American History - Slavery Filmography
updated (3/05)

Africans in America America's journey through slavery. 1998. a 4 videocassettes (360 min.). Considers the contradictions that lie at the heart of the founding of the American nation. The infant democracy pronounced all men to be created equal while enslaving one race to benefit another. Portrays the struggles of the African people in America, from their arrival in the 1600s to the last days before the Civil War. VHS 5561 – 5564

The Terrible transformation. Africans in America. episode 1. 1998. 1 videocassette (ca. 90 min). This first episode examines the origins of one of the largest forced human migrations in recorded history. After the arrival of the first Africans in Virginia in 1619, the British colonies laid the groundwork for a system of racial slavery which generated profits that ensured the colonies' growth and survival. VHS 5561

Revolution Africans in America. episode 2.1 videocassette (ca. 90 min.). In this second episode, while the American colonies challenge Britain for independence, American slavery is challenged from within as men and women fight to define what America will be. When the War of Independence is won, black people, both enslaved and free, seize on the language of freedom even while the new nation’s Constitution codifies slavery and oppression as a national way of life. VHS 5562

Brotherly love. Africans in America. episode 3. 1998. 1 videocassette (ca. 90 min.). In this third episode, during the first 50 years of the new nation, freedmen and fugitive slaves in Philadelphia push the country to live up to the promises made in its Constitution. But with the invention of the cotton gin, slavery expands into America's western frontier, and a revolution in Haiti inspires slave rebellions throughout the southern United States. VHS 5563

Judgement day. Africans in America. 1998. 1 videocassette (ca. 90 min.). In this final episode, as the nation expands westward slavery becomes the most divisive issue in American life. Abolitionists struggle to bring the institution down and the nation is tested as never before. When tensions over slavery erupt into violence, Americans are forced to consider how long the country can continue as a democracy built on the profits of bondage. VHS 5564

Among equals. Curriculum Materials Center: Childhood. 1991. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Explores the importance of peer relationships in middle childhood development. Children are seen working out moral dilemmas, social relationships and developing strong self identity. Participation in youth groups and team sports become rehearsals for life. Also discussed are the lifestyles of runaway or rejected children in Brazil and the historical effects of American slavery. VHS 2262

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. 1993. orig. 1974. 1 videocassette (ca. 110 min.). Presents the story of the long life of Miss Jane Pittman, who began her life as a slave in the South and who marched for her civil rights in the 20th century at the age of 110. Feature Film. VHS 3247

Burn! 1984. orig. 1969. 1 videocassette (112 min.). Story of political greed and social upheaval on a 19th century Caribbean island, where men rise up in bitter and bloody rebellion against the wealthy nations seeking to enslave them. Egomaniacal Sir William Walker (Brando) is sent by the British to instigate a slave revolt on a Portuguese-controlled sugar-producing island of Quemada. Feature Film. VHS 593

The Cause, 1861. The Civil War. 1989. 1 videocassette (99 min.). Beginning with a dramatic indictment of slavery, this first episode evokes the causes of the war, from the cotton kingdom in the South to the abolitionist movement in the North. Here the major characters are introduced, along with a host of less well-known but equally vital characters. Shown are events immediately preceding the outbreak of hostilities to the disastrous Union defeat at Manassas, where both sides learned it would be a long war. VHS 1255

The Country and the city. New York, a documentary film. episode 1. 1999. 1 videocassette  (ca. 120 min.). Chronicles the history of New York from its founding in 1624 as a Dutch trading post through the explosion of economic growth generated by the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825. Looks at the defining role the Dutch played in establishing the city's character, the impact of the British empire and the horrors of slavery, New York's strange and fateful role in the American Revolution, its brief tenure as the nation's capital, and the burst of entrepreneurial energy that the in the early 9th century launched it on its course to becoming the greatest city on earth. VHS 6121

Dark passages. 1990. 1 videocassette (60 min.). On-location scenes in Gambia and Senegal and a mixture of interviews, facsimiles of slave narratives, and dramatizations show the impact of the African slave trade. The program also discusses the attempts of some Afro-Americans to return to their roots in West Africa and Islam and to create a memorial in Africa to those who were carried into slavery in the African diaspora. VHS 3515

Digging for slaves the excavation of American slave sites. 1992. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Provides details of excavations of 18th-century slave quarters on Middleburg Plantation near Charleston, S.C., at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson and at Colonial Williamsburg. VHS 2541

Doing as they can. Who built America? 1987. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Presents a glimpse of working and living conditions of slaves on southern cotton plantations in the 1840's.  Shows how slaves sometimes outsmarted their white masters by "doing as they can," whereas the masters it was felt, "did as they pleased.". VHS 352

El Otro Francisco = The other Francisco. 198?. orig. 1974. 1 videocassette (100 min.). Pseudo-documentary film that contrasts the romantic conceptions of plantation life found in Suárez Romero's novel with a realistic expose of the actual historical conditions of slavery throughout the Americas. Offers a critical analysis of the novel, showing how the author's social background led to his use of particular dramatic structures to convey his liberal, humanitarian viewpoint. Feature Film. VHS 2181

Family across the sea. 1991. 1 videocassette (58 min.). A delegation of Gullah people travels from the United States to Sierra Leone to trace the roots of their heritage. VHS 2170

Family name. 1997. 1 videocassette (89 min.). First person documentary on the legacy of slavery. Growing up in Durham, N.C., Macky Alston (who is white) never questioned why all the other Alstons in his school were black. Now he goes back to search for his family roots. To do so he travels to family reunions, picnics, housing projects, churches, graveyards & the original Alston plantations to find and talk with people who vary in age, race and outlook but who all share his family name. VHS 4800

Forever free, 1862. The Civil War. 1989. 1 videocassette (76 min.). This episode charts the dramatic events that led to Lincoln's decision to set the slaves free. Convinced by July, 1862 that emancipation was morally and militarily crucial to the future of the Union, Lincoln must wait for a victory to issue his proclamation. But there is no Union victory to be had until Antietam, the bloodiest day of the war, followed shortly by the brightest--the emancipation of the slaves. VHS 1257

Forward to Sumter. The Divided union. 1987. 1 videocassette (52 min.). What caused the American Civil War? Take a personal journey through history to see that the split between North and South was not a surprise--the U.S. had been evolving into two separate societies and cultures ever since independence. Illustrates the rise of the Republican Party and the emergence of Abraham Lincoln, the moves toward secession within the South, industrialization in the North, and the impact of the cotton gin on the economic development of the South. It also traces the origins of slavery in North America. VHS 3253 pt.1

George Washington the man who wouldn't be king. The American experience. 1992. 1 videocassette (60 min.). George Washington has been sculpted, painted, emulated and deified more than 200 years, but few Americans have any idea who he was.  This program explores our first President's relationship with his troops and the revolutionary cause; with his slaves and his fellow founding fathers. It gives us and unconventional look at the man who insisted that America be a democracy. VHS 1843

A History of slavery in America. Black Americans of achievement. 1994. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Explores the institution of slavery in North America from the 1600s to the early days of Reconstruction. VHS 3547

Homecoming-- sometimes I am haunted by memories of red dirt and clay. 1998. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Explores "the rural roots of African American life ... [and] chronicles the  generation-old struggle of African Americans for land of their own which pitted them against both the Southern white power structure and the federal agencies responsible for helping them. ... As part of radical Reconstruction, Congress allotted 45 million acres of land to former slaves but the rapid reimposition of white supremacy meant that little land was ever actually distributed. Despite formidable obstacles, one million African Americans, mostly former sharecroppers, managed to purchase over 15,000,000 acres of land by 1910.  This achievement was threatened by the agricultural crisis of the '20s and '30s which led to a raft of farm foreclosures and, eventually, to the system of federal farm loans and subsidies on which all farmers depend today. But the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture was a white man's club, often working hand in glove with local bankers and big landowners to dispossess black farmers of their land. ... This film argues that black farms, though small in number today, can continue to provide African Americans with a sense of cultural stability and family unity in the 1990s. Includes archival footage and photographs and commentary. [Quoted sections from California Newreel website: http://www.newsreel.org/films/homecome]. VHS 6389

Jefferson's blood. 2000. 1 videocassette (60 min.). For years there existed a rumor that Thomas Jefferson had a long-standing relationship and several children by Sally Hemings, a woman who was his slave. Now, DNA tests all but prove the rumor true. An early hero of the anti-slavery movement, Jefferson wrote brilliantly of the corrupting influence of slavery on blacks and whites alike. Yet it is now apparent that he lived a dual life, sharing his house with his white daughter and grandchildren while his unacknowledged mistress and his children by her worked in the same house as slaves. In a personal essay, Shelby Steele examines Jefferson's life and follows the descendants of Jefferson and Hemings as they undergo DNA testing, search out their family history, and try to sort out their place along America's blurred color line. VHS 6378

John Brown's holy war. 2000. 1 videocassette (90 min.). A look inside a complex man, farmer and warrior, family man and avenging angel, to reveal the man behind the legend.  He is the father of American terrorism-- and an inspiration to the Civil Rights movement.  More than 150 years after his execution, questions swirl around John Brown: was he a madman or a martyr? A bloodthirsty fanatic or a great American hero? Draws on interviews with historians and writers, including novelist Russell Banks, and stunning dramatic re-enactments to trace one man's obsessive battle against human bondage. VHS 6352

Lewis & Clark the journey of the Corps of Discovery. 1997. 2 videocassettes (240 min.). Chronological retelling of the story of the most important expedition in American history. The expedition was named the Corps of Discovery by Thomas Jefferson who ordered it  to survey newly acquired lands and seek a Northwest Passage. Led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the expedition traveled from St. Louis, up the Missouri River by keelboat and then westward over the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific during the years 1804-1806 . Includes the stories of the young army men, French-Canadian boatmen, Clark's African-American slave, and the Shoshone woman named Sacagawea who went with them. VHS 4785

The Life of Sojourner Truth ain't I a woman. 1989. 1 videocassette (26 min.). In the middle 1800s, at the age of 46, Sojourner Truth set out across New England, speaking at prayer meetings and gatherings.  Although she was plain-spoken and uneducated, audiences were moved. She became known for her persuasive ability to speak about politics, religion, slavery and women's rights. VHS 2655

Mirrors of the heart. Americas. 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment analyzes shifting ethnic and racial definitions in the region, looking at Bolivia, a nation with a rich Indian tradition, and Hispaniola, an island divided between two nations - Haiti and the Dominican Republic - with different cultural heritages and attitudes towards their African roots. VHS 2124

Nat Turner a troublesome property. 2002. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Evaluates the authenticity of the earliest source, "The Confessions of Nat Turner", assembled by a white Virginia lawyer from jailhouse interviews. It then follows the controvery over the Nat Turner story played out through history. Alvin Poussaint and Ossie Davis recall how Nat Turner became a hero in the Black community. Religious scholar Vincent Harding and legal scholar Martha Minow reflect on America's attitudes toward terrorism. One of the most bitter race battles of the 1960s is reexamined, when William Styron published his novel, The Confessions of Nat Turner. VHS 7456

New worlds, new forms. Dancing. 1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program examines the heritage that enslaved Africans brought to North and South America via dance. From the Samba in Rio to the Lindy-hop in Harlem, cultural collisions have shaped the popular dances of today. VHS 2295

Reparations to African Americans for slavery . 2000. 1 videocassette (71 min.). Participants talked about reasons to provide reparations to descendents of African slaves. VHS 6626

Roots. 1992. orig. 1977. 6 videocassette (569 min.). An adaptation of Alex Haley's Roots, in which he traces his family's history from the mid-18th century when one of his ancestors, Kunta Kinte, was captured and sold into slavery. The series follows the struggle for freedom which began with the young man's abduction and was continued by his descendants. Feature Film. VHS 3470

Roots of resistance a story of the underground railroad. 1990. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Recounts the story of the underground railroad through narratives of escaped slaves. Includes interviews with descendants of slaves and slave holders of Somerset Place, a plantation in North Carolina, who describe the personal danger and terrible risk involved in each slave's departure. VHS 3081

Shackles of memory. 1994. 1 videocassette (52 min.). From the port of Nantes, located on the French Atlantic coast, more than 1800 slave ships plied their human cargo during the 18th and 19th centuries. These French ships circled the coast of Africa, exchanging trade merchandise for black captives whom they later sold to the colonies being established in the New World. Using a mixture of paintings, documents, artifacts and the words of those involved in this cruel system, the film brings the reality of slavery to life for a modern audience. VHS 4026

Slave reparations. 2004. 1 videocassette (52 min.). "This documentary examines the current controversy over the issue of slave reparations, addressing the most often voiced objections to the claim for financial restitution to the ancestors of slaves for the wealth created by black labor in previous centuries. Among those discussing this timely issue are Dr. Alvin Poussaint, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Professor Manning Marable, historian and professor of African American Studies at Columbia University; Reverent Herbert Daughtry, Minister of the House of the Lord Churches; Richard E. Barber, a lifelong civil rights activist who instituted the groundbreaking class-action lawsuit seeking reparations from corporations that profited from slave labor; and Donna Lamb of Caucasians United for Reparations and Emancipation. The documentary is divided into two parts for classroom use." --from www.cinemaguild.com. VHS 7743

A Son of Africa. 1996. 1 videocassette (28 min.). A docudrama using dramatic reconstruction, archival material and interviews with scholars. When Equiano's autobiography was published in 1789 it was widely read, fueling a growing anti-slavery movement in the U.S. and England. The story begins in the West African village where Equiano is kidnapped into slavery in 1756 and shipped to a Virginia plantation. Later he is sold to a British naval officer, learns to read and write and becomes a skilled trader. Eventually he buys his freedom, settles in London and marries into English society where he becomes a leading abolitionist. VHS 4566

The Tempest. 1999. orig. 1998. 1 videocassette (88 min.). When his younger brother Anthony charges Gideon, a plantation owner, with freeing a slave named Ariel and tries to have him executed, Gideon escapes with his young daughter and Ariel and builds a new life for them in an isolated Mississippi bayou. Twelve years later, with the Civil War raging around them and his brother hot on their trail, Gideon faces his toughest challenge yet: giving his now-grown daughter and ex-slave Ariel their true freedom. Feature Film. VHS 6564

Thomas Jefferson a view from the mountain. 1995. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Tells the story of Thomas Jefferson, one of America's most complex and enduring figures. Looks at the greatest unresolved issues of Jefferson's time -- the problem of slavery and the question of race -- and to his own personal struggle and public dilemma in dealing with them. A lifelong slaveholder, aware of the evils of the institution, and fearful it would destroy the Republic, Jefferson was among the first Americans to write about racial differences. Uses historical material and the insights of a number of prominent Americans to document the lessons Thomas Jefferson left from his grappling with issues of race, diversity, and equality that still tear at the heart of America. Includes interviews with historians and descendants of Jefferson's slaves. Discusses the Hemings/Woodson connection to the Jefferson family. VHS 3582

Uncle Tom's cabin. 1999. orig. 1927. 1 videodisc (112 min.), 1 videocassette (112 min.), . Film version of Harriet Beecher Stowe's influential 19th century story of the pre-Civil war South was considered groundbreaking for its purely sympathetic treatment of African-Americans caught in the nightmare of slavery. Peace-loving slave Tom is forced to submit to his sadistic master, the evil Simon Legree. Helpless slaves -- raped, tortured and humiliated -- are eventually driven to rebel against their wicked oppressors. Feature Film. DVD 104, VHS 2963

Uncle Tom's cabin, or Slavery days ; Uncle Tom's cabin. 198? 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). Two early versions of Harriet Stowe's novel. Both versions show the evils of slavery, attempts of slaves to escape, and melodramatic death scenes. In the 1903 version the dying Uncle Tom sees future visions of the Civil War and Lincoln emancipating the slaves. Feature Films. VHS 2963

The World turned upside down. Liberty! the American Revolution. 1997. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Using actors and live-action recreations, commentary from Revolutionary era scholars, and eyewitness accounts from letters and diaries of the period, series covers a period of 25 years as it describes how the American Revolution evolved and how a new nation was born in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War. This segment examines the British hopes of gaining support in the southern states by exploiting the contradictions posed by a nation fighting in the name of liberty while supporting slavery. Their efforts ended in failure. Washington's army and the French fleet converged at Yorktown, trapping a weary British army led by Lord Cornwallis. Two years later, the signing of the Treaty of Paris ended eight years of fighting. VHS 5325

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