Slavery by Another Name

African Americans hardly enjoyed unfettered freedom when the Civil War ended in 1865. This PBS-aired documentary—narrated by Laurence Fishburne—points out that blacks continued to be subjected to exploitation and terrorism between the close of the Civil War and World War II, particularly following Reconstruction. Former slave owners resented the new status of free African Americans, as did poor whites, who viewed blacks as competition for menial jobs. Safely returned to state and local legislatures, whites quickly drew up harsh vagrancy laws and countless other acts whereby blacks could be arrested for minor offenses or other trumped up charges. Black prisoners could be sold to private industries through a plan known as "convict leasing," where they would toil under unsafe conditions for long hours, and suffer frequent beatings. Owners of coal mines were often former slave owners who used black labor to resist unions and depress wages (boys under 16 were "employed" in large numbers). The punitive leasing laws were coupled with restrictions on voting and other rights, leading to a system known as "Jim Crow” segregation. Later, a system of debt laws were used to ensnare blacks, who could be jailed in "peonage," confined by often bogus claims. The documentary notes that this aroused the attention of the federal government, but anti-peonage laws were only sporadically enforced. The rise of black activists such as W.E.B. Du Bois and the birth of new groups like the NAACP eventually led to the Civil Rights movement that would make huge strides during the 1960s and beyond. Combining dramatic re-creations with compelling narration, filmmaker Sam Pollard's informative documentary sheds light on a sordid and shameful era in American history. DVD extras include a pair of featurettes. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)