Gorillas spend most of their time on the
ground. But they may also climb trees to
sleep and feed. Gorillas eat plants,
including fruits, leaves, stalks, and
shoots.
#More to explore
Ape • Endangered Species • Primate
If threatened,
a male gorilla
may beat his
chest and
make loud
sounds to
scare away
intruders.
Adult male gorillas are called silverbacks
because they have gray or silver hairs on
their lower back.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Gorilla 129
Gospel Music
Gospel music is a form of African
American religious music.Worshippers
play and sing gospel music at some Protestant
Christian church services. The
word gospel means “good news,” and
gospel songs often praise God or Jesus.
Many gospel songs also describe
struggles and hard times.
Small groups of singers, choirs, and soloists
(single singers) perform gospel
music. Singers are usually very emotional
and expressive. A wide range of
instruments—for example, organ, guitars,
banjos, or brass instruments—may
provide background music.
Many gospel songs have parts known as
call and response. In this type of singing,
the leader sings a phrase and then the
group responds with a repeated line.
The roots of gospel music can be traced
back to African slaves in North America
in the 1700s. At that time slave owners
made slaves attend church services. At
these services the slaves learned Christian
hymns. They made up work songs
and religious songs, called spirituals,
based on these hymns.
After the end of slavery African American
preachers used music during their
sermons. During the early 1900s recordings
of these sermons became available.
In this way gospel music spread to a
wider audience. Popular singers began
using the forms and sound of gospel
music. In turn, popular music, such as
the blues, also influenced gospel music.
Some of the best-known gospel singers
and songwriters were Thomas A.
Dorsey, C.A. Tindley, C.L. Franklin,
and Mahalia Jackson.
#More to explore
Blues • Christianity • Music
Gourd
Gourds are hard-shelled fruits. They are
generally used as decorations or in crafts.
Gourds come in a wide variety of shapes
and are often very colorful. They are
related to pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers,
and melons.
Gourds first grew in the Americas and in
tropical Africa and Asia. They were
among the first plants grown by people.
Today gourds are grown throughout the
world in the tropics and in mild areas.
Many gospel singers are very expressive
when they sing.
130 Gospel Music BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Gourds grow on vine plants. The vines
are sticky and covered with rough,
prickly hairs. The leaves are large, and
the flowers are white or yellow. The
smallest gourds are the size of a marble.
The largest are more than 7 feet (2
meters) long. Some gourds are white,
but many others have bands, stripes, or
spots in shades of yellow and green.
Some have smooth skin, while others
have bumps or spines.
In some countries people eat gourds.
But mostly people use gourds to make
musical instruments, pipes, masks, and
containers such as water jugs. The inside
of one type of gourd is dried and used as
a sponge called a loofah.
#More to explore
Fruit • Pumpkin • Squash
Government
The government of a modern nation, or
country, is an organization that does
many things. It defends the country from
outside enemies. It keeps order within the
country. And it does services for its
people. In return, the people of the
country must pay money called taxes to
the government. They also must obey the
government’s rules, which are called laws.
States and cities have governments, too.
Powers of Government
There are three kinds of government
power: legislative, executive, and judicial.
The legislative branch of the government
makes laws. The executive
branch enforces the laws and runs most
government departments. The judicial
part settles disagreements about the law
and runs the courts.
Forms of Government
Governments can be set up in many
ways. Most modern governments fit into
a few types.
Democracy
Democracy is government of the people,
by the people, and for the people. In
direct democracy all citizens vote on
everything. Direct democracy works best
in places where there are few people.
Modern democratic countries have representative
democracy instead. In a representative
democracy citizens vote for
representatives to make decisions for
them.
In a democracy people are free to start
and join political parties. Parties are
groups of people who agree with each
other on political issues.
Most modern democracies have constitutions.
A constitution is a document
Colorful gourds are often used as decorations.
The word
government
comes from a
Greek word
meaning “to
pilot a ship.”
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Government 131
that organizes the government and sets
limits on its power. The two main types
of constitutional democracy are the
presidential system and the parliamentary
system.
Presidential System
The presidential system is common in
republics (countries with no king or
queen), including the United States. In a
presidential system the executive and
legislative branches are separate. The
