John Henry Goes to Carnegie Hall: Motion Picture Production at Southern Black Agricultural and Industrial Institutes (1909–13) - Practice Flashcards

Flashcards cover key concepts from Allyson Nadia Field's article, including uplift filmmaking at Hampton and Tuskegee (1909–1915), narrative strategies (double address, before/after), specific films (A Trip to Tuskegee, A Day at Tuskegee, John Henry at Hampton), The New Era, and the John Henry legend’s role in southern modernity and public fundraising.

What two institutions were the focal points of early African American uplift filmmaking in the South (1909–1915)?

Hampton Institute and Tuskegee Institute.

What does the term 'double address' refer to in Hampton and Tuskegee publicity films?

A narrative strategy that speaks to both Northern white philanthropists and Southern Black communities.

What narrative structure accompanied the publicity campaigns, portraying a 'before' and 'after' of uplift?

The before-and-after narrative illustrating life before attending the institute and transformation after.

Which Hampton film (1909–16) tells the story of a student named John Henry and his progress at Hampton?

John Henry at Hampton: A Kind of Student Who Makes Good (1913).

What was A Trip to Tuskegee (1910), and where was it shown?

An exterior-film of Tuskegee produced by Broome Exhibition Company; shown at Carnegie Hall in 1910 to promote industrial progress.

Who produced A Trip to Tuskegee?

The Broome Exhibition Company, led by George W. Broome (black-owned).

What is A Day at Tuskegee (1913) and who produced it?

A three-reel film by Anderson-Watkins Film Co. covering Tuskegee’s development; produced by Louis B. Anderson; opened in 1913; highlighted Washington's persona.

What is John Henry at Hampton: A Kind of Student Who Makes Good (1913) about, and who wrote it?

A Hampton film following a student’s progress through trades and schooling; written by Cora M. Folsom; filmed by Leigh Richmond Miner.

How did the John Henry legend get reinterpreted in Hampton’s film?

John Henry is recast as a Hampton-educated, productive Black worker who learns farming trades; he is not killed by industry but uses modernization for uplift.

What is The New Era (1915) and why was it controversial?

Hampton's epilogue to The Birth of a Nation; used to contest racist portrayals; sparked debates about the use of film in Black social struggle.

What role did Hampton Singers and live speeches play in the Carnegie Hall screenings?

They accompanied the screenings and tours, adding musical and rhetorical elements to fundraising and public persuasion.

What is uplift as described in Field's article?

A strategy to promote economic advancement and education of Black people within the context of white social and political authority; often framed as anti-migration.

Why were there 'before-and-after' narratives in the publicity materials?

To frame the institute as necessary and to show transformation as proof of the programs’ value; also to address different audiences with a threat of failure.

What is the significance of the John Henry story in relation to southern folklore and railroads?

John Henry connects with Reconstruction-era Southern infrastructure and represents modernization and labor valor; Hampton uses it to situate Black progress within the Southern context.

What does the term 'uplift film' mean in this context?

A genre of films created by Southern Black colleges to promote their educational missions and Black advancement to both Black and white audiences.