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In the context of American slavery, that ancient sense of "down" converged with the concept of "down the river" (the Mississippi), where enslaved people's conditions were notoriously worse. Later verses also draw parallels between the Israelites' freedom from slavery and humanity's freedom won by Christ.

"Oh! Let My People Go"

Although usually thought of as a spiritual, the earliest written record of the song was as a rallying anthem for the

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