Oni Thornell Analysis:

In Colonial America African slaves used music and dance as a form of rebellion. I have mentioned this in previous paragraphs but I would like to focus in on it. Africans Incorporated music and dance into their daily life. In their homeland the slaves used music and dance for celebrations. When they were enslaved they didn’t leave it behind.  The meaning of dance and music for the African people changed. Music and dance showed that they still had the spirit to survive and thrive and that they couldn’t be broken. The Africans would sing and dance to show the colonists that they had strong spirits. Dance and Music played a big role in all of this. It was the immovable rock in a raging sea. It was something that carried the Africans culture while also saving the slaves from spiraling into despair.  While this all happened the Africans soon learned that if they wanted to survive in the new world they needed to be careful. The Africans were smart about how they would fight back. They didn’t want to submit and give up but they also didn’t want to outright fight. They knew that the English wanted them broken so they wanted to still fight back. But they also knew that if they fought back outright they might get killed and beaten.  Eventually the English decided to take away their drums and instruments.  Soon the Africans found a way around it by using their own bodies as instruments. The slaves weren’t going to give up because he English took away their instruments.

Emma Diamond Analysis:

It is clear that enslaved Africans having codes in their music affected slavery greatly. The songs that included secret messages and codes were about escaping and surviving. This shows that the Africans were really trying to escape and they had a successful way of accomplishing their goal. Creating coded music helped many enslaved people survive the awful situation they were forced to be a part of and escape from their owner. There were specific parts of each song that meant different things. For example, if the rhythm of the song was extremely fast, it would signal the enslaved African trying to escape to run as fast as they could. There were also things similar to rhythm that helped explain the code as well. These things consisted of melodies, instruments, and lyrics. Enslaved Africans made a big effort to keep the real meaning of these songs away from children. The kids would sing the songs, but they would not understand the real meaning of doing so. The enslaved Africans kept the real meanings away from children because kids have a tendency to tell secrets, or not understand that they aren’t supposed to tell anyone. In addition to children telling secrets, the Africans probably wanted their kids to have the best life they could possibly have, even in the terrible situation they were in. Eventually the slave owners probably caught onto these songs. On the other hand, the Africans probably weren’t allowed to sing in front of their masters. Just like the enslaved Africans, the Powhatans used music for many important reasons.