Jazz project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jazz project 2 - Essay Example Blues songs are not only written about the trials faced during the slave days, these songs are also written about the many trials that blacks have faced over time. After the slaves were freed, the black community had new challenges. While they were excited about being free and in charge of their own lives, there were still a number of obstacles that kept them from being equal to their white counterparts. Because of their inequality, the black community suffered significantly. For instance, the only jobs that were offered to black men were the jobs that their white counterparts were not interested in doing. These jobs usually consisted of back-breaking labor under harsh conditions. Some of the remedial tasks that blacks were forced to perform in order to make a living were working on farms or in the fields or the position of traveling minstrel (University of Scranton). Concerning the conditions under which the blacks were forced to work, one article titled â€Å"Life after the Thirteenth Amendment† states that though blacks were free from slavery; their jobs were similar to what they had to do while they were slaved. Laws were passed to keep blacks in poverty, such as prohibiting them from owning land, imposing stiff fines if they were not working (It was tough to find a suitable job due to severe racial discrimination and lack of work for blacks that did not cause them to take up positions of servitude.), and they could be sold into what was called virtual slavery if they were unable to pay the fines imposed upon them. What’s more, black children could be forced to work as apprentices (Thomas). It would be a very long time before blacks had the true equality that they deserved. Along with the inequality that the black community has suffered, they dealt with a number of other troubles. Blues songs were composed to help them cope with such troubles, as well as being a way to vent out their frustrations. Blues’ songs were sung about the themes that