During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, activists used music as a means of cultural expression, which in turn organized people through a strong connection to religion and the past. This time period experienced an evolution of black music into more politically and socially aware songs. These songs used the foundations of the black music like soul and gospel but adapted them to the time period in order to make them effective for achieving black goals in the latter part of the 20^th century. The goals included desegregation, fair treatment, equal opportunity and being granted the rights all Americans were guaranteed in the Constitution. The two main themes of the civil rights movement, religion and a strong history, allowed members to create a strong sense of collective identity and cultural expression. These themes, coupled with organization and activism, led to the success of the movement.  

            At the time of the 1960s, blacks had been in America for several centuries. They had a strong history rooted in the atrocities of slavery and the horrors of post-reconstruction America. Both were particularly low times in American history, but they brought blacks closer as a people. It gave them a sense that they were all in the struggle together. This concept of togetherness, evolved into collective identity which was a major driving force behind the movement. One of the most famous songs of the civil rights movement was “We Shall Overcome”. The use of the word “we” in almost all of the lines is an expression of this unity. At marches, sit-ins, and other public demonstrations, activists would gather together and sing, “Deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall overcome someday”. This showed everyone that civil rights activists were speaking out in one unified voice against the way they were being treated. In a similar way, the song “We Shall Not Be Moved” expressed the fact that blacks will not be dismayed in the quest for equal rights. The SNCC singers say, “We’re on our way to victory, we shall not be moved” and later on, “segregation is our enemy; it must be removed”. In the first piece, the phrase “we’re” shows that all blacks together would be victorious. In the second piece, the singers are unified through a common enemy of segregation. Through identifying their problems and uniting around a solution, these songs were able to inspire people and promote collective identity.

            Cultural expression was also an essential aspect of protest music. Blacks were restricted from the freedom of expression for many years during slavery but still they found a way to make their voices heard through old spirituals, gospel and other songs they sung while on the plantation. In the civil rights movement, these songs again became popular because they were a way for blacks to connect to their past. It was important at this time for blacks to remember where they came from, in order to see how far they had come and how far they still had to go. This idea of linking past and present is expressed in the black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. It says, “Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.” Also, the songs of past generations provided a base for civil rights singers to build off of. Many of the sounds and rhythms of the older gospel music had an influence on more modern music. This in turn, led to the start of soul music in the 1950s and its growth throughout the 1960s. Soul music was the most popular genre among blacks of the time period. After being suppressed for so many years, blacks were beginning to express themselves more openly through music, and undoubtedly, the events of the time period led to these songs being adapted to addresses the concerns of the black community. In addition to them expressing the problems in America and the goals of the activist, civil rights movement music was similar to the old spirituals of the past in that many of them involved or referenced religion.

            Over the years, the black community had developed a strong religious identity. It started when black slaves in America found inspiration in the Bible and its stories. In many respects, they could relate with struggles on Jesus and his followers because they were both underdogs. In his article on the subject of black spirituality, LeRoy Moore Jr. says, “Within the broad thematic biblical reaches of its relative dogma-less form [a black man] could express his own experiences and aspirations; he came to see himself as at one with the Israelites in bondage with the crucified Jesus.” (Moore 79). This association with the bible gave slaves hope for a better tomorrow and some comfort that someone was on their side. As a result, many slaves became Baptist, Presbyterian or Methodist. After slavery, blacks continued their devotion to religion by making their own churches. These churches grew astronomically in size as more and more blacks left the white churches for the expanding black churches. One example of this was the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. In a span of just 20 years, the church increased in membership from 20,000 to over 200,000. (Painter 137). This growth in black churches and spirituality would have a large impact on the civil right movement.

            The black church during the civil rights movement was not only a place of worship, but also a staging ground for activism. Many central leaders in the movement, like Martin Luther King Jr., were also ministers or active in the church. This helped to link the church to the events in the movement. When SNCC singers sang the song, “We Shall Overcome”, they added in an additional verse that said, “God is on our side”.  In “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, James Weldon Johnson said, “God of our weary years, God of our silent tears.” This verse shows that God has been with blacks throughout all of their struggles. He closes with the lines, “Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand. True to our God, True to our native land.” Here, the image of the hand represents God guiding and protecting the black community. Finally, the last line urges blacks stay true to God and also remember their African roots. The religious references in many of the civil rights songs gave activist strength and hope as they took to the streets to demand their rights. It was dangerous, but with God on their side they felt that they could accomplish their goals. The songs were a constant reminder of the role God played in their lives and in the movement.

            One of the keys ways that the civil rights movement was successful was through the organization of thousands of people with a central goal. The church provided the ideal venue for this massed organization because of the large predominately black populations and the fact that they were already established within the community. The leaders of the movement knew that in order to enact change in a non-violent fashion, they needed to mobilize large groups of demonstrators and activists to get out and support the cause. To achieve this objective, they had to draw people to the movement, educate them on the issues and organize them to increase the effectiveness of the mobilization. Songs of the movement achieved this by being simple and to the point so that anyone could pick them up and participate in the event. Additionally, they featured words or phrases that were interchangeable so that the song could be adapted to any situation. One such song was, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around”. The subject, “nobody” could be exchange with a name or another obstacle that stood in the way of equality. This song had a very simple message of staying focused on the goal and immovable in the resolve to get equal rights.      

            Civil Rights songs also achieved organizational objectives by highlighting a problem and then mentioning one or more potential solutions. In this way, singers could centralize the ideas of the movement into simple, concise thoughts which was a more organized approach to solving their problems. This concept can be seen in the song, “Oh, Freedom”. The problem is identified in the song in the second verse with the phrase “no segregation over me”. Segregation is not providing blacks with equal opportunity and as a result it is controlling and limiting the growth of the black community. The solution is to break away from the submissive ways of the past and move towards freedom. This is seen when the singers say, “And before I be a slave I’ll be buried in my grave. And go home to my Lord and be free”. In other words, they would rather die trying to get freedom then be reverted to the status of slaves. Once again, the reference to “Lord” represents another solution; unification with God both on earth and in heaven. These problems and solutions enabled the singers to remember what they were fighting for and organize their thoughts into clear statements expressed through the music.

            The final and most important part of the civil rights movement was the activism and mass mobilization of people. It was good to organize the people but they had to be out in public fighting for the cause. This was done through marches, sit-ins, boycotts, and demonstrations in defiance of segregation. Music was present at most of these events and the activist relied on it to keep their spirits up and also tell the world what their concerns were and why they were important. At the famous March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, the song “We Shall Overcome” was sung. During sit-ins, activists sang “We Shall Not Be Moved” along with other songs such as “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize”. The bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama was another event that involved music. Bernice Johnson Reagon states that the song “Onward Christian Soldiers” was used in Montgomery at the time. The main lyrics said, “Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle see His banners go!” This song help the boycotters keep God in mind as they went to war with the bus system in the city over segregation. In the manner, people all over the country could be active in the movement and use music to aid their progression from segregation to equality.

            The period of the civil rights movement in America from the 1950s to the 1960s was one of both ups and downs. On one hand, great strides were made in the treatment of blacks and other minorities in America but on the contrary, there was much violence and racial tension that went along with the transition. The process was long and difficult, but music was present the whole way through. Music provided a form of cultural expression that centered on religion and a shared history. This helped blacks to organize and mobilize activists who were dedicated to change. The role of music in the movement is undeniable, and it is hard to imagine that success of the movement without the influence of music.