Running Time:
216 minutes
Grade Level:
7 - Adult
Captions:
English Subtitles
Spanish Subtitles
AVP Release Date:
April 2005
Producer:
Ambrose Video/Centre
This original, eight-part series documents Black Achievement in American history, its defining role in the growth of the country, and its influence on current events. Presented by James Avery, the series highlights the many contributions of Black Americans that have influenced our culture, enriched our society with their achievements, and shaped the history of the United States.
It's one of the least known stories in American history. It is the story of black achievement and accomplishment. Against all odds, American blacks have built their own institutions: families, schools, churches and businesses. Against all odds, American blacks have created great art and science.... Fought heroically in every American war. Against all odds, black men and women have worked endlessly to secure their own freedom and equality. The untold Story of blacks in America is a 350-year saga of incredible achievements. This is that story.
The best new series for African American History studies and an ideal educational series for Black History Month.
8 programs on 4 DVDs
Educational history DVD series EXTRAS:
-Hi-Definition Enhanced
-English Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired (Optional)
-Spanish Subtitles (Optional)
-Instructors Guide
-Photo Gallery
-Tests
-Historical Documents
-Timeline
- DVD No. 1
Running Time: 2 programs 27 minutes each
Program One: Settling the New World and Founding the United States of America
1619 - 1621 - Blacks Arrive at Jamestown
1705 - The Virginia General Assembly Passes the Slave Codes
1762 - Entrepreneur Samuel Fraunces Opens New York City's Most Cherished Revolutionary War Site: The Fraunces Tavern
1770 - Crispus Attucks and the Black Patriots
Program Two: Emergence of the Black Hero
1772 - Chicago is Settled by Jean DuSable
1776 - Lemuel Haynes Helps Lay the Foundation for Abolition
1791 - The First Black Man of Science, Benjamin Banneker, Surveys Washington, D.C.
1821 - African Grove Theatre Founded in New York.
1822 - Denmark Vesey and the Slave Revolts
1823 - Legendary Mountain Man James Beckwourth Enters the Rockies
1849 - Harriet Tubman Uses Underground Railroad to Become Free
- DVD No. 2
Running Time: 2 X 27 minutes
Program Three: The Fight for Freedom
1851 - Sojourner Truth Delivers Famous Ain't I a Woman?Speech
1854 - First Black University Founded: Lincoln University
1855 - Frederick Douglass Publishes My Bondage and My Freedom
1857 - Dred Scott Decision Helps Trigger the Civil War
1863 - Lincoln Signs Emancipation Proclamation
1863 - Black Regiment Storms Fort Wagner in the Civil War
1865 - 1869 - 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments Establish Civil Rights for All
Program Four: Blacks Enter the Gilded Age
1875 - Robert Smalls, Former Slave, Elected to House
1878 - The Black Cowboy and George McJunkin
1881 - Booker T. Washington Opens Tuskegee Institute
1884 - T. Thomas Fortune Prophesises the Long and Bitter Struggle for Equality
1887 - Granville T. Woods, Called the "Black Edison", Patents the Induction Telegraph System
1893 - Ida B. Wells-Barnett Crusades Against Black Lynching in America
1896 - Plessy v. Ferguson Case Upholds Segregation
- DVD No. 3
Running Time: 2 X 27 minutes
Program Five: The Foundation for Equality
1904 - Scott Joplin and Ma Rainey Initiate the Merger of Two Cultures
1909 - Matthew Henson Discovers the North Pole
1909 - W.E.B. DuBois Founds the NAACP
1924 - George Washington Carver Renaissance Man
1925 - Alain Locke Leads Harlem Renaissance
1926 - Satchel Paige Stars in the National Negro Baseball League
Program Six: Depression and War
1935 - Mary McLeod Bethune: American Woman of the 20th Century
1936 - 1938 - Jesse Owens And Joe Louis Debunk Hitler's Claim of Aryan Superiority
1939 - Hattie McDaniel Wins the Oscar
1940 - First Black General, Benjamin O. Davis Sr., is Stepping Stone to Desegregation of U.S. Army
1943 - Duke Ellington's Band Performs Black, Brown and Beige at Carnegie Hall
- DVD No. 4
Running Time: 2 X 27 minutes
Program Seven: Civil Rights
1950 - Ralph Bunche Wins the Nobel Peace Prize
1950 - Gwendolyn Brooks Becomes the First Black Recipient of the Pulitzer Prize
1954 - Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
1955 - Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat to a White Passenger on a Montgomery Bus
1956 - Althea Gibson, First Black Woman To Win a Tennis Grand Slam Event
1959 - Lorraine Hansberry's Play A Raisin in the Sun is Produced
1963 - Martin Luther King Jr. Delivers His I Have a Dream Speech
Program Eight: A New Age
1967 - Muhammad Ali Refuses Induction into the U.S. Army on Religious Grounds
1967 - Thurgood Marshall, First Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice
1977 - Alex Haley's Roots: The Saga of an American FamilyAppears on TV
2001 - Colin Powell Appointed Secretary of State
2004 - Neil deGrasse Tyson Becomes Astrophysics' Superstar
Clip Length: 4 minutes 28 seconds
Reviews:
"A History of Black Achievement in America is an outstanding eight-part series that brings much-needed balance, highlighting the exemplary contribution of African Americans to the U.S. society and culture...with excellent narration by actor James Avery (the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). Filling important historical gaps, the programs...are organized in independent segments, making them ideal for classroom use. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. J,H,C,P."
- 4 STARS, Video Librarian May/June 2006Read More Reviews
Reviews:
"A History of Black Achievement in America is an outstanding eight-part series that brings much-needed balance, highlighting the exemplary contribution of African Americans to the U.S. society and culture...with excellent narration by actor James Avery (the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). Filling important historical gaps, the programs...are organized in independent segments, making them ideal for classroom use. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. J,H,C,P."
- 4 STARS, Video Librarian May/June 2006"Actor James Avery narrates and hosts this comprehensive eight-part survey of black Americans and their role in shaping U.S. history. Beginning with Settling the New World and Founding the United States of America and concluding with A New Age, the programs move chronologically from the 1619 arrival of African Americans in Jamestown to the accomplishments of Secretary of State Colin Powell and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in the twenty-first century. In a series of brief segments (easily accessed and a DVD format), reenactment footage well chosen visuals and a strong narrative highlight important black scientists, statesman, artists, military leaders, soldiers crusaders, athletes, playwrights, and others. The DVD also includes additional historical documents, test, and teachers' guide. Useful for both students and adults this well researched series fills an important gap in history texts and is a useful classroom..."
- Booklist"This series places black achievement into the larger context of American history, emphasizing that African Americans have made innumerable contributions to all aspects of our culture and heritage. The chronological programs range from the early colonial period to the present, and are hosted by actor James Avery who introduces each title's overall theme. The programs are divided into four to seven separate segments. Some of the segments explain the significance of an event, such as the 1705 Virginia Slave Codes or the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court ruling, but most profile individual African Americans whose "achievement spurred equality" in a wide variety of fields and endeavors. Some, such as Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Luther King, Jr., are very well known, while others, such as explorer Matthew Henson, General Benjamin O. Davis, and author Gwendolyn Brooks, will be unfamiliar to most students.Each segment explains how the event changed history or how the person's achievements created precedents and opportunities for future African Americans to follow. The visuals include period art, photos and news footage, black-and-white reenactment footage, and contemporary clips. The programs can be viewed as documentaries or as individual "chapters." Although the brief segments don't offer in-depth information, the wide variety of subjects covered will show students that black history is indeed American history. The segment format gives teachers the flexibility to integrate this material into any existing American history curriculum, making this series a good choice for all middle and secondary level library collections."
- School Library Journal"Though it's far from all-inclusive, 'A History of Black Achievement in America' provides lessons in American history that ought to be learned and appreciated by all races."
- James Plath, DVD Town (online)"A History of Black Achievement in America undertakes the daunting challenge of tracing major historical figures, from the obscure (Samuel Fraunces,...to the canonized (Muhammad Ali, Colin Powell) Hosted by actor James Avery, the set is chock full of info..."
- The Dallas Morning News
Downloadable Documents:
- Black History Achievement Timeline
- Blackline Master Quizzes
- Historical Document - 13th, 14th & 15th Amendments
- Historical Document - Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Historical Document - Missouri Compromise
- Historical Document - Supreme Court's Dred Scott Decision
- Historical Document - Supreme Courts Brown v. Board of Education
- Historical Document - Supreme Courts Plessy v. Ferguson Decision
- Historical Document - The Bill of Rights
- Historical Document - Truman's Executive Order Desegregating the Armed Forces
- Historical Document - Virginia Slave Code 1705
- Historical Document - Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Historical Speech - Ain't I a Woman
- Historical Speech - Martin Luther King Jr.'s
- Teacher Guide - Black Achievement
19th Century Turning Points in U.S. History |
A History of Hispanic Achievement in America |
Slavery and the Making of America |
21st Century Turning Points in U.S. History (2000 - 2009) |