#13th ammendment

[bee-the-change]

13TH | FULL FEATURE | Netflix Watch The 13th Amendment Netflix documentary for free. It is a must-watch.

[rebeluniversity]

From The Papyrus School of History: On This Day in 1865 The U.S Congress passed the 13th Ammendment to U.S Constitution to End Slavery, But Here's What It Really Says.

[goodwillinator]

I just watched 13th, that doccumentary on netflix about black incarceration in America and just....wow. 10/10 strongly reccomend

[jacobwakeup]

This is the American history lesson most of us were never given. We screened this documentary last weekend and it is critical viewing.

I've heard and repeated that racism is "baked" into this country's founding and we now have to wrestle with taking the flour out of the cake that's ready to serve. This film helps illuminate how that flour is evident in everything.

[bryancranstonsunderwear-blog]

Yet another reason why "Lincoln" is my favorite movie.

[skepticalavenger]

Had to confirm that this one was actually true, because, well, jeeze.  Yep.  Totally true.

I'm just kind of surprised that the politicians in Mississippi would take such a controversial move at this time.  Surely this will anger a lot of their voters.

To my followers from Mississippi, you have my deepest sympathies.  :-\

[acinemadownalane-blog]

Lincoln: A Lesson In History?

  With the release of any biopic, a certain amount of concern about historical accuracy is expected. Here heralds the oncoming cavalry charge of disgruntled historians, carping loudly over the veracity of who said what, when and where. For the most part however, Lincoln appears to have been generally well received in this light, if only because the din of quibbling historians has been drowned out by the even louder gushing of critical acclaim that this film seems to have inspired.

  Certainly in terms of the lead actors’ performance, this is easy to see why. Daniel Day Lewis is transcendental as Lincoln and is almost certain to prevail at this years’ Oscar’s. Indeed it would be little wonder if, in anticipation of this, the Academy has not remoulded the award for Best Actor into a Lincoln-like figure complete with top hat and sideburns, such is the ownership Lewis exerts over his role as the 16th president of the United States. This, combined with the film’s attentiveness  regarding the political intricacies surrounding the passing of the 13th amendment, has left many applauding Spielberg’s ability to negotiate the tricky task of presenting historical fiction in cinema.

  Yet it is perhaps not how accurately or otherwise Spielberg has portrayed the historical events included in the film, but rather what was left out which should be the focus of discussion. From underneath all that critical acclaim, there are still some audible concerns being voiced regarding what was omitted from Lincoln. In a film that centres around the document which made the abolition of slavery possible, some historians have argued that the films stringent adherence to what went on within the House of Representatives, has neglected an entire movement of activists, lobbyists, academics and writers who played an instrumental role in the cessation of slavery. Arguably, the films preoccupation with communicating accurately the political wrangling surrounding the 13th amendment within The White House, has resulted in a historical omission of other factors which contributed to the abolition of slavery, thus painting Abraham Lincoln as some sort of soul deliver of emancipation.

In a very interesting article published in The New York Times (see link at bottom), academic Kate Masur explores the idea that the film misses out on a key dialogue of slavery, notably through the representation (or lack thereof) of African American characters within Lincoln. 

To this end, Lincoln fails to deal with aspects of slavery which should be considered simultaneously to the behind the scenes, political manoeuvring at play. In this vein, Masur contends that “Lincoln is an opportunity squandered.”

Interestingly, Lincoln is paired in the Oscars race with another film dealing with slavery as its central theme, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Tarantino’s latest work has provoked intense controversy: as always his penchant for on screen ultra-violence is under scrutiny as well as this time his exploration of slavery through the medium of Spaghetti Western. Filmmaker Spike Lee publicly decried Django Unchained, stating on his twitter account: "American slavery was not a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It was a holocaust. My ancestors are slaves. Stolen from Africa. I will honor them." It would be interesting indeed to hear what Spike Lee makes of the way in which American slavery was handled in Lincoln.

Whilst it may be uncomfortable to endure the unapologetic brutality of Tarantino’s Django Unchained at the time of viewing, it may prove even more unsettling to come away from Lincoln presumably psychologically unscathed, only later to consider that, for all of its fretting about reflecting the finer historical and political details surrounding the passing of the 13th amendment, Lincoln has in fact (and perhaps unwittingly) presented a whitewashed treatment of slavery.

  Georgia Black

[pbsthisdayinhistory]

December 6, 1865: 13th Amendment is Ratified

On this day in 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified and adopted into the United States Constitution, formally abolishing slavery across the country. Test your knowledge of the events that led to this important moment in history. How much do you already know? Take a quick quiz to test your knowledge!

Image: Scene in the House on the passage of the proposition to amend the Constitution, 1865 (Library of Congress)