Why is the film called 13th?

The film is called 13th because of the thirteenth amendment to the United States Constitution.

Birth of a Nation is a ________ that came out in 1915 that depicts black men as violent, monstrous
creatures to be feared.

Movie

Name two U.S. presidents that were mentioned/featured in the film.

Two presidents that were mentioned in the film are Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

In your own words, what is this documentary about?*

This documentary is about people of color who have been victims of racism, slavery, mass incarceration
and social inequality and how they have earned their rights through the 13th amendment.

In 1 to 4 words, how did this film make you feel?

sad, curious, outraged

What is your opinion regarding the use of violent imagery in media (like this documentary)? Is it
effective? Is it necessary? (2-5 sentences)

The use of violent images in the media even if they cause suffering is necessary. They show the harsh
reality that some people have experienced and show the true face of the society we live in, where such
things have been allowed to happen. In the documentary 13th the violent images showed what really
happened to people of color and what racial injustices they were victims of. Such images are meant to
raise people's indignation and to stop such things from happening.

In your own words, explain what ALEC is. Why does the film suggest that it is problematic?

ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) is a non-profit organization formed by politicians and
corporations to write model laws on various policy issues. The film suggests that ALEC is problematic
because it had influence over legislation and promoted the mass incarceration of people of color,
enforced through mandatory minimum sentences and three strikes laws.
What did you learn about the U.S. in terms of history, culture, law, politics, social movements, media,
etc.? (3 to 6 sentences)

I learned about the U.S. historically about the beginnings of racism and Jim Crow laws that affected
everything in the daily lives of people of color, like restrooms, restaurants, parks, schools, trains. In
terms of movements, I learned about Martin Luther King and his fight for people of color rights and
racial equality, using nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, and being against Jim Crow laws. In
terms of laws, I learned about the War on Drugs and tough on crime policies, and how they led to mass
incarceration. I also learned about the Ku Klux Klan, which was a hate organization against people of
color that terrorized and abused them to show white supremacy.

What surprised you most about this film? (3-6 sentences)

What surprised me the most in this film is the hatred that people of color experienced. The fact that
they were being judged for a reason they had no option to choose or change, the color of their skin. It
surprised me how they were marginalized, how society was split in two, living in two different worlds,
even though they were all human. I was shocked by the way white people showed their hatred, but also
supremacy towards people of color, abusing them, terrorizing them and making them inferior, even
establishing a clan for this.

What questions are you left with after having watched this film?

For example, what issues or historical events presented in this film would you like to know more
about? (2-5 sentences)

I would like to know more about the Ku Klux Klan and if it still exists. I would also like to know more
about how the era of slavery ended and how people of color earned their right not to be bought.