Published by
CBS Broadcasting, Inc., American, founded 1927
Produced by
Wolff, Perry, American, 1921 - 2019
Narrated by
Cosby, Bill, American, born 1937
Owned by
D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
Date
1968
Medium
acetate film
Dimensions
Duration: 27 Minutes
Length (Film): 950 Feet
Caption
The Black Soldier is the third-part of the seven episode series titled Of Black America, which premiered in the summer of 1968 on CBS. This short documentary tells a teleological history of Black soldiers serving in the Americas, beginning with the Revolutionary War. Narrated by Bill Cosby, this film premiered during the height of the Anti –Vietnam War movement and was purposed to prove that Black soldiers had been actively serving in the military prior to the Vietnam War.
This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
Description
A documentary film with the title "The Black Soldier," from the television series Of Black America. It consists of a single reel of black-and-white 16mm acetate film with optical sound.
The third segment of a seven-part docu-series on CBS, The Black Soldier aired during the summer of 1968. This short documentary is narrated by Bill Cosby and tells the history of Black soldiers serving in the military. Beginning with the Revolutionary War, the film explains the critical role that Black soldiers played in fighting the British despite enslavement, discrimination, and segregation.
The documentary goes on to discuss the participation of Black Soldiers in the Spanish American War, WWI, and WWII and the fight to end segregation within the military. At the end of the film, the narration states that the purpose of the documentary is to dispute the claim that Black soldiers in the US military did not exist prior to the Vietnam War.
Place used
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Collection title
DC Public Library Film Collection
Portfolio/Series
Of Black America
Classification
Time-based Media - Moving Images
Type
documentaries
sound films
black-and-white films (visual works)
short subjects
16mm (photographic film size)
Topic
Actors
Buffalo Soldiers
Documentary films
Film
Military
Public television
Race relations
Segregation
Slavery
Spanish-American War, 1898
Tuskegee Airmen
U.S. History, Revolution, 1775-1783
United States Colored Troops
United States History
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
World War I
World War II
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.55.70.1a
Restrictions & Rights
Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5be4c4584-8dad-456b-9a87-926a76b65179

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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