Songs!

1. Anon- Virgen Madre De Dios
The artist of this song hoped to reflect on Mary, the mother of God, in relation to Spanish-speaking peoples of the Americas. It highlights the period before European settlement in areas such as current New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Texas, which were areas won by the US from Mexico and Central America in the 1800's. Before then, the Natives were influenced by the Catholic, Spanish-speaking explorers during Europe's Age of Exploration. They represent the diversity of America and the influence that the European settlers had on Natives, leading up to the influences we still have today, such as our religions and family customs.

2. Apache Indian Drums
This is truly a reflection of Native American culture (before the white settlers arrived) centuries ago. We are fortunate to have recordings such as this today, so that we can think about the people who populated America before our ancestors arrived. By this song we can remember the time in American history when the peaceful Natives lived together in unknown territory, and we can reflect on a culture that is ancient but alive and well today in our own nation.

3. Shaman's Call
This is very similar to track 2. The artist, R. Carlos Nakai, is Native American himself and is celebrating his heritage by recording music that his ancestors would have enjoyed hearing. This song represents proud descendants of Natives, who are still practicing the customs of Americans long ago. The recording also tells an old Native story of the Shaman, a legendary figure in Native American culture. Nakai is celebrating the beliefs of an old culture, the first Americans.

4. Brave Wolfe
Brave Wolfe was based on an old ballad, but was redone by Mark O'Connor and Wynton Marsalis. It is about General Wolfe, an English soldier who took Quebec from France during the American Revolution. It reflects on what how great Wolfe was during the Revolutionary era and it also reminds us of how one man can emerge as a hero. SOurce: www.militaryheritage.com/wolfe

5.Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
This song was written around the American Revolution era, it is about a man who is going to join the American troops to fight for independence. The song is "narrated" by a woman who loves Johnny, the soldier, and the song is written from the perspective of a heartbroken woman who is anxiously waiting for her love to come back from the war. I really enjoyed this song, as it reminds us of how much Revolution soldiers had to sacrifice for their independence, including leaving behind loved ones.

6. Hard Times Come Again No More
This was written in 1854 by Stephen Collins Foster, and it was popular during the Civil War. It seems like a positive song, as it tells about how the days of current suffering will soon end. I think it may be about the struggles of America before the Civil War, such as conflicts between the north and south and slavery, and also poverty, since the line "Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears while we all sup sorrow with the poor" encourages people to help those in need. This song predicts a bright future for America once its current problems are solved, even though America did endure more difficulties, such as the World Wars and the Depression a century later.

7. Paddy's Lament
So far, I think that this is my favorite song on the CD. It is a traditional Irish folk song (irishbands.groups.vox.com) and tells the story of Paddy, an Irish man who moved to America to escape the famines, only to be sent to fight in the Civil War. The story is narrated by Paddy himself, and he is speaking to family and friends about his experience. He wants to discourage his family from going to America, because even if they can escape the poverty of Ireland, they will have to deal with wars and violence in the United States. The song describes how an immigrant in the mid-1800's might have viewed Civil-war era America, and how the immigrants were taken in as soldiers for the war. That does not seem welcoming!

8. Jesus Christ
At first, I thought this was just a song telling about the life and death of Jesus, a retelling of the New Testament. What does that have to do with US History? Well, Woody Guthrie wrote this song in the late 1930's to tell us that if Jesus was still alive today in America, he would still be killed. During the early 1900's America became capitalist and even more materialistic, and the people probably would have cause Jesus to suffer if he was encouraging everyone to help their neighbors and give to the impoverished. This is a sad reality, and greed was probably at a high point during the Depression, when those who still had possessions and money were determined to hold on to what they had, instead of sharing with the poor. The song seems to reflect on Jesus' life, but it really speaks about the painful lives of people in Depression-era America.

9. Do Re Me
"Do Re Me" was also written by Woody Guthrie around the Great Depression. This song tells about the Dust Bowl and the workers who tried to leave their homes to find work elsewhere. But some of these workers were faced with a huge problem when they arrived in a new state- they did not have enough money to support themselves. If the workers did not have the "do" to buy a new home or farm in a new state, they just had to go back home. The song is written from a current viewpoint, as it seems to "warn" workers against moving away from the Dust Bowl states if they cannot truly afford to do so. This song is a reflection of how stressful and arduous life was for poor Americans during the Dust Bowl- they did not have much at home, and were looking forward to leaving, only to discover that life in a new state would only be just as, if not more than, difficult than life back in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Gerogia, and Tennessee.

10. Strange Fruit
"Strange Fruit" was written in the 1930's, and it was about the racist lynchings in the Southern United States. It is told from the perspective of someone who is witnessing the deaths of African Americans, and is shocked by the violence that is occuring in the South, which is depicted as otherwise scenic by the poplar and magnolia trees. The song is about all of the racial hatred in America a few decades before the Civil Rights movement. The prejudice during this era is important as it raised awareness of unfair hatred and led to African Americans fighting for their rights in the 1950's and 1960's, and winning.

11. A Change is Gonna Come
This song was written by Sam Cooke in 1963 (npr.org) and its message is obviously abou the Civil Rights Movement, as it was written by an African American in the early 1960's. The song tells us about a man who knows that discrimination will end, and he does not get discouraged even when others do not agree with him and it seems like change is a long way away. This song reminds us of how determined African Americans were to gain their own rights during the Civil Rights movement in America, and how much our country was influenced by the bravery of African Americans.

12. Youngstown
Bruce Springsteen's "Youngstown" is about Youngstown, Ohio, and it was written in 1995 (muninetguide.com.) It is about how the small town grew successfully during the Industrial Revolution, and continued to gain success as a mill town, where goods such as war ammo and guns were produced. The narrator recalls the mill town's history and his memories of when his father worked in the mills, it is very nostalgic. The song reminds us of the importance of the Industrial Revolution and how it impacted the American economy. More people had jobs in the mills, and important products were produced quickly.

13. The Times They Are A-Changin'
This song was written in 1964 (scotusblog.com) and describes the significant changes in America in the 1960's. The song makes this era sound almost revolutionary and warns people that they have to keep up with these rapid changes to society. Any great changes in America, such as in social life and politics, are very significant, as they alter the way Americans think and how they want the government to operate.

14. The Hands that Built America
This song was written and performed by U2 in 2002 for the film "The Gangs of New York." It is about the immigrants from Europe who came to America and helped "rebuild" it. They industrialized the nation and saw new opportunities to live in a successful new country. The citizens dreamed of a greater America and worked for it endlessly to improve their own lives. The song covers an important era in America, as the immigrants who arrived not only created success for themselves, but they also built a strong, healthy nation that still lives today. Now to digress a bit- I remember that this was the song that won U2 an Academy Award for Best Motion Picture Soundtrack in 2003, and Bono got excited and said a naughty word on live TV. I actually saw it and remember the FCC pandemonium that followed, and listening to this song again made me laugh.

15. We Didn't Start the Fire
Billy Joel released this song in 1989, and he is reflecting on all of the events and significant people that he witnessed earlier in his life. In the lyrics, he lists almost everything from entertainment such as Elvis Presley, Disneyland, sports, and "Catcher in the Rye," to politics such as the Cold War and communism (Castro and the Soviet Bloc.) This is a very nostalgic song as Joel is recalling everything that would have made the news when he was young. The song describes many ideas, events, and people that greatly influenced America. The States became involved in the Cold War against the Soviet Union; met great influential political figures such as Ronald Regan and John F. Kennedy; grew healthier from medical discoveries such as AIDS and vaccines; and introduced new talents such as Buddy Holly, James Dean, and Doris Day.
He says that life in America was already "on fire," meaning it was always lively and controversial, and the events and figures between 1950 and 1989 made life even greater and created history.

I really liked doing this project, I almost forgot I was practicing for the infamous DBQ! This was a very creative way of "rehearsing" for the life-altering AP US exam in the near future, and I hope to do more activities like this!