Why were drums banned on many Southern plantations?

In the Southern United States, drums were banned on many plantations due to the fear that enslaved people would use them to communicate with one another and coordinate rebellions.1

This restriction was rooted in the history of talking drums from West Africa, which were traditionally used to mimic the rhythm and inflection of spoken language to send messages and news across distances. Because these instruments were capable of "speaking," enslavers viewed them as a significant security threat. As a result of this ban, other instruments, such as the banjo, gained popularity among enslaved populations in the South.1