My name is Jonathan Tshibambi, I am a senior here at Keene State, originally I am from Raleigh, North Carolina but am here in New Hampshire for school. I have always been interested in history, and typically my curiosity has been the relationship between the African American and Caucasian communities, specifically the post-slavery tension that two groups have suffered since and the after-effects of the Civil War. To me this research paper is alluring because it gives myself and the class an opportunity to examine the many facets of the antebellum and post antebellum United States. The societal breakdown this war caused when the country split in two based due to the huge issue of slavery is still affecting our country.

For this research project I have been interested in researching music and the Civil War. The idea came to me when I recalled to watching Glory, a film about a white officer commanding the 54th Massachusetts Regiment.  There is a scene in the movie where the night before a critical battle, the 54th Mass. prepare by singing songs and hymns in a circle and taking turns expressing their belief in God. In the scene the white commander is lost on the culture that his soldiers bring to the table.