Download or read book Slave Songs and the Birth of African American Poetry written by L. Ramey and published by Springer. This book was released on 2008-02-04 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this insightful and provocative volume, Rameyreveals spirituals and slave songs to be a crucial element in American literature. This book shows slave songs'intrinsic value as lyric poetry, sheds light on their roots and originality, anddraws new conclusions on anart form long considereda touchstone of cultural imagination.