By 1640, Virginia landowner Anthony Johnson had amassed some 250 acres and was considered a man of means. In fact, the only real difference between Johnson and other Virginia gentlemen was the color of his skin; Johnson was black. In the coming years, that difference would become the dividing line between blacks and whites in the fledgling British colonies in America. In "The Terrible Transformation," the opening episode of the PBS-aired Africans in America, viewers watch the sad, poisonous journey into slavery for Africans brought from one Gold Coast (in Africa) to another (the crop-rich Eastern seaboard), where greed coupled with a simple system of management (based on appearance) gradually evolved into the "peculiar institution" that remains to this day the central feature of American history. Narrated by Angela Bassett, Africans in America is a powerful examination of "America's journey through slavery" from the first arrival of Africans in the Jamestown settlement in 1619 up to the start of the Civil War which would start America on the long, arduous journey toward legal, if not always true, equality. The other three episodes are: Revolution, Brotherly Love and Judgment Day. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Pitman)
Africans in America
(1998) 4 videocassettes. 90 min. each. $59.95. WGBH Boston Video. ($150 w/PPR from PBS Video). Color cover. Closed captioned. Vol. 14, Issue 1
Africans in America
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