It's about songs that were sung by african americans back in the 19th century. they were slave songs that helped africn americans to communicate

Spirituals Spirituals were made by a communal group interaction within a church, not written by one author. Most spirituals are based from the Old Testament. The heroes in biblical stories gave the slaves hope that god would save them. Slave's spirituals expressed the slave's daily life such as their sorrows, inspirations, coded messages to each other and their hopes of being free some day. The beginning spirituals were influenced by African culture, but by the …

…is so hard and mentions the slave masters taking her children. The work songs were generally about work and the hardships of daily life as a slave. Because the slaves were only allowed to sing in the fields be let the spiritual be their strength. The spirituals kept them going day after day. Spirituals were an important part of the history of slaves and in continues to be an important part of American history today.