Originally released as #54, and then later an updated edition, this study has been revised to combine the information from both. It is re-released with it’s original number.
One of the most unique American contributions to the body of Christian hymnody is the African-American spiritual. As terrible as was the experience of 18th and 19th century slavery, out of that came the passionate gospel hymnody of these spirituals. The message of the gospel was embraced widely and deeply by slaves in the United States. In some places, slaves were even evangelized by their masters and permitted to join in the worship of white congregations, though often only from the rear balcony. In other places, black families formed their own separate congregations, with buildings in the area of their residential cabins. These spirituals are a form of folk music, in that we don’t know the names of authors or specific circumstances of their composition. They arose during the 18th and 19th centuries in the communal slave experience.