Despite the restrictions imposed by slavery, African Americans made significant contributions to American culture in music, literature, and cuisine. The infectious nature of African American music, which appeared in a variety of styles, especially jazz, soul, rap, rhythm and blues, quickly spread to American audiences and broke the barriers from which they had originated. Starting from the 17th century, music played a fundamental role in organizing the first slave revolts. When they were brought to the United States, drums were used as a means of communication: they spread messages in a rhythmic language indecipherable by whites. They were used to orchestrate resistance and revolts. After the sound of slave drums was banned, they responded by preserving those rhythms by adapting them to new instruments. After the American Civil War, the blues reflected the disheartening realization that, although emancipation had been granted, equality for African Americans was not guaranteed. The blues voice communicated disappointment and melancholy. They remembered the griots, the African singers and storytellers. The blues mirrored American race relations, documenting struggle and conflict on the one hand, but also suggesting a future based on cooperation and understanding. Initially, jazz was considered a minor form of music or even no music at all. Many important composers of the 20th century, Aaron Copland, Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky, embraced jazz as a powerful musical genre. Sam Cooke is the first great soul figure. His music marked a shift from emotional issues to social and political ones, as evident in the song "A Change is Gonna Come". From the 1960s through the 1970s, soul moved towards songs of political awareness and protest, p...... middle of paper ...... was perhaps most influenced by African cuisine. Fried chicken, orka and Southern seasonings are all of African origin. In French Louisiana, African cuisine produced the unique cuisine of New Orleans. Orka, known as gumbo in Africa, is still one of the most popular soups in that area today. Additionally, African Americans recreated customary African cuisine such as fufu, which was widely consumed in South Carolina. Fufu is a highly prized staple food in Africa, produced primarily in West and Central Africa. The greatest contribution of Africans since slavery was in agriculture. Rice was imported from Madagascar to South Carolina around 1740. African women showed their owners how to grow rice. As a result, these crops became the source of the state's economy. In response to racial and economic oppression and poverty, African-American cuisine emerged..