Sprung from the African forests, where its counterpart can still be heard, it was adapted, changed, and intensified by the tragic soul-life of the slave, until, under the stress of law and whip, it became the one true expression of a people’s sorrow, despair, and hope.
Du Bois traces the origins of Black religious music from Africa, through the crucible of slavery, to its role as a profound expression of a people's suffering and aspirations.
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