After Tom Lea loses a cockfight, he trades Chicken George to his English opponent in exchange for forgiveness of his debts. George's new English master takes him back to England to train cockfighting chickens for him. Several viewers have wondered how George could be a slave in England since slavery was illegal there.
It's true that slavery was illegal in Britain at the time. The 1772 Somerset decision, while not technically abolishing slavery in Britain, had removed a master's power to coerce labor from their slave. In 1833, the British Parliament abolished slavery throughout the Empire. However, while George may not have technically been a slave, that doesn't mean that his British master couldn't coerce labor from him. George was stranded thousands of miles from home in a foreign land. He wanted to return to be with his family. While George could theoretically run away from his new master, this would still leave him stranded in Britain and require that he find new work. His existing master valued George highly as a skilled trainer of fighting cocks. There's no guarantee that a new employer would feel the same. His master had also promised to eventually send George back to America and to provide him with his freedom. A new employer might not agree to the former and couldn't do the latter. So George would have had compelling reasons to stay with his existing master.
It's true that slavery was illegal in Britain at the time. The 1772 Somerset decision, while not technically abolishing slavery in Britain, had removed a master's power to coerce labor from their slave. In 1833, the British Parliament abolished slavery throughout the Empire. However, while George may not have technically been a slave, that doesn't mean that his British master couldn't coerce labor from him. George was stranded thousands of miles from home in a foreign land. He wanted to return to be with his family. While George could theoretically run away from his new master, this would still leave him stranded in Britain and require that he find new work. His existing master valued George highly as a skilled trainer of fighting cocks. There's no guarantee that a new employer would feel the same. His master had also promised to eventually send George back to America and to provide him with his freedom. A new employer might not agree to the former and couldn't do the latter. So George would have had compelling reasons to stay with his existing master.
Powered by Alexa
- How many seasons does Roots have?1 season
- How many episodes does Roots have?4 episodes
- When did Roots premiere?May 30, 2016
- When did Roots end?June 2, 2016
- How long is Roots?1 hour and 37 minutes
- What is the IMDb rating of Roots?7.9 out of 10
- Who stars in Roots?
- Who wrote Roots?
- Who directed Roots?
- Who was the producer of Roots?
- Who was the composer for Roots?
- Who was the executive producer of Roots?
- Who was the cinematographer for Roots?
- What is the plot of Roots?An adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots" chronicles the history of an African man and his descendants sold into slavery in America.
- Who are the characters in Roots?Kunta Kinte, Alex Haley, Bell Reynolds, Capt. Thomas Davies, Chicken George Moore, Dr. William Reynolds, Fiddler, Irene Harvey, John Reynolds, Kintango, and others
- What genre is Roots?Drama, Historical Drama, Historical, and War
- How many awards has Roots won?5 awards
- How many awards has Roots been nominated for?57 nominations
Contribuisci a questa pagina
Suggerisci una modifica o aggiungi i contenuti mancanti
