Senegambian Influences on Afro-American Musical Culture

Abstract

print ten years earlier. His book, however, can be viewed as one starting point for debate and research which have documented in more detail many of the points discussed by Herskovits. Two important research focuses have issued from this revisionary understanding of the African role in shaping and reshaping moder America: (1) research on the nature and scope of the transatlantic slave trade and (2) work on the origins, diffusion, and living conditions of slaves in the United States. Interest in such topics derived initially from Philip Curtin's The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Census (1969), which was later expanded upon by James Rawley's The Transatlantic Slave Trade (1981). These and other publications have helped to document the dates when slaves were taken, their numbers and origin, and the ports to which they were delivered. Scholars have worked extensively to document the presence and livelihood of slaves in various regions of the United States. Unfortunately,