Slavery by Another Name

The following lecture addresses the attempts by former slave owners and their supporters to reinstitute slavery after the Civil War. After you view this video, you should leave a comment regarding not only what you learned but also any reactions that you have. Make sure that you interact with others as we seek to build a vibrant intellectual community for this course.

87 thoughts on “Slavery by Another Name”

  1. What I learned from this video is the exact reason why black people are oppressed now. Even though slavery was abolished, white southerners still found a way to keep our people in chains. That’s why in present time I say we have to rebuild the whole justice system because since slavery ended black people were wrongfully put in prison. Since they’ve been doing it so long the world now sees us as automatic criminals and they don’t even know us. Watching this video made me upset because my ancestors had to endure all that pain and suffering.

  2. .after watching the video I learned that .Slavery By Another Name was an eye opener. What triggered me most in this video was the fact that at a point in time there was an overwhelmingly amount of black people in the prisons, that led to the the black people being known as the “criminal race”, and that their freedom was a mistake. From that point on, African Americans were demonized. After watching this, it clicked in my head that this was the root of our race being seen as nothing but criminals, and that since before my time, my mothers time, and my grandmothers time we as a people are seen as bad, and that we belong in prison and in bondage.

  3. After watching this video I learned a lot of information I did not know before. It is mind blowing to me that our ancestors went through this terrible time. I do not think I would have a strong mentality to go through slavery. I would try to escape every chance I get. And just to know that this has been going on for about 400 years is crazy. As long as I can remember black people have been as the enemy. White American have been scared of us and looked at us as anything but human. To them we are animals and monsters. And I also learned that racism is taught from past generations. No one is born in this country to hate others.

  4. Slavery By Another Name was an eye opener. What triggered me most in this video was the fact that at a point in time there was an overwhelmingly amount of black people in the prisons, that led to the the black people being known as the “criminal race”, and that their freedom was a mistake. From that point on, African Americans were demonized. After watching this, it clicked in my head that this was the root of our race being seen as nothing but criminals, and that since before my time, my mothers time, and my grandmothers time we as a people are seen as bad, and that we belong in prison and in bondage.

  5. After watching the video, I’ve learned how even though the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery there was still many African Americans being held as prisoners forced into hard labor. The video showed me how rough times really were for African Americans when it came to doing anything in America. In comparison to the world today, I feel like African Americans still have to fight harder to survive than any other race . Still to this day African Americans are being treated unfair because of their skin color

  6. After watching “Slavery By Another Name” I have a much deeper understanding of what African American’s went through after slavery. We always learn in school that blacks weren’t freed in the south when they were supposed to be and that they still were not treated equally; however, we do not learn how long it really took for them to fight for the simple things. One thing that stood out to me was their explanations of black criminalization. It also touches deeper because we are still in this fight today.

  7. After watching this video, I learned and noticed so many different issues that went on. After watching the video it’s sorrowful on what us as African Americans had to deal with just to achieve our way to get freedom. It’s crazy how this went on for about 80+ years. I learned how after slavery end how white southerners was trying to put black southerners back to work like they were slaves again. I learned about how thousands of innocent African Americans were pulled back into forced labor with shocking forces and brutality without pay how they were repeatedly bought and sold to other white southerners. It’s sad that even though human races have changed some things are still the same in America mainly with all of this police brutality stuff going on.

    1. In this video “Slavery By Another Name” describes life after the Civil war during the reconstruction process of America. The Emancipation Proclamation and the ending of the civil war officially meant slavery was abolished. But was slavery really over? Even though blacks were now free, what really could they do now that they are on their own. Many don’t know what their next step was. How could one go get a job or a house or even an education. After reconstruction life still wouldn’t get any better. Blacks were targeted consistently. For example being drunk could lead to confinement. In this video it also tells shorts stories of white supremacist and also African Americans. Some whites still use blacks for hard labor and sense newly free blacks didn’t have anything going for them they had no other option but to go work for the whites. I learned more about different people and how life was after reconstruction and during both world wars.

  8. In this video ” Slavery by Another Name” i learned so much more about slavery that i had no idea about. I learned that although slavery had been abolished, slave owners still tried to find way around the amendment and create unnecessary laws to get them as slaves again. For example, if they were found walking too close to the railroad they would be arrested. And so many more just to try to get them back as slaves.

  9. Watching this video, I learned so much about slavery that I knew nothing about. I learned that even though slaves were supposed to be free, some slaves were still working as if they were still enslaved. That was until they passed an amendment freeing all. African Americans were stripped of their rights of freedom, equality, and peace. Blacks could not attain education at the time and had to focus on employment or they would be arrested . Families were torn apart and forced to do others labor. I really enjoyed the video, it broke down the things I did not know and explained them well.

  10. Watching “Slavery by Another Name” was insightful, sad and a little interesting. During the documentary it was said that “if it was free before so why pay for it now?”, that comment bothered me because all the african american people wanted to do was live life. They wanted to live for themselves, but that was too much for the whites to handle so to go around the new laws they decided to make as many african americans as criminals so that they can force them to do slave work. Which is highly unfair because it’ll be the smallest thing that they would get arrested for.

  11. I find the video to be very interesting in regards to slavery after civil rights supposedly ended. The video brings to light of how they could still find a way to keep the black people down and working under them. It’s a sad situation that it so long for the government to step in and actually help free more blacks from slavery holds.

  12. I enjoyed this video. I came from a predominately white school, so in history we never went into depth about slavery, just the basics. Whites did absolutely anything to not only keep slavery, but to get what they wanted.

  13. When slaves were freed they wanted to find their families and find some type of work because at that time that is all that they had. Also around this time that was the safest ways slaves could about life. Slaves also were not fully free they would still be working hard labor and getting minimum pay. I also do not like the fact that the slaves were treated so poorly.

  14. This was a very informative video about how even though the blacks were free, we still were getting severely punished. I learned a lot because I did not know about the punishment of working for that white man in jail, in which they soon said was worst than slavery. I can’t even imagine the pain and heart aches they experienced when they already were free. I enjoyed this video as it has helped me learn a lot more about my culture and what my people went through that we were not taught in school at a young age.

  15. Watching “Slavery by Another Name” really hurt my heart. In the documentary it was said that “if you didn’t have to pay for something free, why now?”. That quote bothered me because the African Americans just want to live and hold their own but that wasn’t “allowed”. So to go around the new laws they made everyone they could criminals so they could force then to do slave workers again. That’s just not right and it was never rights. The documentary was insightful and informative and I really enjoyed it more than I thought.

  16. This video exposes the unexplained aspect of American history through the eyes from those have been though all things hell. It created a broad racial and political backdrop for events that will haunt us all.

  17. I learned a lot while watching Slavery By Another Name such as slavery not actually ending until a long time after the 13th Amendment was passed. We’re all so used to hearing that slavery ended in 1865 when really black folks were still being held because of “debts” they didn’t really owe. It was also a surprise to me to hear that during this time, poor white people were actually experiencing the same thing. It’s crazy knowing that we’re still experiencing a lot of this stuff today. People are still being lynched and treated poorly.

  18. From watching this video it made me realize and actually understand how cruel whites were towards blacks back then. This video also gave me chills knowing they were whipped till they were almost dead . I look forward to learning more about slaves and the south because things like this interest me.

  19. After watching the video for the first few minutes i had already began to like the title of the video and what it meant. Because slavery was indeed over but yet they were still being forced to do their work (slaves). The clacks in the south were stripped of the American dream. The radical reconstruction parried was pro labor one of the smartest decisions that could’ve been made to help the situation.

  20. I love how the title of this documentary is “Slavery By Another Name” because of how accurate it really is, and how deeply that is conveyed in this documentary. Sure, slavery was “abolished”, but it really wasn’t. It’s funny to me how they can even say they abolished slavery. That’s just getting a promotion without any of the benefits. It reminds me of how people in jail are basically paid pocket change for their hard labor. Also, how multiple black people would wrongly be incarcerated and forced to work for those wages. That is also a form of current slavery by another name.

  21. From Sean Kelley , one thing I’ve learned from this video was that many ” free slaves ” weren’t actually free many African Americans had to work additional and still continue to get paid below bare minimum to survive and still be able to work, this video hurts to watch but is very informative.

    Reply

  22. I find it interesting that even with peonage being outlawed, white southerners still managed to use debt as a way to enslave black people. I think that because peonage was initially outlawed with the acquisition of New Mexico, it was not enforced on this situation where black people were involved.

  23. In this documentary, a few things stuck out to me about white people, how they treated blacks, & how they would do anything to keep them enslaved even after they were free. The convict leasing back then stood out to me because I feel like back in the day it was the quickest way to take freed blacks rights away by making them “criminals”. Today we still deal with “convict leasing” if you ask me because they build these prisons and jails that mainly house Blacks, Mexican’s, and other races. They convict them of crimes so little or something they didn’t do, to only over sentence them just to make money off of head counts. Blacks are always over sentenced compared to whites & other races. I learned that convicted slaves were rented out for as little as $9. I was completely flabbergasted. Then, I was very angry when Ezekial was sentenced to 10 years but the white man who committed 2nd degree murder only got 4 years in Alabama. That was a perfect example of how our “justice system” is set up today! I feel like the constitution that we go by now was never created to help us (Black people); It was to help the white man and keep money in their pockets while blacks had to suffer and find their way by any means neccessary. In closing, I say this documentary has made me think of the “making Amerikkka great again” statement white people love to throw around. How can we make Amerikkka great again when the laws & constitution we are still using are from the slavery days? They need to be revised to help ALL LIVES and not just WHITE LIVES to start making a Real change in making America a better place because it was NEVER great from jump.

  24. African Americans were facing injustice and dealing with inequality. They were stripped of their rights of freedom, equality, and peace. Education was unattainable and their prime focus was employment or they would be arrested. White southerners were consistent with condoning slavery as it was a personal and profitable benefit to them. Families were torn apart, killed and forced to do another’s labor.

  25. I found this video very interesting, yet sad and fuming. I do not like how African Americans were treated then, and I still do not agree with how we are being treated now. I dislike the fact that whites treated blacks like we were inferior because we are not. I don’t like how black women had to kiss up to white women when we’re all equal, or how black men got in mud to clear a white woman’s path. I also learned that there were still slaves even after the 13th amendment. This is heartbreaking but definitely not surprising. Many Caucasian people currently feel entitled to a lot because they had more than us back then due to slavery. I honestly feel that their since of entitlement will carry on forever. Black people were set back by being provided a lack of resources, land, freedom, and money when we were brought to America.

  26. From watching this documentary, I’ve learned that slavery really didn’t end after the Emancipation Proclamation. It was abolished, but was continued in different ways. I was unaware of how many innocent African Americans were being accused of a crime so that they can be enslaved in different ways. It saddens me knowing that all the African Americans wanted was control over their life and independence and would do anything to get that, while White Americans would do anything to stop them from getting that. It also makes me upset that they wanted to keep them as slaves. A lot of information in this documentary was new to me and I’m glad it’s here to educate others.

  27. From what I have learned from “Slavery by Another Name” is that African Americans some would still have to work for some of these white families. Even if the law has changed to that African Americans are not allowed to be slaves. Some white people would still have slaves and would kill them. With time changing it has allowed African Americans men to vote, but white people didn’t like the fact that they got that opportunity. It came to a point that there would be riots that became violent causing for whites to come after the African Americans. Some where lynched, burned or tortured, men, women, and even children where killed in some sort of way because of the rights they are getting.

  28. After watching the video I find it disheartening to learn what my fellow African Americans had to go through just to get freedom. Hearing about how young children were being sold like groceries and passed from person to person. Learning what they went through on a daily basis just hurts. Although Congress passed the 13th Amendment which did good of abolishing slavery in different parts of south but it still wasn’t good enough. The south still had different part where African Americans were being forced to work for the white man. If it had not been for slavery then the south wouldn’t be what it is today. Not only that but Africans Americans weren’t even able to walk near railroads or even talk out loud around white women. It’s sad to see that although the human race has come a long way something’s just never change. Racism is still a huge thing in America.

  29. After watching this video I learned that even though slaves were seen as “free” on paper they were not actually free in real life. After slavery was abolished in 1865, the white southerns still tried to make starting a new life for newly freed African Americans almost impossible. They passed laws where almost anything a black person did resulted in being put in prison; where prison was just another form of slavery. They gave freed blacks two options, share crop and be forever in debt or go to prison and work for the what would probably be the rest of their life.

  30. Within this video I learned that they passed an amendment that made the slaves free. Although the slaves were supposed to be free they were still having to work as if they were still enslaved.

    1. Cedreic, one of my main takeaways from this video was also that the recently freed slaves still were not completely free. Many had to get into share cropping to make ends meet. This is definitely something I didn’t know before-hand!

      1. Sam, I totally agree with you that one of my main takeaways from this video was also that the recently freed slaves still were not completely free.

      2. I found this video very heartbreaking but also educational to me as an african american woman. Slavery played a major role in african american culture in the early 1800’s. 1865 slavery was abolished but never completely gone nor forgotten. Even after many african american were told they were free, we still were looked at as beneath whites. Whites created another way to outcast african americans by paying very low wages to blacks, lynching, torturing, and sentencing blacks to more years in prison than whites. This video made me angry that my ancestors went through this type of treatment for simply being a different sin color. It also makes me angrier that even in 2020, decades later, african americans still face hardships for being black.

  31. From viewing the video I learned that the means of slavery never ended after the 13th amendment which abolished slavery. White men still found ways for blacks to be under their control. Convict leasing forced targeted labor on African Americans. Peonage which forced work onto African Americans with debt when many never had any. They sold African Americans into work, forced contracts, etc.
    My reaction to the video was very heartbreaking because it just explained that after the 13th amendment they were still constantly fighting freedom that they finally thought was granted to them.

  32. What made me kinda laugh was how the descendant of J W Comer was like how “self made” Comer was and when told the ugly truth her whole prospective about him changed.

  33. The belief that slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation, even tough thousands of African Americans were pulled back into forced labor with brutality. A system set up to arrest guilty men of no crime, forced to work without pay being bought and sold.

    1. Alexander, i agree with you completely. One of my main points from this video is that a piece of paper meant nothing. African americans were still treated poorly and Whites never looked at us any different.

    2. it’s sad that we were never taught what really happened in history. we all believed that once the 13th amendment was passed slavery was over. I didn’t even know about juneteenth till my mother told me.

  34. Learning about slavery growing up being black is a staple in our culture. I learned some things I didn’t know about like, how we came up in America trying to earn our freedom and the things we did.

  35. I really enjoyed the video… My thoughts on this video is that it was very educational. But the slave owners we’re really petty and money hungry they tried everything to make Africans slaves again and the laws for example if a white woman was coming at he would have to move and get in the mud if it was me I’m fasho not gonna step in the mud for someone who does not even acknowledge me as a human being.

    1. I really enjoyed the video… My thoughts on this video is that it was a educational Video. But the slave owners we’re really didn’t care about the new laws the just renamed slavery anything you did seemed like you would go to jail for it and if you had a long sentence they sold you to go work for someone that sounds like slavery to me.

  36. I learned that basically without slaves and slavery a lot of stuff in the south would not succeed. The south would struggle badly. African Americans were willing to work just to be able to purchase land.

  37. I learned that kids as young as 14 years old!! We’re sold . it’s crazy hearing about how blacks were sold and tossed around like this . The young lady said she never once seen her uncle smiled .. that’s so sad . Then the whites put fines on the blacks to pay knowing they did not have the money .

  38. from the clip I got that when slaves were set free they moved with their families but they wanted their own land and wanted to make their own decisions. I didn’t know that when the war broke out it hurt the economy because it burned down the cotton, the machines were broken and the number of slaves were lost. This hurt a lot of people because it was the way they made their money.Once slaves were free now a lot of whites are scared because they don;t know if their in danger. Now people of color can look at whites, be called by their first names, own guns basically have all rights white people have . Also now the 14 and 15 amendments basically gave blacks their rights.

  39. I do not agree with what they were doing because they kept trying to find news ways to enslave black people and do it for free. As they said in the video why would they pay for something they had for free. They were put in prison just to be labored. I find that to be very interesting because i did not know that. There was so much pain back then they suffered so much.

  40. Life in the south was beyond tough. Free’d blacks being sold to corporations for labor was terrifying. Even after the peonage law was passed, convicted blacks were still being robbed for their labor. Having to go fight for our country then return home to fight for their lives due to being black was horrific.

    1. I agree with you 100% and blacks still to this day suffer this same trauma from whites. Not to mention there was tons of blacks that put their lives at risk doing the railroads and stuff just to end up dying from the chemicals and malnutrition they got. Whites made free money keeping black people in bondage working for free for them to take those same crimes they did and make it more of a popular demand opening tons of jails and prisons. They hated blacks because of their skin color….like seeing how much they hated us back then and what is going on now in today’s society is just sickening.

  41. When I was in high school, I remember learning about convict leasing, but we never went into full depth about it. We were told to focus on the Civil War, then we would jump into the industrial revolution, but it never occurred to me to think about how the industrial revolution was made possible. We were only ever told “Hey it was thanks to new inventions and people thinking outside the box.” After watching this, I now realize that if it wasn’t for the forced labor of thousands and thousand of African Americans, which is going unrecognized, we wouldn’t be this far along. Watching this video left me with a lot of different thoughts. I feel angry learning about this type of slavery. We are taught about the Civil War and how the 13th and 14th amendment were amazing, which they are, and how Jim Crow Laws came into effect, segregation and so on. I wish that peonage and convict leasing would be taught more. I feel as if this part of history most definitely can still be connected to what is going on in today’s society too. When African Americans were being arrested at an alarming rate, and making up most of the prison systems population, it reminded me of today’s prison population. When it discusses how African Americans were being associated as the “criminal race” it reminded me of the police brutality and racism African Americans are still facing today. Having the government turn a blind eye back then because they preferred profit over life was even more angering. All of this, made the phrase “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” run through my head while watching this. No one is talking about this, when they should. I believe that if the government had just condemned this type of slavery, because that is what it was, earlier on, I think that America would be in a different place then what it is now. We are still facing a major problem today, and we still have many people who oppose the idea that there even is a problem, and by doing so, it just feels as if people are picking other things over lives. I think that by learning this side of history, people can connect and understand why the United States is currently where it is today. I think people should learn about all the ugly sides of the United States history so we can learn from it, accept it, and do better as a nation altogether.

  42. The video was very interesting I learned things that I didn’t know such as to hear that about a 3rd of whites were illiterate was really mind blowing. The video was very informative and I’m glad that I took out the time to watch it.

  43. by watching this video, I have learned so much about how the black folks daily lives was during this time period. And how they persevered through their unfair circumstances. im very interested in learning more about the lives of black folk during this time period.

  44. Throughout the video I learned that former slave owners were trying to reinstitute slavery. When they were explaining what they were trying to do it was very shocking to me. Hearing about the oppression that the slaves went through and how hard it was for them after they got their freedom. There is so much black history left out of public school’s curriculum. Hearing the former slaves family members talk about their ancestors was very inspirational.

  45. In the video above, I learned that in the south even when slaves where free they were not necessarily free according to white people and the government. In 1874, state/county laws targeted African Americans. It would be a crime to walk near a railroad or to even talk loudly around white women etc in order to send black folk to prison bc they hated our kind. My reaction to this uncalled for behavior makes me angry! the fact that white people think they’re better than us, pisses me off. It also angers me because no matter the situation black folk are always targeted simply bc of the color of our skin. This world/ country is sick. Every other race understands we’re the blueprint so they have no issue but to belittle and hate us.

    Aisha Anderson, Hist-1323, aanderson72@student.pvamu.edu

  46. I learned that during reconstruction in the south, to maintain control over blacks, they criminalized everything from walking near railroads to selling goods after dark. Only 10% of prisoners were white by 1880. I also learned that even though the 13th amendment freed slaves, it made an exception for criminals. So if an African American commits a crime they can be put back into slavery, but instead of working for private slaveholders they would be working for the government or industries. Although I knew some of these horrific facts, I wasn’t fully aware of how gruesome they were and how even the facts that should’ve been uplifting (like the 13th amendment) still fought to oppress African American people.

  47. This Video is very eye opening on the way African Americans were set up to still struggle to be free to have land, Black owned churches, Schools ect. To the convict leasing system which composed mostly of African Americans who were wrongly convicted for reasons like being too loud around a group of white women, or not bein able to prove they had a job in a time they couldn’t find a job. Later on Judge jones find the use of convict leasing of “felon” who were not charged in a court house under the law this said person was in violation of the Federal Constitution. judge Jones did go after them but gave minimum punishment with fines and little jail time.

  48. after watching this video, i couldn’t fathom how African Americans felt finally being free after all the time and troubles they went through. The fact that the laws basically changed once slavery was abolished was very appalling to me. They made minor offenses into felonies for blacks for something as small as stealing a dollar could result in 5 years of prison. the thought of a convict could be leased for nine dollars, and had to work 6 days a week was very disturbing to me. To think an Ofay actually had the power to do what they wanted, when they wanted, and how they wanted to do it isn’t fair. i believe that someone with good common sense would see how that was wrong no matter the color of their skin or the religious beliefs they obtained.

  49. Politicians failed to provide an adequate solution for Black people. In many ways, conditions for Black people in America had worsened. Convict leasing allowed the South to further dehumanize African Americans and exploit them even more viciously.

  50. In this video “Slavery By Another Name” describes life after the Civil war during the reconstruction process of America. The Emancipation Proclamation and the ending of the civil war officially meant slavery was abolished. But was slavery really over? Even though blacks were now free, what really could they do now that they are on their own. Many don’t know what their next step was. How could one go get a job or a house or even an education. After reconstruction life still wouldn’t get any better. Blacks were targeted consistently. For example being drunk could lead to confinement. In this video it also tells shorts stories of white supremacist and also African Americans. Some whites still use blacks for hard labor and sense newly free blacks didn’t have anything going for them they had no other option but to go work for the whites. I learned more about different people and how life was after reconstruction and during both world wars.

  51. I enjoyed this video! It was very reflective from the notes and discussion we had last class. What I learned and found the most interesting is that blacks were getting punished for any and everything no matter how simple or serious the situation may be. The fact that spitting on the ground or not being able to prove that they were employed and getting punished for it is ridiculous. The fact that blacks were living in fear is a scary things to think about today.

  52. During this film one of the challenges it talked about was how the belief of slavery in this country ended with emancipation proclamation. Also it showed how thousands of African Americans were pulled back into force labor. Men were often guilty of no crimes were arrested and told they had to work without pay. I overall really enjoyed this film it covered many factors.

    1. After watching the video I find it disheartens to learn what my fellow African Americans had to go through just to get freedom. Hearing about how young children were being sold like groceries passed around from one person to another. Learning what they had to go through on a daily basis just hurts. Although Congress passed the 13th amendment which did a good job of abolishing slavery over all but not good enough for the south. There were still different parts of the south where African Americans were still being forced to work under an Caucasin. Since slavery mainly happened in the south it was a big help for the south because if it had not been for slavery the south wouldn’t be as developed as it today. Not only that but African Americans weren’t even able to walk near a railroad or even talk out loud around white women. It’s sad to see that although the human race has come a long way some things just never change. Racism is still a huge thing in America.

    2. I agree with you NdeYah, the film really touched on a subject that is hard for us to watch. At the same time it’s educational because in school we don’t really get to learn the realness of slavery and all that they went through. They take out parts of the story to make it seem not as bad. This video exposes the realness and it was very educational.

  53. Life in the south was beyond tough. Free’d blacks being sold to businesses for labor was terrifying. Even after the peonage law was passed, convicted blacks were still being robbed for their labor. Having to go fight for our country then return home to fight for their lives due to being black was horrific.

  54. As I watched this video, I noticed and learned many different things. I learned that after slavery supposedly came to an end in 1865, many African Americans were unwillingly pulled back into forced labor with brutality and force. Innocent men with no criminal history at all were continuously picked on as in working without pay, getting arrested, repeatedly being bought and sold etc. All of this forced labor sadly lasted until the 20th century. Honestly, all of the torture that my ancestors went through, I couldn’t even imagine living back then. I’m blessed that they paved the way for me and I will always have respect for them.

    1. I agree with your response because even through slavery came to an end many were still working like they were still enslaved many innocent men were still getting picked on for no reason.

  55. Them being Forced to labor many there will was not right. What I learned that was that many cities states through out the south used prisoners to gain revenue and saw them as a great profit without having to worry about labor disputes. While working diseases ran through the vines that they drink out the water brutal and mental abuse to the convicts.

  56. I learned that even during these times of seamless hopelessness many African Americans have held on onto their hope and has pulled them through these tough tribulations and trials. I honestly was very surprised that it wasn’t all black and white.

  57. Most of the things discussed in the film, I already had prior knowledge of, especially due to my extensive research I conducted while learning the many things about African American history that our Elementary Schools didn’t bother to teach us, during the recent racial incidents happening all across the world. I have heard the term Mass Incarceration more in the last year then I ever have or maybe I am just taking notice of exactly what it means. With the current civil and racial protests happening, this term opened my eyes to systemic racism that continues till this day. The prisons were just another way for the white men to lock up and use the black men as they please, never to serve real justice and ensure safety for the citizens of the land.

  58. My initial reaction is shock. Not only for the terrible mistreatment of African Americans, but that the history I was taught at a younger age is not 100% accurate. I remember learning about the timeline that included, the emancipation of slaves, allowing all men to vote, allowing black men to serve in office. However, I do not recall learning about the harsh reality of life for recently freed African Americans.

  59. In this video the part which shocked me the most was when the video goes into detail about radical reconstruction. I was not aware it was due to congress and that out of this it led to the 14th and 15th amendment which was beyond beneficial to African Americans.

  60. I learned that when all slaves was freed they wanted to find their families,own their own land and be in control of their work hours. They also needed education because learning how to read was important to them. Knowing that you could be put in jail because your unemployed shocked me. Like how are you going to find a job or pay the fee to get out of jail when your paying to survive to be in jail which is taking away money from them to pay the fee to get out of jail.

    1. Well I think it was set it up that way because in the south during the time where blacks still did not have freedom like they should have. Jealous white racists in higher places most likely devised a plan using the judges in the court, the police deputies, and racist lawmkaers to make sure that any little offense that would be considered minor to make it a criminal charge that way they can enslave blacks for longer than they were intending to serve.

  61. My reaction to hearing some of the black southerners included in this film sharing their memories of their parents/elders from this time with the viewers is sort of like a feeling of sympathy, Because yes well enough i cannot say ive struggled nearly as much as them in my lifetime but the emotion they’re exuding in the film is so strong that you begin to feel their pain. Hearing the young woman from Georgia write letters to the president regarding her lil brother is sad, and gives you a sense of depression making you wonder “Why have my people even had to go through things like this?” Overall the film is educational. One fact I was unaware of that the film taught me was that Franklin Rosevelt was somewhat of an “advocate” for black folks.

    1. Same I felt where you were coming for with this reply after watching this video it touched me because this is what my people really had to deal with and it’s crazy how some of this is still going on in this world today.

  62. One thing that was very clear was the fact that white southerns would do anything to keep slavery. Knowing that by law its a crime to keep African American slaves. You would think that the federal government would have done what was right and law. But its clear anyone could turn a blind eye to enslaving black people, as-long as the money kept coming in. Leaving black people to suffer and be tricked into contracts that was really no way out.

    1. Right, and then the white southerners know that almost all of blacks cannot read yet, giving them the advantage to basically be able to make the contract as corrupt as possible; the blacks were basically signing their lives away.

  63. I can’t believe that back in the day white people went out their way to make money! That was clearly off the backs of mainly African Americans who just wanted to be looked at as a human. Watching this video also shows that the federal government choose to look away knowing what was going on anyways!

    1. I definitely agree, like they went so far out of their way. It really upsets me though, because like why? I get the money, but they were doing this to innocent people.

  64. Slavery By Another Name was very interetsing short documentary that really shed light on the injustices African American’s suffered. On whats supposed to be post “salvery- era”. When in fact in the rural south white plantantion owners didn’t want to accept that they couldn’t’t work black people for free anymore.

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