The Old Folks at Home

Dublin Core

Title

The Old Folks at Home

Subject

United States
time: 19th century
Antebellum South
slavery

Description

Minstrel songs were part of 19th-century pop music. "The Old Folks at Home" was originally sung from the perspective of an enslaved person longing for his life on the plantation. The song remains Florida's state song but its lyrics have undergone several revisions over the course of history due to their romanticization of slavery.

Creator

songwriter: Stephen Foster

Date

1851

Rights

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Language

English

Type

genre: minstrel song

Coverage

United States

Alternative Title

Swanee River

Is Referenced By

Saunders, Steven. "The Social Agenda of Stephen Foster’s Plantation Melodies." American Music 30, no. 3 (2012): 275-89.

Song Hyperlink Item Type Metadata