Songs of Slavery and Emancipation

Mat Callahan is a musician and author originally from San Francisco. He is author of five books including The Explosion of Deferred Dreams: Musical Renaissance and Social Revolution in San Francisco, 1965-1975 and A Critical Guide to Intellectual Property. His recent projects include the republication of Songs of Freedom: The James Connolly Songbook by Irish revolutionary James Connolly; the recording and publication of?Working-Class Heroes: A History of Struggle in Song: A Songbook;?and the launch of the multimedia project Songs of Slavery and Emancipation, which includes this book, a CD of song recordings, and a film. Robin D. G. Kelly, Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, UCLA, is the author and editor of numerous books including Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times and Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original

The book and the record album constitute a rather rare gift: a rich trove of material that is highly edifying and simultaneously entertaining, an excellent pedagogical and research resource.--Richard Flacks "Socialism and Democracy" Taken together, the book, CD's and film offer an important window into nineteenth century black protest music. They also offer a fascinating view of how enslaved people resisted the circumstances of their oppression, even at the risk of their lives.--Dick Weissman "Local Lore" The contents of this book are, quite simply, fascinating and any reader with an interest in the history of slavery, the history of the U.S and the history of American music should have this down as one for their wish list but it's a book that will have a wider appeal than just to those directly interested in the subject matter, because it also represents some outstanding research and a fascinating story about how these songs were brought together and what they mean for society as a whole.--Rick Bayles "Americana UK" This book is itself an act of liberation. Guided by inspired scholars/activists, we discover long-buried songs that remind us of a burden still not fully shed, but also of the extraordinary grit, creativity, and perseverance of those who have fought the good fight.--Victor Wallis, author of Democracy Denied: Five Lectures on U.S. Politics Mat Callahan unearths important new evidence concerning the creative, subtle, and persistent resistance of enslaved Black people in the US.--Kevin B. Anderson, author of Marx at the Margins: On Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Non-Western Societies Mat Callahan's carefully documented and richly interpreted book is the first modern comprehensive compilation of the musical archive of Black resistance to slavery and abolition. I cannot praise this labor of scholarly passion and conscience enough. It is a game changer in the histories of musicology and abolition.--Manisha Sinha, author of The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition Mat Callahan's Songs of Slavery and Emancipation restores to view a wonderful trove of verses that give us access to the voices and lived experience of enslaved African Americans and their abolitionist supporters. It is an invaluable historical and musical resource.--James G. Basker, Richard Gilder Professor of Literary History at Barnard College, Columbia University This work would certainly make a strong teaching text for future students and scholars interested in finding sources about slave resistance from enslaved (singing) voices. Ultimately, Callahan helps to demonstrate how enslaved and abolitionist songs in America became 'a powerful weapon against slavery and anti-Black racism, ' still holding great relevance to this day.--Catherine V. Bateson "Civil War Book Review"