Catalog Search Results
Language
English
Description
The Underground Railroad was arguably the most important activist movement in American history, a loose network of people bound together by conscience and a determination to topple the institution of slavery by helping slaves escape to the North. "Conductors" risked fines and imprisonment for their devotion to the cause of freedom; "passengers" risked their lives. Hosted by Alfre Woodard, this program traces the hazardous journey undertaken by countless...
Language
English
Description
Runaway slaves journey north along the Underground Railroad by following directions in a song "The drinking gourd". Other segments include: LeVar talks about slavery: LeVar introduces students to the history, heroes, stories, and music of the African American culture which emerged from slavery ; Songs about slavery: the a capella group, Sweet Honey in the Rock, perform and share their historical knowledge of slavery.
Language
English
Description
For black slaves Big Ben and Moses, the only thing worse than the daily cruelty of life on a Virginia plantation is the fear of being hunted down and tortured as runaways. But when Ben learns he is about to be sold to a new owner, he and Moses make the desperate choice to run. Evading brutal slave hunters and with only the light of the North Star as their guide, the pair make the grueling journey.
Language
English
Description
A magical look at the historic true tale of slave Henry Box Brown, a man who mailed himself to freedom in a wooden box from a plantation in Richmond, Virginia to freedom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1848. Narrated by **Emmy**-winning and **Academy Award**-nominated actress Alfre Woodard this lightly animated story uses entertaining verse to share Henry’s story. With the help of characters including Bird, Horse, Cricket and Cat, Henry avoids...
Language
English
Description
Ethan Hawke stars as abolitionist John Brown in this Limited Event Series based on the award-winning novel. The story is told from the point of view of "Onion," a fictional enslaved boy who becomes a member of Brown's motley family of abolitionist soldiers battling slavery in Kansas, and eventually finds himself in the famous 1859 Army depot raid at Harpers Ferry, an inciting incident of the Civil War. It's a humorous and dramatic tale of Antebellum...
8) Emperor
Language
English
Description
Inspired by the legend of Shields 'Emperor' Green, a descendant of African kings turned outlaw slave in the pre-Civil War South. Seeking freedom for his family, Emperor fights his way north, joining the daring raid on Harper's Ferry and helping alter the course of American history.
Language
English
Description
At the time of the Civil War, one of every eight people living in the United States was considered the legal property of someone else. Men and women, black and white, risked their lives to carve an elaborate network of escape routes out of slavery that became known as the Underground Railroad. A loosely organized group of deeply committed individuals who employed everything from secret codes to false-bottom wagons to bring fugitives out of bondage...
Language
English
Description
The unforgettable saga of a mischievous youngster and a runaway slave on a wild expedition to freedom. As the pair take the ride of their lives down the treacherous Mississippi River, they run into an entertaining assortment of off-beat characters and face one challenging adventure after another.
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
One night in 1861, three escaped slaves made their way from the Confederate line to a Union-held fort. The runaways were declared "contraband of war" and granted protection. As word spread, thousands of runaway slaves poured into the fort, seeking their freedom. These "contrabands" made a home for themselves, building the first African American community in the country. In 1863, they bore witness to one of the first readings of the Emancipation Proclamation...
15) Aferim!
Language
Romanian
Appears on list
Description
Set in early nineteenth century Romania, a policeman, Costandin, is hired by a nobleman to find a Gypsy slave who has run away from his estate after having an affair with his wife.