Below is the thesis for my paper. The paper is required to be 8-10 pages. And there are also sources that I have found as well that can be used.ÂÂ

Thesis:

Creation stories are a part of every culture, and in the African American culture, creation stories were made during to cope during the times of struggles, and many times this happened through music and spirituals.

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Sources:

African American American Spirituals. Online Text. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .

This article explains what a spiritual is and also gives examples of some such as “swing low, sweet chariot” and “deep down in my heart.” The article also explains why music is so important in African American lives, and mentions Frederick Douglass’s importance in the 19^th centaury. It even mentions the composers who wrote some of the spirituals and how they became popular. It ends with saying that spirituals have played a significant role for African Americans, and helped with their protests, movements, freedom, and struggles.

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“Negro Spirituals.” Negrospirituals.com, Spiritual Workshop, Paris, www.negrospirituals. com/index.html.

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This article describes the importance of spirituals throughout the years from before 1865 to after 1985. It describes how the music was composed, sang, and what the lyrics were like in different decades between the 18^th and 19^th centaury.

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Levine, Lawrence “Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-American Folk Thought From Slavery To Freedom.” Oxford University Press, 1977.

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Lawrence wrote this book to address how the African American culture expressed themselves through their traditional folk songs, which was a basis of their community. He emphasizes that the music and spirituals are the strongest elements of African American culture. He also reflects how the African American community is against the irrational world.

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Jones, Gayl “Liberating Voices: Oral Traditions in African American Literature.” Harvard University Press, 1991.

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Gayl writes how African American culture transformed the Europeans and how African American literature comes from so many places such as: folktales, blues, jazz, spirituals, etc. Because of African Americans, there was a movement, where blacks voices are being heard.

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Youtube. “African American Spirituals | Black History Month Facts | Freedom Songs” Online Video clip. Youtube, Ã‚ 16 April, 2013. Web. 19 November 2017.

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The speaker was talking about his book, “My Bondage My Freedom,” which is about African American Spirituals. He articulates how slaves helped our nation improve and how they were the creators of music.