Selected Videos on African American Studies

The list below contains a list of videos--VHS, DVD and online--relating to African American history and culture. The videocassettes and DVD discs are available in Alden Library's Media Library. Those videos labeled as Digital Videos are part of OhioLINK's Digital Media Center and may be viewed with a web browser equipped with the Real Player application.

E185.6 .A265 1998x
Stevenson, Juliet; Dent, Jonathan; Levey, Sophie, et al. Abolition : broken promises. Princeton, N.J.: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1998.
Summary: This program presents a grim picture of the black experience after slavery through the eyes of those who experienced it and their progeny. Topics include the Fugitive Slave Law and the Dred Scott decision; Northern political abandonment of blacks; the Ku Klux Klan; failure of the post-war land-distribution act; the role of industry; the deliberately cultivated image of black males as criminals and rapists; and the perpetuation of Jim Crow well into the 1950s

E441 .A37 1998x
Bagwell, Orlando; Bellows, Susan; Fayer, Steve, et al. Africans in America : America's journey through slavery. Boston, MA; Alexandria, VA: WGBH Educational Foundation producer; PBS Video distributor, 1998.
Summary: Considers the contradictions that lay 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

Feature Film A497
Spielberg, Steven; Freeman, Morgan; Hounsou, Djimon, et al. Amistad. Widescreen. Universal City, CA: DreamWorks, 1998.
Summary: Chronicles the 1839 revolt on board a slave ship bound for America. Much of the story involves the court-room drama about the slave who led the revolt.

Feature Film B45476
Busia, Akosua; LaGravenese, Richard; Brooks, Adam, et al. Beloved. Burbank, Calif.: Touchstone Home Video; Distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 2002.
Summary: After Paul D. finds his old slave friend Sethe in Ohio and moves in with her and her daughter Denver, a strange girl comes along by the name of "Beloved". Sethe and Denver take her in and then strange things start to happen. Based on the book by Toni Morrison.

DIGITAL VIDEO--AMBROSE
Farrell, Leslie D.; Freeman, Morgan; WNET; Ambrose Video Publishing; Ohio Library and Information Network and OhioLINK Digital Media Center. The challenge of freedom. New York, NY: Ambrose Video Pub., 2005.
Summary: Looks at Civil War and Reconstruction through the experiences of South Carolina slave Robert Smalls. It chronicles Smalls' daring escape to freedom, his military service, and his tenure as a congressman after the war. As the events of Smalls' life unfold, the complexities of this period in American history are revealed. The episode shows the transformation of the war from a struggle for union to a battle over slavery. It examines the black contribution to the war effort and traces the gains and losses of newly freed African Americans during Reconstruction. The 13th amendment abolished slavery in 1865, the 14th and 15th amendments guaranteed black civil rights, and the Freedmen's Bureau offered aid to former slaves throughout the 1870s. Yet simultaneously, the formation of militant groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan threatened the future of racial equality and segregation laws began to appear across the country. Slavery's eradication had not brought an end to black oppression.

CR113.5 .C66 2001x
Deussing, Ryan. Confederacy theory. Berkely, CA: University of California Extension Center for Media and Independent Learning, 2001.
Summary: Confederacy theory presents an unflinching portrait of the cultural war that has erupted around the confederate flag. Using never-before-seen archival footage and exclusive interviews with politicians, pundits, activists, and scholars, Confederacy theory traces the history of this symbol and its impact on Southern culture, history, and identity -- from the Civil War to the front lines of a modern-day secession movement.

E185.61 .E8 1986x
Blackside, Inc and PBS Video. Eyes on the prize. Alexandria, Va.: PBS Video, 1986.
Summary: A comprehensive history of the people, the stories, the events and the issues of the civil rights struggle in the United States

E450 .F58 1995x
Overlan, John; Spurling, Ann; Tyson, Cicely, et al. Flight to freedom [videocassette]. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1995.
Summary: Between 1790 and 1860, thousands of slaves fled the South for liberation on the "Underground Railroad". In addition to examining archival photographs, records and artifacts and interviews with national experts and descendants of slaves, conductors, and abolitionists, this program includes examples of spirituals sung by slaves as part of the "code" system, and visits homes which were used as shelters. The program highlights Rochester, New York, which was at the heart of the railroad, where passengers were hidden by Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman and others.

KF4757 .F6 2001x
Films for the Humanities (Firm). Focus reparations. Princeton, N.J.: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2001.
Summary:In this program, NewsHour correspondent Elizabeth Bracket reports on a Chicago resolution in support of reparations to descendants of African American slaves. The segment includes interviews with proponents, Dorothy Tillman, a Chicago Alderman who sponsored the resolution and Rep. John Conyers who has sponsored a congressional bill to form a presidential commission to study the concept. Also interviewed are economist Walter Williams who opposes the resolution, as well as Alderman Brian Doherty, the only board member to dissent.

E441 .F685 1999x
Koppel, Ted; DeWitt, Karen; Hughes, Fountain, et al. Found voices : the slave narratives. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 1999.
Summary: Program tells of sound recordings made of interviews with former slaves in the 1930s and 1940s. Tapes have been digitally remastered and video includes transcript as subtitles. Slaves interviewed include Fountain Hughes (VA), Laura Smalley (TX), Harriet Smith (TX); interviewers include John Henry Faulk.

E185 .H57 2005x
Gordon, Scott L.; Avery, James; Reeder, Mark, et al. A history of black achievement in America. New York: distributed by Ambrose Video Publishing, 2005.
Summary: This original eight-part series on four volumes documents black achievement in American history, its defining role in the growth of the country, and its influence on current events. The series highlights the many contributions of black Americans that have influenced and shaped the history of the United States.

HQ1410 .H587 2006x
Mills, Donna; Ambrose, William V.; Dohra, Allen, et al. A history of women's achievement in America. New York: Distributed by Ambrose Video Publishing, 2006.
Summary: "The unique and independent American woman: adventurer... pioneer... poet... mother... educator... artist... freedom fighter. 'A history of women's achievement in America' examines the 400-year history of American women's inspiring accomplishments and victories. Without the American woman's pioneering fortitude, the early colonies at Jamestown and Plymouth Plantation, would not have survived. Since then, millions of America's pioneering women have continued to push the frontier ever forward. Destined to play an essential role in the shapiing of the USA, the American woman forged an identity unlike any before her. That identity found a voice as she contributed to America's wealth of talent i nthe arts and sciences. American women led the fight to end slavery, limit corporate power and provide education for all, as well as protect the poor, disenfranchised and mentally unstable. All the while, these unique American women fought tirelessly for their own equal rights in education, employment and politics including their right to vote"--Container cover insert.

DIGITAL VIDEO--FFHS
Sawyer, Forrest; Discovery Channel (Firm); Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm); Ohio Library and Information Network and OhioLINK Digital Media Center. How biased are you? Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 2001.
Summary: Explores the history and practice of racism through its extreme manifestations, such as slavery, the Holocaust, segregation, bias crimes, and racial profiling, as well as its more subtle demonstrations, such as subconscious biases that can exert an influence on everyday behavior. Uses hidden cameras to show the different experiences of black and white persons in the same situations, such as shopping in a store. Examines the provocative bias-sensitivity test, which looks for hidden, subconscious biases. Looks at prejudice in children of various ages.

E332.2 .J55 2000x
Lennon, Thomas; Steele, Shelby and PBS Video. Jefferson's blood. Alexandria, Va.: PBS Video, 2000.
Summary: Examines Thomas Jefferson's life and follows the descendents of Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings as they search their family history and sort out their place along America's blurred color line.

HT1334.G5 J67 2002x
Roberts, Deborah; ABC News and Films for the Humanities (Firm). Journey to Africa : revisiting the slave pens of Ghana. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2002.
Summary: "Before reaching the plantations, before even reaching the ships that would sail them into bondage, future slaves were forced to endure unspeakable treatment at European coastal outposts in Africa. This ABC News program joins several African-Americans in a profound journey of discovery as they travel to what was once known as the Gold Coast to see for themselves the infamous dungeons. Their tour takes them to Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle, places that still resonate with inhumanity."--Container

F232.S7 N387 2002x
Burnett, Charles; Christopher, Frank; California Newsreel (Firm) and KQED. Nat Turner : a troublesome property. San Francisco, California: California Newsreel, 2002.
Summary: A chronicle about the multiple ways the Nat Turner slave revolt has been remembered and interpreted by historians, novelists, dramatists, and artists.

Feature DVD N553
Antczak, Jerzy; Baranska, Jadwiga; Binczycki, Jerzy; Celinska, Stanislawa; Mazur, Kazimierz and Dabrowska, Maria. Nights and days. Sarasota, FL: Distributed by Polart, 2007, c1975.
Summary: Set in the second half of the 19th century, this film is a realistic picture of a society doomed to slavery, exile, and confiscation of property. A family history is played against the background of political events up to 1914, a time of crisis for old values and the birth of modern capitalism.

Feature Film P832
Bridges, Alan; Howard, Ken; Hilboldt, L�se, et al. Pudd'nhead Wilson. California: Monterey Video, 2002.
Summary: Mark Twain uses his insight and wit to explore the issues of slavery, mother/son relationships, justice, and the many shapes of human folly. A mulatto slave switches her disconcertingly white baby with her master's son to protect it in a time of strong racial prejudice.

E447 .S58 2002x
Rivera, Richard; Morowitz, Noah; Woodard, Alfre; Matter/Rivera Productions; Discovery Channel (Firm) and Films for the Humanities (Firm). Slave ship. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Science, 2002.
Summary: "Over 150 documented mutinies occurred aboard slave ships between 1699 and 1845; only once, in the case of the Amistad, did slaves successfully return to Africa. Using that remarkable and anomalous incident as a focus, this program takes an in-depth look at the slave trade. ... The program weaves the developments of the Amistad case--argued and won in the U.S. Supreme Court by former President John Quincy Adams--into the overall fabric of slavery in America."--Container

E441 .S35 2005x (link goes to ALICE records for the DVDs)
James, Dante J.; Freeman, Morgan; WNET and Ambrose Video Publishing. Slavery and the making of America. New York: Distributed by Ambrose Video Pub., 2005.
Summary: Four-part series that examines the history of slavery in the United States and the integral role it played in shaping the new country's development, using dramatic re-enactments to take viewers back in time and deep into the slave experience. These links go to online video versions of each of the parts from OhioLINK's Digital Media Center: (1) Downward Spiral, (2) Liberty in the Air, (3) Seeds of Destruction, and (4) Challenge of Freedom.

E185.97.T8 S64 1992x
Sojourner Truth. Bala Cynwyd, PA: Schlessinger, 1992.
Summary:The story of Sojourner Truth, anti-slavery activist.

E444 .N878 1996x
Parks, Gordon; Northup, Solomon; Brooks, Avery and Monterey Home Video (Firm). Solomon Northup's odyssey. Monterey Home Video : dist. by Monterey Movie Company, 1996.
Summary: Based on the true story of Solomon Northrup, a free black man from New York who was kidnapped in 1841 and forced into slavery in Louisiana.

E444 .S66 2004x
Adi, Hakim; Hall, Stuart; Duffield, Ian, et al. A son of Africa : the slave narrative of Olaudah Equiano. San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel, 2004.
Summary: A docudrama based on the book, The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vaasa the African, which was the first widely read slave autobiography. When it was published in 1789, it fueled a growing anti-slavery movement in the U.S. and England. This production employs dramatic reconstruction, archival material and interviews with scholars. Equiano's narrative begins in the West African village where he was kidnapped into slavery in 1756. He was shipped to a Virginia plantation and then later sold again to a British naval officer. Here he learned to read and write, became a skilled trader, eventually bought his freedom and married into English society where he became a leading abolitionist.

PS3563.O8749 Z47 1987x
Benson, Alan; Bragg, Melvyn; Morrison, Toni; London Weekend Television, ltd; RM Arts (Firm) and Home Vision (Firm). Toni Morrison. Chicago, Ill.: Home Vision, 1987.
Summary: Toni Morrison discusses slavery and its legacy and the difficulties of writing about the painful subjects that occur in her novel Beloved.

HT1091 .T96 1997x
Molloy, Dearblha; Edwards, Jeillo; Bradshaw, Cathryn, et al. The Two Marys : two views of slavery. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences; distributed under license from BBC Worldwide Americas, 1997.
Summary: Dramatized excerpts from the diaries of Mary Prince, born into slavery in Bermuda in 1789, and Lady Maria Nugent, slaveowner in Jamaica, providing first-hand accounts by British women of their experiences of slavery.

BR145 T86 1999x
Bragg, Melvin; London Weekend Television, ITD and Films for the Humanities (Firm). Two thousand years. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1999.
Summary: The story of two millennia of Christianity from its beginnings among the Jews of Palestine to the worldwide Christian Church in the twentieth century, describing its involvement with political and social events in history and its development in theology and organization.

E450 .U5 1999
Triage, Inc; Woodard, Alfre; Michaels, Susan; History Channel and Arts and Entertainment Network. Underground Railroad. New York, NY: History Channel Video; Marketed and distributed in the U.S. by New Video, 1999.
Summary: Documentary on the people and hiding places that helped slaves escape the American South.

Feature Film W657
Tyson, Cicely; Geer, Will; Heidish, Marcy; Wendkos, Paul; Xenon Entertainment Group and Xenon Home Video, Inc. A woman called Moses. Santa Monica, Calif.: Xenon Home Video, 1992, c1978.
Summary: Dramatization of the life of Harriet Tubman, the founder of the Underground Railroad, who led hundreds of slaves to freedom before the Civil War. During the war, she was a reconnaissance agent for the North and helped mobilize black troops who raided Southern plantations and freed slaves. After the war she became active in the suffragette movement.