“Dashing thro' the snow,
In a one horse open sleigh,
O'er the hills we go,
Laughing all the way;
Bells on bob tail ring, Making spirits bright,
Oh what sport to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.”
Chorus:
“Jingle bells, Jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what joy it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.”
(James Lord Pierpont, published by Oliver Ditson & Co., Boston MA, 1857)
A kindergarten through second-grade school in Rochester, New York banned the teaching and singing of “Jingle Bells.” School official argue that the song has its roots in slavery days and pre-Civil War minstrel shows where white performers wore blackface to mimic and mock African Americans. The school district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction argued that the song’s origin was “not in agreement with our district beliefs to value all cultures and experiences of our students.” “Jingle Bells” is a school wintertime favorite, partly because it welcomes the coming of snow and seasonal change, but also because it does not mention Christmas or any other religious holiday.
The history of “Jingle Bells” was uncovered by Kyna Hamill of Boston University who documented its performance in Boston minstrel shows starting in 1857 when it was known as “One Horse Open Sleigh.” On stage, the song was performed by Johnny Pell, who was part of a group called the Ordway’s Aeolians. According to a surviving playbill, the Aeolians claimed to be presenting “New Ethiopian Melodies” while performing as “Dandy Darkies.”
“One Horse Open Sleigh” was written by James Lord Pierpont, who also has an interesting history. His father, the Reverend John Pierpont, was a Unitarian minister and a leading Boston abolitionist. His brother, John Pierpont, Jr., entered the ministry and was also an abolitionist. In 1832, at the age of ten, Pierpont attended a boarding school in New Hampshire and wrote a letter to his mother where he described riding in a sleigh during a December snow storm.
Instead of following in the family’s footsteps, Pierpont spent his teenage years and early adulthood on New England whaling ships. He later tried, and failed to secure his fortune in the California Gold Rush. Pierpont married twice, had children with both wives who he regularly abandoned. He first moved south to Savannah, Georgia in 1853 where he played the organ in his brother’s Unitarian Church and taught music. He later returned to live in Savannah permanently, probably in 1857.
In 1859, Pierpont’s brother was forced to leave Savannah because of his opposition to slavery. Pierpont remained in the South and when the Civil War started he joined the 1st Georgia Cavalry. While serving as company clerk, he wrote battle songs for Confederate soldiers. Meanwhile Pierpont’s father was a chaplain for the Union army. Pierpont remained in the South after the end of the war, primarily living in Georgia. He died in 1893 at the age of 72.
According to Kyna Hamill, Pierpont probably wrote “One Horse Open Sleigh” during the summer of 1857, just before it was performed and he returned to Savannah. At the time he was living in boarding house in downtown Boston.
According to the Library of Congress website, “The classic age of blackface minstrelsy began in the late 1830s.” White performers blackened their faces with burnt cork and acted out racist caricatures of African Americans. Popular children’s songs like “Jimmy Crack Corn,” also known as “Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me,” “Camptown Races,” “My Old Kentucky Home,” “Oh! Susanna,” and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” all were originally written for and performed at minstrel shows. The best-known minstrel song composer was Stephen Foster, who like James Pierpont, was from the North.
The purpose of Critical Race Theory, as I understand it, is to expose the past, not to erase it. I don’t think these songs should be banned; instead they should be fully taught, not just their lyrics, but also their history. An excellent lesson for fourth graders would be a discussion, based on student research, on the origin of these songs, why they were offensive, and whether we should still sing them.
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