Search - Slavery and the Making of America on DVD


Slavery and the Making of America
Slavery and the Making of America
Actor: Morgan Freeman
Director: William R. Grant
Genres: Television, Documentary
NR     2005     4hr 0min

SLAVERY AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA is a landmark, four-part series that examines the history of slavery in the United States and the integral role it played in shaping the new country's development. Breaking with conventio...  more »

     
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Movie Details

Actor: Morgan Freeman
Director: William R. Grant
Genres: Television, Documentary
Sub-Genres: Television, Documentary
Studio: Ambrose
Format: DVD - Color - Closed-captioned,Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 02/09/2005
Release Year: 2005
Run Time: 4hr 0min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 4
SwapaDVD Credits: 4
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 2
Edition: Box set
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, Spanish

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Movie Reviews

PBS - By the Public - For the Public
Arcade Extreme | Nashville, TN | 05/23/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"When you pay the high price for a PBS production, you are helping PBS to pay for their cause. You are not being ripped off. This is a worthy reason why the cost is higher per minute of programming than other productions. The reviewer below apparently does not take this into account. Today DVD's cost $1 each or less in cost for the actual manufacturing of the disc. When a DVD is made and sold, the retail price pays for many things such as actors, production, and profit. If you look into how PBS spends their money, you will clearly note, it is not a profit making venture. This is an excellent series, worthy of the price. Yes, you can get a good deal here, lower than the retail price, from a Marketplace seller... or get yourself an even better deal (at a higher price) direct from the PBS web site, by supporting their cause... and the many more public productions to come. PBS... Possible Through Support From Viewers LIKE YOU."
An Inconvenient Truth II
Akbar | Denver, Colorado United States | 01/25/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I watched this over and over so that I could justify using it as a teaching tool to college and HS students. I grew tired of presentations on slavery ignoring or missing America's economic gain. Therefore, I was most impressed by this PBS series mentioning it. Yes, its inconvenient to say that the Industrial Revolution would not have happened without the free labor of slaves. (oh, yes, some African/Blacks did get 40 acres and a mule but, it was taken away by a former confederate soldier who later became a government official...). Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan, or even Bill Gates, hang on the coattails of the "planters" who made big money directly from African slave labor. The "planters" created the first IMAGES of superiority because they had more money, more control/power over many, and a "position." Believe me, slavery was building America's economic FUTURE not just imposing a sense of superiority. In a morbid sort of way slavery worked out pretty good for the American economy we live in today! Trust me when I say this, it means something to have an image of finacial power, even if you are poor, its the indelible IMAGE of having money, position, and power, that is most effective. A professor told me once that America is "ahistorical" I like that word. America concedes that slavery existed at one time and is over(whew!)but, the idea that some have benefitted financially, directly and indirectly from American slavery, might be an inconvenient truth. See "Centrix Financial...apologizes...slavery..." Something like that."
HS Teacher Says 5 Stars For This Production...and For Morgan
B. S. Hobson | Virginia, USA | 01/17/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have watched and re-watched this series on PBS, and with each episode I always go away having learned something. The researchers and writers were thorough, the re-enactments are well-played*, and the tempo of each segment is appropriate. Morgan Freeman is the perfect choice for a narrator (even better than Whoopie Goldberg in Unchained Memories); he speaks like a wise, maturing uncle versed in the intricacies of a long, unpleasant family history.

My favorite segments are those on David Walker's call to resistance; a certain Miss Freeman, who successfully sued for her freedom; and Col. Tye's band of 18th century guerilla warriors.

*Such re-enactments, when accurately presented, are essential to helping viewers understand the realities of the era, as there are so few photographs and no moving pictures in existence from this lengthy period in American history. (As the narrator says, "America was a slave-holding society longer than it has been a 'free' society.")"
Comprehensive and very well done...
R. Sharpe | Coatesville, PA | 12/03/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"The information provided in the cds was thorough, diverse, and accurate. It gives the viewer the impression that the series was produced with the care that only serious lovers of pure history can provide. I also appreciated that the historians featured on the various cds were not solely of African American lineage. There were well-rounded views and opinions expressed."