The Movie Roots essays

The Movie Roots essays In the history of the United States nothing has brought more shame to the face of America than the cold, premeditated years of keeping black people in captivity, which is known as slavery. Accordingly, slavery can be defined as an inhumane action done to an individual or group of people that causes either physical or mental harm. Slavery, at its very core was a cruel and heartless institution; from the idea behind it to the way it was enforced. It degraded the lives of human beings (particularly blacks) and forbade the basic freedom that every man and woman deserves, according to the Constitution. One example of how cruel and inhumane slavery actually was is the historical film Roots. In the movie Roots, the life of an enslaved African male named Kunta Kinta is followed, beginning with his abduction from his eighteenth century home in Africa. During this time, the Middle Passage was almost unbelievable, being that hundreds upon hundreds of Africans were abducted from their homes to go on boats to America. Consequently, Europeans traveled to Africa and captured Africans such as Kunta Kinta using guns in which many Africans had never seen before. This would later help develop their land and satisfy their need for power in the New World. The conditions on the boats were dreadful. The Africans soon to be slaves were packed like sardines and chained tightly together. Also, the temperature in the disease-infested rooms was unbearable and there was literally no fresh air for slaves to breathe. This particular part of the movie, I thought was one of the most significant parts, because it allowed the viewer to actually see the conditions on these boats. They seemed much like a slaughterhouse and I cant imagine how anyone could have survived in such a detrimental environment. In fact, Olaudah Equiano a former slave and loyal British subject said that, sleep was the only refuge. Consequently, the...