Go to
https://www.pbs.org/video/slavery-another-name-slavery-video/
To watch the PBS documentary, “Slavery by Another Name” based on, Blackmon, D. A. (2008).Slavery by another name: The re-enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II.New York: Anchor Books.
Write 3 pages responding to four of the discussion questions below.
Title page, abstract, and references are not included in the required page count but are required for this paper.
Use APA format and clearly identify questions being addressed (i.e. please include the question in the paper).
Paper must be submitted in Word document format.
Critical Thinking Discussion Questions for “Slavery by another Name”:
Why is it important to document hidden histories?
Why are certain histories hidden or difficult to uncover?
What new insights did you gain after watching this documentary?
To what extent do you think a person’s racist attitudes and behaviors can be forgiven due to the “norm” of their surrounding culture?
In what ways, if any, are we responsible for our ancestor’s actions? Is it fair to hold individuals accountable for things their ancestors did?
How have the dynamics of relationships between black people and white people changed since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s?
Blackmon asserts that real slavery didn’t end until the 1940’s. In what ways is this statement true?What forms of modern slavery exist today?
How does the history represented in the documentary help us understand present conditions for people of color today? How can knowing history empower people today?
What current events do you believe should be documented, so that they are not hidden from future generations? Why?
After viewing the documentary, do you believe that racism is inherent or taught?Explain.
Slavery by Another Name
Why is it important to document hidden histories?
Hidden histories capture the journey, struggles, and transformation of people throughout different periods. The documentary Slavery by Another Name shows how African Americans suffered slavery and racial segregation by 1874 (Blackmon 2012). The importance of documenting how state created laws that discriminated against African American through prison sentence capture the reality of re-enslavement of Black American from the civil war to world war. According to this documentary, documenting hidden histories reveals the journey towards justice and the cultural history between diverse societies. Watching the documentary helps to understand the atrocities that the African Americans faced after the abolishing of slavery. History captures information regarding the involuntary laws ad servitude that attempted to re-enslave African Americans.
Why are certain histories hidden or difficult to uncover?
Some histories are hidden and difficult to uncover because those who went through the horrific experiences did not disclose the whole truth. The people who lived at the time certain histories were happening did not preserve their cultures, hence making it difficult to document them. In some cases, perpetrators of slavery subjectively wrote the histories. Therefore, there is little information about the conditions that existed in post abolition slavery. From the documentary, several people and their future generations faced the disturbing truth of slavery. The state did not protect African Americans appropriately through adequate laws. The people who could voice their problems faced hurdles, and thus, most histories remain hidden and cannot adequately be documented.
What new insights did you gain after watching this documentary?
The documentary creates the narrative of Slavery in America. The dominant lesson is that slavery did not end in America. Although Abraham Lincoln proclaimed emancipation in 1863, the documentary shows how slavery manifested in different forms after the civil war. Even after World War II, Slavery persisted through insidious forms of forced labor, especially in Southern America (Blackmon 2012). Various scenes display evidence of systemic injustices that re-enact slavery. Slavery manifested in industrialized forms, with the African Americans agreeing to help the white slave masters entrench slavery.
To what extent do you think a person’s racist attitudes and behaviors can be forgiven due to the “norm” of their surrounding culture?
People can forgive thoughts but not actions. I think if a person lives in a country where slavery and racism are a norm and institutions do not condemn its occurrence; there tends to be explicit and implicit racial bias. As a result, African Americans and people of color started feeling l inferior because of the widespread discrimination. The idea of racism and slavery is entrenched in people’s minds, and they tend to find it hard to overcome their fears. African Americans, therefore, expect their choices based on the occurrences in society and the general beliefs of racial bias in society.
In what ways, if any, are we responsible for our ancestor’s actions? Is it fair to hold individuals accountable for things their ancestors did?
The extent to which people should hold the actions of their ancestors accountable is when they perpetuate the horrid slavery and racial treatments of their forefathers. However, every generation should be responsible for their actions and beliefs. The documentary indicates how the influence of the ancestors in shaping the perceptions of African Americans along the lines of slavery. While using our ancestors’ actions, choices, and perceptions to fight or justify racism is not suitable; their actions help make the right policies for an inclusive society.
How have the dynamics of relationships between black people and white people changed since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s?
The relationship between African American and White people have changed since the 1960 civil Rights Movement. The relationship is more accommodative since the struggles for equality. There is the equal treatment between the races, which began after legislative victories. The civil rights movement changed the relationship from outlawing employment discrimination against African Americans to present-day equal treatment. As a result, African Americans gained access to white-dominated institutions.
Blackmon asserts that real slavery didn’t end until the 1940’s. In what ways is this statement true? What forms of modern slavery exist today?
Slavery did not end until 1940. This statement is true because the documentary indicates how people continued living as victims of slavery and forced labor after Abraham Lincoln Emancipation (Blackmon 2012). The statement is true because I the life of African American has been that of struggle with uncertainty about equal treatment. The African American experience in Southern America sheds more light on how slavery did not end in America.
How does the history represented in the documentary help us understand present conditions for people of color today? How can knowing history empower people today?
The documentary helps in highlighting the present racial status in society. Although several laws exist that outlaw open racism, there is the widespread occurrence of racial bias. History can empower people in understanding the need for struggle and the benefits of equal rights.
What current events do you believe should be documented so that they are not hidden from future generations? Why?
Events of George Floyd’s murder and the protests that followed up. The event is important in the history of the struggles for equal treatment. Documenting the event will capture the continued fights for equality and indicate how slavery how racism against the African American has changed into police brutality. Such an event exposes the American history of racial discrimination through institutional mechanisms. It creates broader cultural, economic, and racial challenges that will continue haunting society.
After viewing the documentary, do you believe that racism is inherent or taught? Explain.
Racism is both inherent and taught. The documentary reveals how people who did not live through slavery and other injustices in the 1800 and 1900 learned to hate other races (Blackmon 2012). The documentary also exposes people to understand how the criminalization of African Americans emerged and how prisons systems became other forms of slavery.
References
Blackmon, D (2012). Slavery by another name. Retrieved from https://www.Blackmon.org/video/slavery-another-name-slavery-video/