The African Influence
on American Music
Visualize, if you will the timeline of American
music. It starts in the mid-1700s stretching
forward into modern times. Each point along
the line is labeled with a different and unique
musical genre-jazz, blues, rock, reggae, soul,
and more. Although each of these types of
music is very different from the others, there is
one common thread that runs through them
all: they all were originally impacted by music
from the continent of Africa. That common
ancestry makes African American music the
single biggest influence on American music
today.
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A
Reread the first sentence of the passage.
How does this sentence serve the author's
purpose?
The author attempts to introduce the reader to the
main argument that is discussed in detail in later
paragraphs.
The author attempts to initiate a fun tone for the
reader by introducing an interesting snippet of
trivia.
The author attempts to engage the reader with her
topic by addressing the reader directly.
The author attempts to puzzle the reader by asking
the reader to ponder a complex image.