Slavery

12 Years a Slave is a mesmerizing, honest look at a dark time in our nation’s history. The movie examines themes that prove that man has the capability to be extremely inhumane to man. It also illustrates the caring nature of man and the role of fate in determining one’s...

Equality, acceptance, and superiority were terms of regular use by African American activists following the end of slavery and the beginning of the integration of the races. Fighting for these terms to be considered a reality was the typical approach of these activists. Booker T. Washington, however, refused to fight...

In Ama: A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Manu Herbstein, explores one of the most significant and difficult eras in human history, when blacks from Africa were traded like material goods for profit. Black men and women of that period were likened to livestock and were not considered...

Quentin Tarantino’s film Django Unchained tackles the difficult historical legacy of American systematic racism, from the perspective of the genre film, in this case, the Western. However, following Tarantino’s own style, the Western also transforms into a theatre of absurdity, to the extent that the violence of the genre is...

Equality is the foundation of freedom. While it appears as though governments throughout history have believed the opposite, consider that all these societies have been both unequal and less than free. Freedom as defined has been reserved for the ruling class or at least the upper classes or those with...

During the 19th century, slavery was at once pivotal to American society and threatening to its stability. An intricate part of the country’s economy, slavery provided much of the country’s workforce and was responsible for a large portion of cash flow; slavery was big business. However, due to continued unrest...