Prop manacles worn by LeVar Burton as Kunta Kinte in Roots

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Object Details

Roots

Description: Actor LeVar Burton wore these prop manacles in the miniseries Roots (ABC, 1977), a dramatic portrayal of slavery as experienced by several generations of one family. Based on Alex Haley's autobiographical novel, Roots began with Kunta Kinte, an African youth brought to America as an enslaved person in the 1700s, and ended with the emancipation of his descendants during the Civil War. Watched by more than 100 million people, it was a significant departure from programs that had traditionally relegated blacks to minor, stereotyped roles.

1977

Physical Description: metal (overall material); rubber (overall material); paint (overall material); steel (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 6 1/2 in x 53 in; 16.51 cm x 134.62 cm

Related Publication: Kendrick, Kathleen M. and Peter C. Liebhold. Smithsonian Treasures of American History; National Museum of American History. Treasures of American History online exhibition
Related Web Publication: http://americanhistory.si.edu/treasures

See more items in: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment; Popular Entertainment; National Treasures exhibit
Exhibition: Entertainment Nation
Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

National Museum of American History

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a9-d072-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa