Slavery Hymnals

"Swing Low Sweet Chariot" was a spiritual slavery song that African Americans would sing day in and day out while they were doing their regular slavery tasks. The song is about all the slaves just waiting for their own chariot to set them free. They are waiting for a miracle to happen basically to save them from their own everyday nightmare we know as slavery. The song is written by a group of negros before the civil war. It is similar to a folk song that the white population would sing or know then. The chariot is like god or freedom, a miracle that will make them free. They are almost praying. The slaves are picturing the freedom. They wanted their freedom. Henry Thoreau was similar in the beliefs of slavery. He actually fought for freedom.

"Go Down Moses" is also an african american song that was sang during slavery times as they were working and stuff like that. It is also a song of freedom of the slaves. They are waiting for the day that Moses goes down and that they will all be saved and no longer have to live their days in slavery. Egypt in the song is symbolizing the confederate states in the Civil War(Go Down Moses). The songs are similar to Henry David Thoreau because the song is about slavery and freedom. Thoreau wanted the freedom. Slavery was controlled by government which is not okay with Thoreau because he likes civil disobedience.

"Go Down, Moses Text of the Poem." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Enotes.com. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. .


Keep Your Hands On The Plow - GospelSongLyrics.Org." GospelSongLyrics.org - Lyrics and Music to All Your Favorite Gospel Songs. GospelSongLyrics. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. .

"Swing Low Sweet Chariot." Enotes.com. Enotes.com. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. .


"Keep Your Hands on the Plow" is one more African American spiritual slave song much like the other two that they would sing while trying to make the time pass. They were all prior to or during the Civil War. In the poem a hand is being placed on the bible and God is leading them to freedom. All of these songs are about freedom and how that is all they wanted. A lot of the literary pieces from slaves during this time are going to be about freedom because that was something that controlled their whole life. It was basically a deciding factor for all the decisions they made because slavery and what they were allowed to do and what they were not allowed to do was going to dictate all of the slaves decisions.