Akron Public Library

The landmark four-part series documents the history of American slavery from its beginnings in the British colonies to its end in the Southern states, and through the years of post-Civil War Reconstruction. The series examines the integral role slavery played in shaping the new country's development, challenging the long-held notion that it was exclusively a Southern enterprise.

Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus is condemned to the brutal world of the arena, where blood and death are prime time entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption, and the allure of sensual pleasure will constantly test Spartacus. To survive, he must become more than a man and gladiator. He must become a legend.

The landmark four-part series documents the history of American slavery from its beginnings in the British colonies to its end in the Southern states, and through the years of post-Civil War Reconstruction. The series examines the integral role slavery played in shaping the new country's development, challenging the long-held notion that it was exclusively a Southern enterprise.

George L. Aiken's 1852 dramatization of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's cabin. Uncle Tom's cabin's dominating theme is the evil and immorality of slavery. Slavery tears apart a black family in the South before the start of the Civil War.

Two men separated by 100 years are united in their search for freedom. In 1856 a slave, Samuel Woodward and his family, escape from the Monroe Plantation near Richmond, Virginia. A secret network of ordinary people known as the Underground Railroad guides the family on their journey north to Canada.

Set in 1897, a man and his nephew are trying to deliver a herd of horses when they become the reluctant guardians of five abandoned Chinese girls.

A retelling of the bible story. Pharaoh Ramses decrees the death of all Hebrew children, but Moses, placed in a basket in the Nile by his mother, is taken by a royal princess and raised as the brother of the heir to the throne of Egypt, Memefta. Moses is called by God to lead his people from Egypt to the promised land.

Twelve-year-old Sarny's brutal life as a slave becomes even more dangerous when a newly arrived slave offers to teach her how to read.

Episode 2. From the 1740s to the 1830s, the institution of slavery continued to support economic development. As the slave population reproduced, American planters became less dependent on the African slave trade. Ensuing generations of slaves developed a unique culture that blended elements of African and American life. Episode two follows the paths of several African Americans, including Thomas Jefferson's slave Jupiter, Colonel Tye, Elizabeth Freeman,...

"Traces the journey to freedom taken by countless slaves, showing how they were guided, protected and pursued along the way. The extraordinary story is told through historical documents, visits to important sites, interviews with the descendants of noted abolitionists and commentary from experts"--Container.