Summary
The crew explores the painful gap between the Revolution's ideals and the reality of slavery — and meets people like Elizabeth “Mum Bett” Freeman, who sued for her freedom by arguing that “all men are born free and equal” must mean her, too. James confronts the unfinished promise at the heart of the new nation.
Viewer safety
Addresses slavery directly and honestly, with age-appropriate treatment. Best shown with teacher facilitation.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
The same words that declared all men equal were written in a country that enslaved hundreds of thousands of people. Some, like Mum Bett, used those very words to demand the freedom the Revolution had promised.
- How did Elizabeth Freeman use the words of the new state constitution to argue for her own freedom?
- Why is it a contradiction to declare that all people are equal while allowing slavery?
- What does it mean to say the promise of the Revolution was “unfinished”?
- How have people throughout history used a country's own ideals to push it to do better?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: equality, slavery, contradiction, freedom, constitution, ideal.
Try it: Write down the phrase “all men are created equal.” Then write two sentences: one explaining what it promised, and one explaining who was left out in 1776 — and how people worked to change that.