Introduction:. Recovering the lost soundtrack of American social visionaries -- Seeing children of God or children of the devil in Massachusetts Bay -- Singing nonconformist and Anglican hymns in the 18th century -- Asserting racial equality with sacred verse in early America -- Debating blacks' and Indians' humanity in the early republic -- Affirming the humanity of early-antebellum blacks and Indians -- Making space for Indians in early antebellum fiction, or not -- Struggling to enlist support for the Cherokee people -- Legitimating black emancipation with blacks' voices -- Singing communities and the American anti-slavery society -- Making space for blacks in late antebellum American fiction -- Conclusion. Tracing the legacy of sacred music and American racial equality
Summary
"Before the American Civil War, men and women who imagined a multiracial American society (social visionaries) included Protestant hymns and psalms in their speeches and writings. Music affirmed the humanity and equality of Indians and blacks. Singing and reading Protestant hymns encouraged community formation that led to American human rights activism in the 19th and 20th centuries"--Provided by publisher
