-
Oh! Susanna
This song was written by Stephen Foster. It was preformed for the first time in an ice cream saloon. The song takes influences from both English and African music. -
John Brown's Body
This song was about the abolishonist. It was originally called "John Brown's Song." It is sung to the same tune as Battle Hymn of the Republic (the tune itself is called "Say Brothers will You Meet Us?", a song that came along later, and was popular among Union soldiers. -
Jeanie with the LIght Brown Hair
This song was also written by Stephen Foster. He wrote it about his wife. In the 1940s, this song became popularly played due to liscencing disputes over new songs. -
Dixie
This was a popular blackface song. It talks of a free slave who wishes he was back home. This made it an anthem for the Confederacy. -
The Palmetto State Song
This song was written by George O. Robinson. It was written in support of South Carolina's succession. This song also became an anthem for the Confederacy. -
Period: to
The Civil War
-
Go Down Moses (publication)
This was a popular slave spiritual.It was around before 1861, but that was when it gained popularity among the white population because it was published. The song had a hidden meaning that had to do with an escape from slavery to the "promised land" (or the North). -
Bonnie Blue Flag
This song alludes to the first flag of the Confederate Army. The song wsa written by Harry McCarthy. He preformed it for the first time in Jackson, Mississippi. -
Battle Hymn of the Republic
This song is to the same tune John Brown's Body was. It originally was made as a spiritual. It has since become an American patriotic song. The song compares Revelation to the Civil War. -
Maryland, My Maryland
This song was for the Confederate soldiers and to convince Maryland to join the Confederacy. Then Maryland didn't join the Confederacy and this became a bit embarassing. However, it was still a popular song for the South. It is now Maryland's state song. -
The Battle Cry of Freedom
This song was written for the Union by George Root. However after it gained popularity, W.H. Barnes made a version for the Confederacy. By changing the lyrics, the song could fight for either cause and you would be able to hear both armies singing the same tune. -
Tenting on the Old Camp Ground
This song was written by Walter Kittrege. It was preformed for the first time in Massachusetts. It was a popular song for Union soldiers. -
Period: to
Reconstruction
-
Little Old Cabin in the Lane
This song was written by Will Hayes. It tells the story of a former slave. This song has become widely known in the Bluegrass genre. -
My Grandfather's Clock
Another popular bluegrass song from this era. -
Home on the Range
This lyrics in this song were written by Brewster Higley. He wrote a poem called "My Western Home" that was set to music and made into this song. There are three versions of this song. The newest version is now the state song of Kansas. -
We Sat Beneath the Maple on the Hill
The first super sucessful song by an African American. This was written by Gussie Davis. He was only 18 when he wrote the song. -
Blow the Man Down
This song is a sea shanty. This song was written around 1860 but didn't become popular and widely known until 1882. The lyrics changed a lot in the song depending on the singer. -
New Coon in Town
This is one of the first "coon" songs. Coon songs came from ragtime and minstrel music. This song was followed by other coon songs. -
The Gladiator March
This song was written by John Phillip Sousa. Sousa later wrote "Stars and Stripes Forever." Until that song, this was his most popular piece. -
The Old Time Religion
This song was sung before and was a popular gospel song. It was finally written down by Charles Tillman. The mixture of Afican American spirtuals and White hymnals helped form the gospel genre. -
After the Ball
-
America the Beautiful
-
Poor Ellen Smith
-
Stagger Lee
-
All Coons Look Alike to Me
-
Harlem Rag
-
On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away
-
My Wild Irish Rose
-
Maple Leaf Rag
-
A Bird in a Gilded Cage
