There are so many great slavery movies on Netflix. They feature historical documentaries surrounding the trials of Black and African-American people during slavery in the 17th and 18th centuries. Don’t miss 10 more of the best Slavery movies, too.
What is slavery (or involuntary servitude)?
Slavery is, in the strictest sense of the term, any system in which principles of property law are applied to people, allowing individuals to own, buy and sell other individuals, as a de jure form of property. (Source)
Existed in the United States of America in the 18th and 19th centuries after it gained independence and before the end of the American Civil War.
Throughout history, slaves were clothed in a distinctive fashion, particularly with respect to footwear, or rather the lack thereof. This was due to economic reasons, as well as a distinguishing feature, especially in South Africa and South America. (Source)
“The use of forced labor and slavery in Nazi Germany and throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II took place on an unprecedented scale.” (Source)
All the titles listed are currently on Netflix, but that is subject to change without notice.
NETFLIX SLAVERY MOVIES
Whether it’s Black history month or you just want to learn more about this important part of history, check out one of these riveting movies.
- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali (Actors)
- Gary Ross (Director) - Gary Ross (Writer) - Scott Stuber (Producer)
- English (Playback Language)
- English (Subtitle)
Free State of Jones
A defiant southern farmer, Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey), leads an extraordinary rebellion with farmers and slaves to secede from the Confederacy during the civil war. | Stream on Netflix
- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson (Actors)
- Quentin Tarantino (Director) - Harvey Weinstein (Producer)
- English (Playback Language)
- English (Subtitle)
Django
Accompanied by a German bounty hunter, a freed slave named Django travels across America to free his wife from a sadistic plantation owner. | Stream on Netflix
13th
Palm Trees in the Snow
Finding a tantalizing clue in an old letter, a young woman journeys to her family’s tropical plantation to uncover generations of secrets. (Watch on Netflix)
La Esclava Blanca
In Colombia in 1821, a white orphan is taken in by black slaves. Years after being torn from them, she returns to find her family and childhood love. (Watch on Netflix)
13th: A Conversation with Oprah Winfrey & Ava DuVernay
Oprah Winfrey sits down with Los Angeles-born director Ava DuVernay to discuss her Oscar-nominated film, historical cycles of oppression and the broken prison system and its treatment of young Black men. DuVernay won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award. (Watch on Netflix)
Harriet Tubman Movie
Just released on November 1, 2019, Harriet. Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, HARRIET tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes.
MORE MOVIES ABOUT BLACK HISTORY AND THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE ON NETFLIX:
- Best Slavery Movies
- 5 Slavery Documentaries for Kids
- 15 Kids’ Black History Movies on Netflix
- 20 Black History Movies on Netflix (including a comedy special by Trevor Noah)
- 10 Segregation Movies on Netflix
PLACES YOU CAN VISIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SLAVERY AND BLACK HISTORY
- Booker T. Washington National Monument (Washington‘s birthplace)
- Cliveden, the 18th-century home of the Chew family, immerses visitors in this part of America’s past in the Philadelphia area of Germantown, Pennsylvania.
- Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Civil Rights Trail which includes 100 locations across 14 states
- Freedom Park in Williamsburg, VA, which preserves one of the first free black settlements in America
BOOKS ABOUT SLAVERY AND BLACK HISTORY
- Up from Slavery
by Booker T. Washington
- Celia, A Slave
by Melton A Mclaurin
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
by David W. Blight
- The Slave Ship: A Human History
by Marcus Rediker
- American Slavery, American Freedom
by Edmund S. Morgan
- Empire of Cotton: A Global History
by Sven Beckert
- Africa: A Biography of the Continent
by John Reader
- Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation
by Eric Foner
- The Price for Their Pound of Flesh
by Daina Ramey Berry
- My Bondage and My Freedom
by Frederick Douglass
- Black Reconstruction in America
by W. E. B. Du Bois
Have you watched any of these slavery movies on Netflix?
I am a member of the Netflix #StreamTeam. I received a complimentary subscription and device. All opinions and selections are my own.
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[…] experience are great to watch during Black History Month. These Netflix titles cover slavery, black power, racism, segregation, documentaries, and civil […]