Final answer:
African American slaves used European hymns and psalms to learn literacy and created their own melodies, tunes, and speech patterns, contributing to the development of a unique African American musical sound and culture. This blending of European and African musical traditions continued in American music with the emergence of rock 'n' roll.
Step-by-step explanation:
Charles Colcock Jones, a slave master and missionary, emphasized teaching hymns and psalms to slaves as a way to deter them from creating their own music. However, African American slaves used these European texts to learn literacy and created their own melodies, tunes, and speech patterns, thereby developing a unique African American musical sound and culture.
This blending of European and African musical traditions in American music is a recurring theme throughout history, with genres like rock 'n' roll tearing down color barriers by incorporating African American musical motifs.