American Slavery on Film

American Slavery on Film enables university and high school teachers to employ film as a teaching tool and stands on its own as an account of the institution of slavery and analysis of how major films and television depicted it.

From the founding of the United States until just after the Civil War, slavery was a part of social and political life in America. American Slavery on Film examines how slavery has been portrayed in popular culture through a selection of 11 iconic films and major television productions, including The Birth of a Nation (1915), Gone with the Wind (1939), Roots (1977), Beloved (1998), and Twelve Years a Slave (2013).



Each film overview summarizes the movie's plot and then details how the film came to be made and the critical and box-office reactions upon its release. Next, the true history of the time period or actual event is related, followed by a contrast and comparison of the filmmakers' version of history with the facts. Finally, the film's significance, then and now, is analyzed. A final section of "Resources" provides a comprehensive annotated bibliography of print and electronic sources to aid readers in further research.


• Provides a unique reference resource for film history buffs, students and scholars of history, and fans of cinema

• Offers equal emphasis on both the films themselves and the historical events depicted

• Presents careful and highly informative research