As we know from our readings and discussion on
Tuesday, Congo Square was a place where African slaves would gather to dance,
socialize, buy or sell things, and to keep in touch with their Native roots.
However, after Congo Square was closed down and reopened decades later, it was
not the same place that Benjamin Latrobe had described. Over the course of
time, it appears that most of the African traditions and practices had been
lost. When Congo Square was reopened, many of the things which brought it
such interest in the eyes of the public simply were not there. For example, the
original African drumming that was played and danced to in the old Congo Square had been replaced with songs like ”Hey, Jim Along”,
and shows just how Americanized the Slaves had become since Congo Square, which
had been their last holding ground that allowed them to connect with their culture
was gone.
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