This is a good introduction to the topic of civil rights in the USA during the last two centuries. It's easy to watch, well presented, and has good choices in music and actors/presenters that should make it appealing to those who are not particularly interested in long documentaries about civil rights. That, in itself, is an achievement.
Having said that, I must also point out that this is NOT a definitive guide to the topic it deals with. If you want to get a full history of civil rights in the country, use the documentary as a trampoline to help you reach other, more in-depth works. Because this documentary cuts on some details that in my opinion are very important.
I won't go in too much detail but I think episode 3 (about the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s) is a good example of this. The entire episode focusses on Martin Luther King's efforts to force John F Kennedy to act against racism, and finally the US President gives in and becomes a 'good guy' who does what was required. Two very important angles are missing. Firstly, the documentary makes no mention whatsoever of other civil rights leaders who also played important roles, such as Malcolm X or Stokely Carmichael. And secondly, the fact is that John F Kennedy did very little in the area of human rights, and it was his predecessor, Lyndon B Johnson, who actually implemented the defining civil rights legislation of the 20th century.
Leaving out such figures as Malcolm X or Lyndon Johnson is understandable because they were very complex and controversial characters. For the general public, it is easier to follow a storyline of good guys and bad guys, and Kennedy and King are both established good guys in American imagination. However, this lack of nuance means that the documentary doesn't quite convey how complicated the fight for civil rights really is.
Having said that, I must also point out that this is NOT a definitive guide to the topic it deals with. If you want to get a full history of civil rights in the country, use the documentary as a trampoline to help you reach other, more in-depth works. Because this documentary cuts on some details that in my opinion are very important.
I won't go in too much detail but I think episode 3 (about the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s) is a good example of this. The entire episode focusses on Martin Luther King's efforts to force John F Kennedy to act against racism, and finally the US President gives in and becomes a 'good guy' who does what was required. Two very important angles are missing. Firstly, the documentary makes no mention whatsoever of other civil rights leaders who also played important roles, such as Malcolm X or Stokely Carmichael. And secondly, the fact is that John F Kennedy did very little in the area of human rights, and it was his predecessor, Lyndon B Johnson, who actually implemented the defining civil rights legislation of the 20th century.
Leaving out such figures as Malcolm X or Lyndon Johnson is understandable because they were very complex and controversial characters. For the general public, it is easier to follow a storyline of good guys and bad guys, and Kennedy and King are both established good guys in American imagination. However, this lack of nuance means that the documentary doesn't quite convey how complicated the fight for civil rights really is.