Storyline

Paul Robeson narrates a mix of dramatizations and archival footage about the bill of rights being under attack during the 1930s by union busting corporations, their spies and contractors. In dramatizations, we see a Michigan farmer beaten for speaking up at a meeting, a union man murdered in an apartment in Cleveland, two sharecroppers near Fort Smith Arkansas shot by men deputized by the local sheriff, a spy stealing the names of union members, and a dead Chicago union man eulogized. In archival footage we witness police and goons beating lawfully assembled union organizers, and we see men at work and union families at play. The narration celebrates patriotism and democracy.—

Plot Keywords

farmer, union organizer, klansman, sharecropper, grocer, brutal, inspiring, intense, factory, united states, rural community, congress, civil rights, labor union, free speech, racism, activism, work, underdog, sacrifice, pursuit, 1940s

Short Review

Manifestly, this is one of the most powerful and disturbing documentary films ever made, and certainly it will provoke much thought and controversy.

Trailer

Streaming Service

1. Amazon Video : Rent from $1.99, Or $0.00 with a Prime membership