Customers say
Customers find this TV series to be a comprehensive documentary that provides knowledge through human stories, with excellent presentation and detail. They appreciate its entertainment value and authenticity, with one customer highlighting the credible interviews and another noting how it showcases actual people’s experiences. The series receives positive feedback for its watchability, with customers saying they could watch it multiple times, and one review mentioning its focus on resistance.
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Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: Zefir909
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Superb Documentary
Review: This PBS documentary covering about 500 years of African American history, is superbly done! It is well researched, presented and produced. Those who provide commentary do so in a cogent and informed manner. Although I knew some things about this topic and timeline, there was much I learned and was further elucidated. History holds so many lessons for every age. The lessons in this presentation should not be missed!
Reviewer: SmileCo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Engaging and Enlightening – An Incredible Journey Through a Hidden History
Review: This is an engaging and highly informative series on a lot of history I didn’t learn about in school. As a mentor of mine recently said, most of African American history was 20 minutes of study in an hour long class in a year long curriculum. It is largely under-emphasized and ignored and as a result, I was simply ignorant of much of this history. But while this focuses on the African American history, it reveals much about our shared experience (though from a different side). I am so glad I watched it and I recommend it to others as a great starting point of study.The format is fast moving, the content is engaging and ranges from incredibly serious to light hearted and funny. One thing that it remains all the way through, though, is human and honest. It tells history through the human stories of history, and as a result I found myself not just learning about the events of our nation’s past, but relating to and empathizing with the unlikely and largely unknown heroes that rose up out of those events. It has also helped me understand our current national racial struggles in a new way as I can see a little better how the shared history of African Americans really does continue today. Even though the stones of slavery, Jim Crow, 40 acres and a mule, the great migration, and the tension between King and Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and Black Harlem (to name just a bare few) were tossed in the pond of national experience in our past, the ripples of those events continue to shake our culture today.My only complaint about this series was that it was too short. It left me wanting to learn more about our history and the important people whose stories have largely not been told. I guess that is, in the end, a good thing because it prompts me to more study. But I would love to see them release a second season!If you are interested in learning more about history, understanding more about the tensions that are gripping our country today, or just love a good human story – you should watch this. I can’t recommend it highly enough especially if you haven’t spent much time looking into the rich and vibrant history of the African American experience.
Reviewer: Vicky
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Roots
Review: Henry Louis Gates Jr has done an excellent job in recording and researching the role of blacks struggle from Africa to America through the ages and as it is today enlightening us blacks whites Hispanics native Americans & Others that we all can make a difference that it takes each one of us and this is what makes America The melting pot that it is today and together we can all strive for freedom and betterment of this nation thanks Henry Louis Gates Jr for your time and effort in bringing us accuracy information that we do not learn in America school systems today.
Reviewer: jay p
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Black History.
Review: This is a great and informative video about Black History from Professor Henry Lewis Gates, Jr. Everybody should watch this, especially our young people. I did see that it is being taught in many Florida school districts. Good to see Florida schools making a necessary commitment to teach Black History.
Reviewer: Rodney
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great Knowledge Given.
Review: I appreciate all of the work that Mr. Gates put into this DVD set. His life dedication to researching Black History backed by his pass accomplishments and credentials, allows me to fully believe that all of the information given is accurate. The facts are explained very well and have given me a much needed truthful understanding of my African American history. I HIGHLY recommend this DVD set to all African Americans to see and study. I viewed it three times so far and each time I have viewed it more astounding facts become clearer and more understood. We really need to know our history, it helps us to have more pride in our race and to have more courage to continue to over come present and future adversities. It also allows me to start to deal with some of the harsh truths of our past and present in an enlightened and optimistic way.
Reviewer: David Smith
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A nicely done overview
Review: Great photography. A good balance between action images and “talking heads.” This is an overview only. Unfortunately it tends to gloss over the horrors of the post reconstruction period and Jim Crow. Generally upbeat. As it comes closer to the present day, many may have disagreements with what was presented and the interpretation of those events. My wife and I were moved by what we saw.
Reviewer: Jessica Young
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Used items need better quality warnings
Review: Great content, DVD is a 5 star for sure.My only complaint is I bought it used, which is fine, but there was no warning that it used to be owned by a library. The discs have been written on, big library logo over the cover-art, ugly stickers that will be hard to remove. Tempted to return and buy a new one.
Reviewer: Mz. ‘Tude
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: AN AMERICAN HISTORY CURRICULUM MUST!
Review: OUTSTANDING CONTENT!!! WONDERFULLY PRESENTED!!! EXTREMELY HARD TRUTHS, HEARTBREAKING PHOTOS AND STORIES…. MANY AMERICANS ARE IGNORANT OF THIS INFORMATION, PERHAPS BY DESIGN RATHER THAN CHOICE.THIS DVD SERIES SHOULD BE VIEWED AND DISCUSSED IN EVERY HIGH SCHOOL IN THE UNITED STATES AT MINIMUM.I BELIEVE THAT SOME OF THE CONTENT WOULD NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN, DUE IN PART TO SOME OF THE HORRIFYING PHOTOS AND MANY OF THE EVENT ACCOUNTS AS THE DESCRIPTIONS ARE VERY DETAILED AND WOULD BE VERY DISTURBING AND ALARMING TO MANY TENDER CONSCIENCES…TO KNOW OF THE DEGREE OF INHUMANE TREATMENT MANY MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN, SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF OTHER HUMAN BEINGS….
Reviewer: Mare
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Friggin amazing! Beautiful thoughtful, expressive, factual and just a pure appreciative documentary. Well worth watch and/or using as a teaching aid. Loved it. You’ll wanna watch more than once I’d bet.
Reviewer: Ms.Jean
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Loved it, used it to educate and enlighten my two teenaged children.
Reviewer: Paul
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great documentary. Well worth every penny!
Reviewer: donalda elliott
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: very informative
Reviewer: DK Robinson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Excellent documentary ! Very informative !
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