The manifestation of the roots music of African immigrants has developed into American musical genres such as spirituals, blues and gospel music. As the centuries passed, spirituals and work songs expanded to encompass distinctive musical genres, particularly Southern black blues. The work songs and spirituals of African Americans are considered a window into their cultural life, their songs connecting the optimisms, burdens, and beliefs of slavery. Music was rooted in life, songs were hummed on porches, sung in churches and sung in the fields. The melodies were passed down from parent to child and through their connotations they reflected the changing times. Many African immigrants came to the United States from West Africa, they came by force and were rarely allowed freedom of expression and, as a result, songs were used to express their subjugation and desire for autonomy. As stated in class, in 1619 the first African immigrants arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, the expansion of the plantation system in the southern colonies required cheap labor, but the work was burdensome. The repressed African culture of countless slave owners (this included foreign language and dance), they wanted to promote a docile attitude and thwart potential revolts. African slaves had a natural affinity for musical expression, West African traditional and cultural roots were assimilated into the musical styles of African immigrants to America, West African music provided social solidity, and many songs were sung with joy and unification of daily life. A precedent to spirituals were the work songs devised on the cotton, tobacco, and rice plantations of the rural South and the field cries, which are partly grievances, but also... middle of paper... n mistreatment and its strength of will to persist, likewise it can be a form of shouts and screams, which were the first work songs. Therefore, work songs were a precursor to the blues as they expressed the obstructionism and cynicism of African Americans. The idea that African American slaves interpreted songs as a spiritual and powerful art is supported by the evolution of music. The musical genres resonated with African stories, myths and hardships, which are part of the appeal of blues music. Likewise, predecessors such as spirituals and work songs conveyed an intense association with religious belief, often expressed in euphoric and passionate outbursts. Even with the simplest instruments, African musicians played a variety of styles that encompassed sorrow and optimism, perhaps more alluringly than any other genre of indigenous music America had ever experienced..