Racism, A History: Part One 'The Colour of Money' Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the BBC documentary, 'Racism: A History: The Colour of Money,' which commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act. The report begins with a concise summary of the documentary, which focuses on the economic factors that drove the transatlantic slave trade, the establishment of institutionalized racism, and the creation of the 'black' stereotype. The critical analysis section evaluates the documentary's presentation, expert opinions, and reliability as an educational resource. The report concludes with a personal response, reflecting on the emotional impact of the documentary's revelations about the historical roots of slavery, the exploitation of enslaved people for economic gain, and the shocking exposure of slavery in Western culture. The report also discusses the use of graphic images and the overall impact of the documentary on the viewer.

Running head: RACISM, A HISTORY: PART ONE: THE COLOUR OF MONEY
Racism, A History: Part One: The Colour of Money
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1RACISM, A HISTORY: PART ONE: THE COLOUR OF MONEY
Summary
Racism: A History is a tri-part documentary that was released to commemorate the
200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act, 1807. In this discussion, the first part of the
documentary, “The Colour of Money,” will be critically analyzed. The initial edition of the
documentary showcases the relationship structure between Europe, Africa and the Americas
during the 15th century. It displays the birth and establishment of institutionalized racism.
While focusing on the transatlantic slave trade, the documentary pinpoints that economic
reasons served as the major catalyst for the onslaught of slavery. Moreover, the documentary
further explains that the establishment of the ‘black’ stereotype was created due to the
theories of polygenism and the beliefs of philosophers such as John Locke. Furthermore, the
documentary explicitly shows that the major driving force for the commencement of slavery
is the British’s desire to construct and build their economy. Most importantly, the
documentary blatantly reveals that the implementation of racism only emerged because the
British sought a magnanimous amount economic gains.
Critical Analysis
The information provided in the documentary is presented in a concise manner with a
logical flow. The strong message of slavery emerging as a result of socio-economic factors is
repeatedly emphasized. Moreover, the documentary is devoid of any personal biases.
Numerous experts on the subject matter, such as Professor Orlando Patterson and Professor
Gary Taylor, have been interviewed. The information that has been showcased is relevant in
order to elaborately study the establishment of slavery. Furthermore, it can also be
established that the publisher of the documentary, BBC, is publishing the documentary for
the sole purpose of education. BBC, being a reliable source of information, can be thoroughly
trusted in order to provide authentic and reliable information. Although there are no personal

2RACISM, A HISTORY: PART ONE: THE COLOUR OF MONEY
anecdotes present in the documentary, the expert opinions successfully perform the task of
informing the reader of all the facts regarding the foundation, establishment and driving
forces of slavery. Hence, it can be conclusively stated that, “the real engine behind the slave
system is economics.”
Personal Response
After watching this documentary, I was overwhelmed by the strong messages put
forward by the publishers. After understanding that slaves were exploited in order to gain an
economic advantage proved to be a heart-wrenching fact for me. As slavery was traced back
to the times of Aristotle and John Locke, I was astonished to discover that slavery was
ingrained in the Western culture right from its commencement. Moreover, the treatment of
Native Americans as victims of slavery served as a grand eye-opener as I previously just saw
it as a subtle part of history. The atrocious reasons to endorse slavery truly served to be a
shocking exposure. However, a little bit of relief entered my mind as it was exposed that
Christianity considered slavery as a sin. The utilization of the graphic images created a
chilling and terrifying atmosphere for me. Thus, after completing the documentary I
experienced a whirlwind of emotions due to the new facts that I discovered during this
journey.

3RACISM, A HISTORY: PART ONE: THE COLOUR OF MONEY
Bibliography
BBC.Co. (2019). BBC Four - Racism: A History, The Colour of Money. Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074tmz