Slave Culture in the American South: The Original Form of Black Rebelliousness

• In Event: From the Southern Plantation to CRT: Exploring the Evolutionary Forms of Black Resistance in African American Culture

Abstract

Slave culture during the antebellum period was mostly a combination of West African traditions, “spiritual rituals”, and rebellions (Blassingame, 1972). These were acts of a “culture of survival” and resistance in response to the brutal system of slavery. The acculturation of my family was based on these cultural traditions. Antebellum enslaved African culture was very influential in the acculturation of Black and White Southerners alike. Cultural practices included an “emotional” religion, superstition, family support and cooperation, farming, hunting, fishing, foods, language patterns, ceremonies, folk songs, and dance (DuBois, 1968). Enslaved Africans created a system of rituals and folklore for survival within a system of dehumanization and oppression. Enslaved Africans had a strong oral tradition of prayer, song, lament, and stories (Washington, 1963). Other cultural traditions created by enslaved Africans left a legacy on my family heritage and culture. Language patterns, such as the southern drawl (more animated than common English) are prevalent among my family members and throughout the American South (Blassingame, 1972). For enslaved Africans, storytelling and oratory as part of sacred rituals were filled with liveliness and energy. West African music, which sustained rhythms during times of hard labor, spread across Southern plantations and throughout the slave community (Farrow, 2005). On the plantation, ceremonies, and celebrations were incomplete without music and dance. In religious settings, music was the power behind the prayer, and dance was the expression of the sound. The enslaved African sought to maintain distinction in established cultural practices from those of the White slave master to create a sense of independence and pride in their cultural heritage (Washington, 1963).

Author

• Deirdre Foreman, Ramapo College of New Jersey and Executive Council