Following the Civil War, a group of young ex-slaves in Nashville, Tenn., set out to save their bankrupt school by giving concerts. Throughout the North and in venues across Europe, they introduced audiences to the power of spirituals. Driven to physical collapse and even death, the singers proved more successful and inspirational than ever imagined. The Fisk Jubilee Singers battled prejudice and oppression to sing their way into the world’s heart.
WATCH: “American Experience: Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory”