Discussion Questions for 13th

Utilize these questions while watching 13th to check for understanding, facilitate
discussion, or as exit tickets at the end of class periods (allow for a 10 minute response
time at the end of class).

There are warnings throughout the questions (the questions follow a chronological
order) to alert the educator of sensitive information and images. This is not so that
educators can skip these sections, but so that they can prepare the class for the content
and so they can be aware as educators that students may need some support.

What was the 13th amendment? How did it impact ex-slaves? How did it affect the United
States prison system?

---Be mindful- discussion of rape---

How did the portrayal of black men, as seen in Birth of a Nation, impact how black men were
perceived by white people in the United States? How did this perception impact policy?

---Be mindful- images of lynching, torture, dead bodies---

How did Birth of a Nation pave the way for a new wave of terrorism? What was the response
of the black population of the United States?

How did incarceration change in the 1970s?

John Ehlrichman- advisor to Richard Nixon- identified that the manipulated the media to upset
two different communities by associating them with drugs- who were the communities and what
drugs were associated with these communities? How did this benefit Richard Nixon and his
administration?

What was the main criticism of the Just say no to drugs campaign?

How and why did Ronald Reagan win the Southern Vote- what was the Southern Strategy?

What was the concept of Super Predators? How did Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump feed
into this perception?

What was the significance of the George H. W. Bush attack ad on Michael Dukakis? How does
it connect to the perception of black men from Birth of a Nation?

---Be mindful: discussion of rape and clip of rape scene from 12 Years a Slave---
How and why did Democrats like Bill Clinton reposition themselves to be tough on crime?

What were mandatory sentencing laws trying to accomplish? Were they successful?

What is truth in sentencing? How was it connected to the 1994 crime bill- and why is that crime
bill so controversial now?

---Be mindful: images of blood, dead body---

Who was Fred Hampton and why was he a potential threat to the status quo in the United
States?

What does Angela Davis mean when she says that a person asking the question about violence
(perhaps in relation to the Black Panthers or other activist groups) has no idea what it is to be
a black person in this country? What incident does she reference?

What is the stand your ground law and how did it play a role in the case of Trayvon Martin?

What is ALEC? How is it connected to the stand your ground law?

What is CCA- How do they get rich off of punishment?

How is immigration connected to the topic of prisons and mass incarceration?

What is the dark future of incarceration (crime reform) according to this documentary?

What are some of the ways prisons generate money or cut corners to save money?

---Be mindful: Fights shown, and suicide (hanging) discussed, nudity in prison setting
during lock down---

Who was Kalief Brader? How does his story give us a clear impression of how the criminal
justice system functions (or doesnt)?

---Be mindful: police brutality and white mob brutality (images/film) against people of
color and white allies---

Why do you think the filmmaker chose to edit footage from Donald Trumps presidential
campaign and speeches with footage from the civil rights movement of the 1960s?

What was your impression of the statistics shown regarding the population of black men in the
United States compared to the number of black men in prison?
What is the connection between slavery, convict leasing, the jim crow system, and mass
incarceration?
---Be mindful: images of intense scars from whipping, images of lynching, Emitt Till
photo post-torture/lynching, police brutality---

Its not the protest, its not the brutality, its the fact that we can force a conversation about it-
how are cellphones changing the conversation about race in America?

---Be mindful: Footage of the murders of Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Sam
DuBosse, Freddie Gray, Laquan MacDonald, Jason Harrison, Courtney Harris, Philando
Castile---

When black lives matter, every single persons life matters Whose life do we recognize as
valuable?- what do you think, do you think the Black Lives Matter movement is achieving this
goal? Why or why not?

If I was living at that time I would have never tolerated that- but the truth is we are living at that
time and we are tolerating it- What do you think? After watching this documentary do you think
we are living in another Jim Crow era? Explain your answer- be sure to reference your reflection
notes to get details from the documentary.