Human rights and civil rights movements and emancipation from various forms of oppression have always been a topic discussed in movies and written in books, giving us a more or less accurate picture of what was going on in both Americas. Even though mostly connected with the American Civil War, it is a topic that goes well beyond time and place and must be addressed nowadays as well. Emancipation is Antione Fuqua’s newest movie about a Louisiana slave who travels through the swamps of this Southern state, running away from the plantation owners who nearly killed him. Before you watch it, you might take a look at the list of the 10 best movies like Emancipation.
12 Years a Slave
In 12 Years a Slave, we follow Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York who is solved into slavery. Not used to the cruelty he has to face from his evil and malevolent slave owner, Solomon will have to struggle to stay alive but also retain his dignity.
In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, he meets a Canadian abolitionist who will change his life forever. Solomon’s fight for freedom is truly a remarkable and memorable story full of adventure, unexpected kindness, and unimaginable cruelty.
Harriet (2019)
This is an interesting and exciting drama based on the thrilling life of Harriet Tubman, one of the most famous and iconic American freedom fighters. It is the story of her escape from slavery after which she became one of America’s greatest heroes.
She was extremely courageous and tenacious and her strong will and stubbornness freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
This brilliant historical documentary narrated by Samuel L. Jackson takes us back to 1979 when the writer James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent in which he described his next project, “Remember This House”
He planned to write a book about the lives and assassinations of three of his very close friends, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. But when he died in 1987, there we only 39 completed pages of his manuscript, and in this documentary filmmaker Raoul Peck is giving us an insight into the book Baldwin has never finished.
Lincoln (2012)
One of the best and most intriguing and exciting stories about one of the greatest American presidents, Abraham Lincoln is this biographical drama directed by Steven Spielberg, with Daniel Day-Lewis in the leading role.
It is a brilliant portrayal of his professional and professional days during the American Civil War when he was struggling with the ongoing war rage and constant bloodshed on the battlefield and at the same time had to deal with the individuals in his cabinet about the topic of slave emancipation.
The Birth of a Nation (2016)
This is another brilliant and important biographical drama about the antebellum South which tells the story of Nat Turner, an educated slave, and preacher who makes a deal with owner Samuel Turner who is in serious financial debt.
He accepts an offer to use Nat and his preachings to subdue rebellious and unruly slaves. Nat will have to witness numerous atrocities against his fellow slaves but also suffer various threats himself which will result in his organization an uprising with the hope of leading his men to freedom.
Amazing Grace (2006)
This biographical drama is set in 1797 when William Wilberforce, a great fighter for British slavery abolition decides to take a break from his struggles and fights in order to take care of his health. But the encounter with Barbara Spooner will encourage him to continue with his goal.
Together with his soul mate and some old and new friends, such as his mentor, a slave ship Captain, the future Prime Minister, and a former slave, Wilberforce will exert new ideas and start a fight that would lead to a great victory for social justice and equality.
A Woman Called Moses (1978)
Even though in the form of a TV mini-series, it can still be regarded as a movie, and a very important one, another drama about one of the most important fighters for the abolition and freedom of African Americans in the United States.
Harriet Tubman was a remarkable woman, brave and fearless, determined to free her people from shackles and oppression. This is an unforgettable story about the life and career of this abolitionist and slave escape leader
The Horse Soldiers (1959)
John Wayne and William Holden play leading roles in this famous romantic western drama about a Union outfit sent behind Confederate lines to destroy the enemy’s supply center and railroads. The unit’s doctor is the one who has to accompany them.
But the mission soon becomes compromised when a certain Southern belle overhears the plans and has to be taken with them and the fact that the doctor isn’t on good terms with the soldiers’ commander doesn’t make things any easier. And every one of them has his own reason to be part of this mission.
Manderlay (2005)
Lars von Trier wrote and directed this drama set in the American South in 1933, divided into eight chapters, continuing where his move Dogville stopped. It is the story of Grace and her father who burn the town Dogville at the end of the movie and are now traveling with a group of gunmen through rural Alabama.
Upon stopping outside a plantation called Manderlay, Grace learns that the plantation is full of African American slaves, even though 70 years have passed since the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. She decides to stay there, determined to fight for them and their safe transition to freedom.
Quilombo (1984)
This drama is set in Palmares, a 17th-century quilombo, a place in Northern Brazil inhabited by escaped slaves. It is a story of a group of slaves, led by Ganga Zumba who became a legendary king, determined to keep his settlement in the mountain from Portuguese raiders.
But after making a mistake and leaving his people for the promise of land and security, Zumba is replaced by Zumbi, a warrior who decides to stay in the mountains and lead Palmares, becoming one of the greatest fighters for slave emancipation.
