The Social Significance of the Blues and its Impact on Jazz

To understand the part played by the blues in American society, we need to consider what psychological imprints the blacks inherited from the years of slavery as well as what cultural and artistic forms existed during those times. The spirituals, plantation songs, work songs, banjo music, fiddle tunes and dances. All these elements were present, and to understand how and why the blues emerged at the end of the nineteenth century, we must first look at the society of slavery.

In 1661 the colony of Virginia legalized slavery and the other colonies soon followed. At the time of the American War of Independence (1775-1783), the Northern states declared slavery illegal, but the South did not. The wealth of the Southern land owners depended on it, as did the prosperity of the slave traders of Bistrol and Liverpool.

When the slave trade was officially abolished in 1807, the Southern states virtually ignored it and illicit trade continued. The ban had the effect of increasing the value of slaves and breeding was intensified.

It was the American Civil War of 1861-1865 which finally dealt the death blow to slavery in the South. Torn from their own environment,

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Approximate Word count = 851
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)