GBH Openvault

Africans In America; Judgment Day (1831-1861); Interview with William Dusinberre, 1997

Part of Africans in America.

02/26/1997

William Dusinberre is interviewed about Frances "Fanny" Kemble, wife of Pierce Butler and her journals documenting slave life; brutality on Butler Island, the lives of headman Frank and the rape of his wife Betty on Butler Island, the breaking up of families, Dusinberre's belief that slaves practiced non-violent protest, coping mechanisms of slaves, Cooper London, the wealth and power of the Butler family, the Weeping Time. Dusinberre shows and discusses the historical records from Butler Island.

Series

Africans In America

Program

Judgment Day (1831-1861)

Program Number

104

Title

Interview with William Dusinberre, 1997

Series Description

Broadcast: October 1998 This series explores the central paradox that is at the heart of the American story: a democracy that declared all men equal but enslaved and oppressed one people to provide independence and prosperity to another. The series opens in the 16th century on Africa's Gold Coast with the European and African trade, and ends on the eve of the American Civil War in 1861. Africans in America examines the economic and intellectual foundations of slavery in America and the global economy that prospered from it. The series reveals how the presence of African people and their struggle for freedom transformed America. Series release date: 10/1998

Program Description

104 Judgment Day (1831-1861)--The nation expands westward; slavery becomes the most divisive issue in American life. Abolitionists struggle to bring the institution down, and the nation is tested as never before. As tensions over slavery erupt into violence, Americans are forced to consider how long the country can continue as a democracy built on the profits of bondage. Producer: Llewellyn Smith.

Duration

01:31:19

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Genres

Interview

Topics

Race and Ethnicity

History

Creators

Smith, Llewellyn (Series Producer)

Contributors

Dusinberre, William (Interviewee)

Publication Information

WGBH Educational Foundation

Rights Summary

Rights Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “Africans In America; Judgment Day (1831-1861); Interview with William Dusinberre, 1997,” 02/26/1997, GBH Archives, accessed December 22, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4CCE09D23EB448B4990B5BC0763A8176.

MLA: “Africans In America; Judgment Day (1831-1861); Interview with William Dusinberre, 1997.” 02/26/1997. GBH Archives. Web. December 22, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4CCE09D23EB448B4990B5BC0763A8176>.

APA: Africans In America; Judgment Day (1831-1861); Interview with William Dusinberre, 1997. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4CCE09D23EB448B4990B5BC0763A8176