved Africans to maintain their spiritual and cultural practices while Southern slaveowners were attempting to Christianize them. The songs demonstrate the human spirit in resistance to bondage with an overarching theme of freedom, both spiritual and physical. [Source: Encyclopedia of Black Studies; Spirituals]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/spirituals

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