Charlie Macchia

Professor Morales

English 101

20 September 2020

White is The Color of Evil

Director Ed Bell’s film“​The History of White People in America”(​2020) is a strong, powerful

short film that portrays all of the racism and bigotry that white people have heaped upon other races. This

short film is my favorite out of all of the 10 films I have watched in order to write this essay because it is

relevant and factual, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s review the plot, shall we?

The film opens on a smartphone showing pictures of happy mixed-race couples while a female

narrator says that for the majority of American history, marriage between different races was illegal. We

transition to a 2D animated river where a black man and a white woman are rowing on a boat. The

narrator says that in colonial-era Virginia, blacks and whites could get married. We see the happy couple

build a house together. The narrator says that the peace lasted until the convention of the Virginia

Legislature. We cut to a courtroom where a judge proclaims “Order!” There are people saying that “they

cannot afford another rebellion” and that they “must divide the poor” and “separate the races”. One says

that they “must break the alliance of the poor”, showing a crowd of people with labels above their heads.

The scene cuts to the courtroom, and the judge asks, “All in favor?” The jury says, “Aye!” The judge then

says, “All opposed?”No one speaks up. We move to a town where a Native American and a black are

looking at a document of the new law. The Native American rips the document, but is suddenly caught by

a man who puts him on the gallows. We cut back to the Husband and Wife. They realize that their

marriage is illegal. They begin to grasp the gravity of their child not being wanted and what repercussions

might follow if they are found out. The two of them resolve to protect their newborn daughter with their
lives and they say a quote that is recurring through this film: “Be it enacted.” The Husband and Wife read

that all children of blacks or mixed races will be born into slavery. The Husband says, “I will be held as

property until the day I die.” He then runs from dogs and is shot by a gun. The Wife then says that if any

master kills a slave, that master can go about his business as if nothing happened, and that her child will

never be allowed to “read, write,vote , or marry.” The Husband says that it will be lawful to harm black

people. The Wife says that her child will work until the brink of death solely because of her skin

coloration. We switch to the Husband who is covered in whip marks. The Wife says that her husband will

be “whipped, branded, maimed”, as just that happens. We cut to the house where the Wife is laying on her

side. She says, “Be it enacted that it shall be lawful”, as we see a plantation where slaves are farming

crops. The Wife then says, “To fix a perpetual brand”, as we see races with labels being given to them,

like blacks, Native Americans, and mixed races. We cut to a map of the United States where the law is

enacted until it is enacted in every state, then a poster of a white woman kissing a black man saying

“What We Are To Suspect”. The film closes on a hopeful note, showing a picture of a black woman with

a white man whose names were Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving, were approved to marry by the US

Supreme Court in 1967. So, why did I like this film so much? I will tell you!

The first reason why I liked the film is because it is extremely relevant at this time. It is relevant

because it showcases the horror and brutality of slavery, and it did a very impeccable job of it, too.

Slavery is treating people like less than a person and more like an animal. Can you imagine being a slave,

constantly having to be worked to death and being tormented to cruel masters who would beat you with a

whip just to satisfy their sick pleasures? The revolution of black people against their cruel masters

continues to this very day with the Black Lives Matter movement, who want to see blacks and whites as

equals.
 The second reason why I liked the film is because the things that the couple experienced could

and did happen. Slaves were whipped, races were segregated, and children were taken from their mothers

and sold into slavery. The people mentioned in the ending of the film, Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving

really did exist and they fought very hard to get approved for marriage by the Supreme Court. No wonder

why his last name was Loving!

To make a long story short, ​“The History of White People in America” ​is a strong, powerful short

film that portrays all of the racism and bigotry that white people have heaped onto other races.

Works Cited

Bell,Ed “​The History of White People in America”​ Youtube.com, 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmK3QN6hlf4

Accessed September 20, 2020

Editors of Biography.com “Richard Loving” Biography.com, 2020

https://www.biography.com/activist/richard-loving

Accessed September 20, 2020