The Use of Spirituals
Unnamed song sung by Harriet Tubman when approaching her group after taking a detour to get food for the day. This song lets them know it is safe to approach her. Source: Harriet Tubman, the Moses of her People by Sarah Hopkins Bradford.
Hail, oh hail, ye happy spirits,
Death no more shall make you fear,
Grief nor sorrow, pain nor anguish,
Shall no more distress you there.
Around Him are then thousand angels,
Always ready to obey command;
They are always hovering round you,
Till you reach the heavenly land.
Jesus, Jesus will go with you,
He will lead you to his throne;
He who died, has gone before you,
Through the wine-press all alone.
He whose thunders shake creation,
He who bids the planets roll;
He who rides upon the tempest,
And whose scepter sways the whole.
This song is based around religion as most slaves would turn to religion to give them hope, Harriet Tubman would use it to let people know she is safe to approach and is going to help them.
Death no more shall make you fear,
Grief nor sorrow, pain nor anguish,
Shall no more distress you there.
This is saying that she is here to save them from their torture and set them free.
Spirituals were used to send messages, keep moral up and have hope.
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery but escaped and made missions to save thousands of enslaved people from their owners. She also had an important role in building the underground railway which was a network of secret routes to safehouses which would help them go to the slave free states and Canada.
Hi Aryan, I really like your post about the use of spirituals and the information you gave about the meaning of the song by Harriet Tubman. It's amazing that you included an easy way to explain the viewers what that line means. Next time, I would recommend you to add more information about Harriet Tubman and her life and an image of Harriet Tubman.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading your next post!
Khush