Browse Exhibits (3 total)
U.S.-Mexico War Songs and Music Revisited: Minstrels to Mexico
This exhibit traces the evolution of minstrel-turned-war song, "Lucy Neal."
Many minstrel songs of the time, like "Lucy Neal," were adapted for the context of the U.S.-Mexican War. This resulted in both the removal and re-appropriation of slavery in the U.S.-Mexican War, thus aggregating the two into a specific problematic for abolitionists.
Abolitionist concerns multiplied with westward expansionism. In response to abolitionist concerns, American sensationalism created a dialogue through music that volumized over anti-war and anti-slavery causes. "Lucy Neal" is one of those reverberations that showcases the warranted concerns of abolitionists, as patriotism and nationalism clouded the muddled truths behind the lyrics.
