What would the tone of Walt white mans poem I hear American singing be if the people in the poem were speaking rather than singing

Less hopeful.

Explanation:

Walt Whitman's poem "I Hear America Singing" is a song of unity among the American people despite the differences in their backgrounds and professions. It presents the various yet harmonious community of the people amidst the outbreak of the Civil War.

The very process or act of singing presents a joyful tone to the whole approach. The singing presents the people with hope and a better future, and they expressed these aims through the songs. But if the singing is replaced rather by mere recitation of speaking of the words, then it becomes less hopeful and more like a common statement or addressing of things. So, if the people in the poem were speaking rather than singing, then it will make the whole poem seem less happy, or less hopeful.