Introduction to Lesson 16

By the end of World War II, the character of North American society had greatly changed. The country experienced new levels of economic prosperity and women were voicing their opinions on gender roles, resulting from their newfound skills and work experiences during the war. At the same time, race relations began to deteriorate. In the 1950s and through the grassroots activities that led to the modern civil rights movement, the nation, and the world became exposed to racial inequalities such as fair job pay, fair housing, voter registration, to name a few, that adversely affected African Americans and hindered their artistic expression. As is often the case, artists regularly express their opinion about such social, cultural, and political disparities. Moreover, African Americans continued to use songs, in this case, freedom songs Songs sung by participants in the civil rights movement. They are also called "civil rights anthems" or, in the case of songs that are more hymn-like, they are called "civil rights hymns.", as a powerful medium to inform, educate, and offer a call to action against social injustice. In general, freedom songs are those lyrics that reflect African Americans' perseverance towards "acquiring" their desired goals whereas protest songs identify these goals, for example, equality, fair pay for work, fair housing, non-discriminatory voter registration, and social justice.