Gone With the Wind (1939)
Watch the opening scenes from Gone With the Wind (1939) above and then listen to Professor Karen L. Cox (History, UNC Charlotte) discuss its historical significance for American popular culture, memory, and African American protest.
Guided Primary Source Discussion Questions
- How is the Old South represented in the first few minutes of Gone with the Wind? Who and what do you see? Who do you believe was the intended audience for the film? Why?
- Mammy is an Old South stereotype. What attributes about the character make her a stereotype?
- Gone with the Wind is one of the most popular films of all time, but it was met with protest by black Americans. What were their concerns? How did they protest?
Additional Online Primary Sources
- Look at and analyze photographs of African Americans protesting Gone With the Wind.
- Explore protest letters from fans sent in during the making of Gone with the Wind courtesy of the Harry Ransom Center’s digital archives.
Recommended Online Reading
Want more of “The Show Must Go On” series? Click below to view other lessons.
Christopher Smith & Michael Borshuk on Josephine Baker
Bill Deverell on Woody Guthrie’s “This Land” (1940-1945)
Danielle Fosler-Lussier on Marian Anderson
Kim Nalley on Nina Simone & “Mississippi Goddamn”
The Show Must Go On: Jacob Remes on the Salem Fire of 1914