And so by fateful chance the Negro folk-song
--the rhythmic cry of the slave-stands to-day
not simply as the sole American music, but as
the most beautiful expression of human
experience born this side the seas. It has been
neglected, it has been, and is, half despised,
and above all it has been persistently
mistaken and misunderstood; but
notwithstanding, it still remains as the
singular spiritual heritage of the nation and
the greatest gift of the Negro people.
- "The Sorrow Songs,
W. E. B. Du Bois
Intro
00000
4 of 8