Prop manacles worn by LeVar Burton as Kunta Kinte in Roots
Object Details
- date made
- 1977
- user
- 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.
- Subject
- Television
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
- Popular Entertainment
- Exhibition
- Entertainment Nation
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- Related Publication
- Kendrick, Kathleen M. and Peter C. Liebhold. Smithsonian Treasures of American History
- Credit Line
- The Wolper Organization
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- ID Number
- 1993.0170.02
- catalog number
- 1993.0170.02
- accession number
- 1993.0170
- Object Name
- shackles, prop
- 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
- Record ID
- nmah_1157570