Slavery Is A Hard Foe To Battle

Comment by Al Smitley on May 3, 2025 at 9:00pm

New Hampshire’s Hutchinson Family Singers debuted in the late 1830s singing sentimental and patriotic songs celebrating the virtues of rural life.

In 1842, however, they began to associate closely with abolitionists and soon their repertory of songs championed such reformist causes as temperance, women’s rights, and above all, the abolition of slavery.  Both vilified by the press and public, America’s first group of social protest folk singers performed throughout the country.  The Hutchinsons, like other abolitionists, remained suspicious of the minstrel music genre, hostile to its vulgarity along with its racist stereotypes.  Yet, the songs produced by the minstrel show were so popular that it was natural to use their melodies for new lyrics of reform.  The Hutchinsons, thus used the “Old Dan Tucker” melody for “Get Off The Track”, one of their best known songs of emancipation.  In March, 1845 they, for the first time decided to include it into their public program and local newspapers issued dire warnings and suggested possible violence.  It was rumored that dozens of demonstrators had bought tickets and were coming armed with “brickbats and other missiles”.  “Even our most warm and enthusiastic friends among the abolitionists took alarm”, remembered Abby Hutchinson, and “begged that we might omit the song, as they did not wish to see us get killed.”  Like “Get Off The Track” the Hutchinsons, in 1855, used the melody of Dan Emmett’s 1853 minstrel song “Jordan Is A Hard Road To Travel” for “Slavery Is A Hard Foe To Battle”.  Condensed here to about half of the verses, the seemingly-impromptu declaration in the last verse is not spontaneous as it was typeset in the original sheet music. 

 

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