Social Studies: Slave Trade Triangle

Hi there!

Today I will be writing about what I have been doing in Social Studies class. We have been learning about the Slave Trade Triangle, but I will be writing about the later stages of this. 

One type of song which was used was called a Spiritual. Spirituals were religious types of songs which would be sung at informal gatherings called praise houses. They were also sung at outdoor gatherings called bush meetings. The slaves would sing, chant and dance to these songs and sometimes enter ecstatic trances. These songs were used to uplift the slaves, give them hope and relay secret messages to escape. They were also sung at church, funerals and weddings if they were allowed to attend them.

One person who was an important person with abolishing slavery in America was Harriet Tubman. She created the Underground Railroad which was a system used to help slaves escape from the plantations they were stationed at. 

One spiritual song used was 'Wade in the Water' written by Harriet Tubman. The song relayed secret messages. Here are the lyrics to that song:

Chorus: Wade in the Water, wade in the water children.

Wade in the Water. God’s gonna trouble the water.
Who are those children all dressed in Red?
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Must be the ones that Moses led.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

Chorus

Who are those children all dressed in White?
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Must be the ones of the Israelites.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

Chorus

Who are those children all dressed in Blue?
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Must be the ones that made it through.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

Chorus

Tubman used “Wade in the Water” to tell slaves to get into the water to avoid being seen by their masters and sniffed out by dogs to make it to safety and a better life. 

The significance of this horrific event in history still runs clearly today. This can be seen with protests such as the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, as well as the Black Civil Rights movement too. Songs sung by the slaves many years ago, now has inspired new music about how African American people are still discriminated against. Spiritual and slave songs influenced the following genres of music:

• Blues
• Soul
• RnB
• Gospel
• Rock n Roll
• Rap

Songs such as the following talk about the Slave Trade and how it has impacted people today:

• Street Livin'- Black Eyed Peas
• New Slaves - Kanye West
• King Kunta - Kendrick Lamar
• Roll Jordan Roll - Topsy Chapman
• Queen of the Field - Alicia Keys

Here is a map I made regarding the Slave Trade Triangle:
 

Thanks for reading!