Peer Response: The Black Atlantic Film

Peer Response: The Black Atlantic Film

Hi Madison,
I am pleased to learn that you have also watched The Black Atlantic documentary by Paul
Gilroy. Like you, I have learned a lot about the lives of Africans pre-slavery period and during
the slavery era. However, there were some episodes that I felt you never mentioned that I regard
as momentous. The story of Priscilla, an orphan sold into slavery by rice planter Elias Ball, is
one worth mentioning. One of Priscilla's 4,000 slaves, she worked in his rice fields in July 1756
(Gilroy, 25:12-33:18). At this point, Gates begins to describe how Charleston, North Carolina,
was at one time the hub of the thirteen colonies' slave trade.
The dehumanization of slaves is another strong point of the film. Vincent Brown, a
historian, calls enslaved people ciphers, which he defines as people with no authority or
significance (Gilroy, 35:25). In the eyes of white landowners, enslaved people were nothing
more than property or resources that could be used to increase their wealth. A food historian
claims that slaves "blackified" food by sharing recipes between their quarters and their masters'
homes. The menu is heavily influenced by European cuisine. Slaves would bring red beans and
jambalaya to the enslaver’s house, but the slaves would bring Western dishes back to their
enslaved quarters. Many new dishes were created due to the flow of food between the two
groups, which later spread countrywide.

Last Name 2
Even though the United States of America is known as the land of possibilities, it was
founded on the enslavement of Africans. This would not have been possible if slavery had not
existed. In the film, slavery is demystified, and the roles of Africans, Europeans, and Americans
are shown in a more realistic light. As an African American historian, Gates brings a unique
perspective to the film, and the other historians he collaborates with help make sense of a period
of American history that was so dark and traumatic.

Last Name 3

Work Cited

Gilroy, Paul, 1956-. The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness.