II. Culture of the Slaves

African Americans made many cultural contributions during the Civil War era. They wrote poems, letters, addresses, folk literature, short stories, essays, and personal narratives. In many of their contributions, they told about their lives and activities as slaves and soldiers. They also wrote about their hopes and dreams of one day being free. Many of the pieces about the Civil War were written by African American authors who lived after the fighting was over, but the spirit of the war was still alive and affected their works. The songs composed during the period also reflected the African American experience.

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