2.9/2.10 African American Culture & Black Pride, Identity

Which of the following is an example of African American artistic traditions influenced by West African aesthetics?

• Oil painting in the style of European Renaissance artists

• Quilt-making and pottery with storytelling elements

• Engraving on stone tablets

• Watercolor painting of colonial landscapes

Answer explanation

Quilt-making and pottery with storytelling elements reflect African American artistic traditions influenced by West African aesthetics, emphasizing communal narratives and cultural heritage.

Image: Storage Jar by David Drake, 1858 [REQUIRED SOURCE]

Inscription: "this jar is to Mr Segler who keeps the bar in orangeburg / for Mr Edwards a Gentle man — who formly kept / Mr thos bacons horses / April 21 1858" "when you fill this Jar with pork or beef / Scot will be there; to get a peace, - / Dave"　
_{https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/747045}

The development of the banjo in America was influenced by:

• Indigenous American flute-making traditions

• West African string instruments like the akonting

• European violins and harpsichords

• Middle Eastern oud instruments

Answer explanation

The banjo's development in America was significantly influenced by West African string instruments like the akonting, which contributed to its design and playing style, unlike the other options listed.

- Instruments like the gourd banjo, djembe-style drums, and shekeres (rattles made from gourds) were crafted by enslaved Africans to maintain their musical traditions.  

   - The banjo, originally derived from West African instruments, became central to early American folk and later country music.  

Image of Gourd Head Banjo, Circa 1859

 (National Museum of African Art)

https://ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu/content/akonting-history

What was the primary purpose of the Gullah language among enslaved Africans?

• To create a new written alphabet for African Americans

• To prevent communication with European settlers

• To blend African and European languages for communication

• To replace African languages entirely

Answer explanation

Linguistic traditions include the development of creole languages like Gullah, which blend West African and European languages, enabling enslaved Africans to communicate effectively among themselves and with others.

Call and response, improvisation, and syncopation were African musical elements that influenced:

• American country music

• European classical music

• American gospel and blues

• Latin American salsa

Answer explanation

Call and response, improvisation, and syncopation are key African musical elements that significantly influenced American gospel and blues, shaping their rhythmic and expressive styles.

  - Call and response, a feature of African musical traditions, became central to African American spirituals and later gospel music.  

   - Syncopation (off-beat rhythms) was used in work songs, spirituals, and blues music.  

   - Improvisation, a key element in jazz, traces its roots to African musical traditions where performers altered melodies spontaneously.  

The “ring shout” was:

• A form of musical theater developed by African Americans

• A religious dance and musical tradition incorporating African rhythms

• A type of European waltz adapted by enslaved people

• A coded signal used only for organizing rebellions

Answer explanation

The “ring shout” was a religious dance and musical tradition where participants moved in a circle while singing and clapping in syncopated rhythms that incorporates African rhythms, reflecting the cultural heritage of African Americans and their spiritual practices.

Which African group’s musical traditions had a strong influence on the development of American blues?

• The Zulu of South Africa

• The Berbers of North Africa

• The Senegambians and West Central Africans

• The Ethiopians of East Africa

Answer explanation

The Senegambians and West Central Africans contributed significantly to the musical roots of American blues, particularly through their use of call-and-response patterns and rhythmic styles, which shaped the genre's development.

Louisiana’s large population of Senegambians contributed to the development of jazz and blues through rhythmic innovations.

How did enslaved people use spirituals to communicate?

• They used biblical references as secret messages about escape

• They wrote messages on hymn books and distributed them

• They created loud, public chants about their plans

• They disguised messages in letters to abolitionists

Answer explanation

Enslaved people used spirituals to convey hidden meanings, often referencing biblical stories to signal escape plans. This allowed them to communicate covertly without alerting their enslavers.

Example: Songs like “Wade in the Water” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” incorporated call-and-response and hidden messages about escape routes.  

What was the primary purpose of sorrow songs?

• To record historical events

• To express pain, suffering, and hope for freedom

• To document the daily life of enslaved people

• To entertain slaveholders at social gatherings

Answer explanation

Spirituals were religious folk songs created by enslaved African Americans, often categorized into sorrow songs (expressing pain and longing) and jubilee songs (celebrating hope and deliverance).  

https://www.learner.org/series/american-passages-a-literary-survey/slavery-and-freedom/sorrow-songs/

After the United States banned the international slave trade in 1808, how did African American demographics change?

• The African-born population increased

• The majority of African Americans were U.S.-born

• More enslaved people were brought directly from Africa

• Free Black communities disappeared

Answer explanation

After the 1808 ban on the international slave trade, the majority of African Americans became U.S.-born due to natural increase and the growth of enslaved populations, rather than an influx of African-born individuals.

^{Image Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010169/black-and-slave-population-us-1790-1880/}

The American Colonization Society was founded to:

• Support African Americans in gaining U.S. citizenship

• Promote equal rights for Black and white citizens

• Preserve African American cultural traditions in the U.S.

•   Relocate free African Americans to Africa  

Answer explanation

The American Colonization Society was established in 1816 to promote the relocation of free African Americans to Africa, specifically to Liberia, as a solution to what they viewed as the challenges of integrating them into American society.

_{Image Source: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/american-colonization-society-1816-1964/}