Watch the Documentary “Slavery by Another Name (2012)” based on a book by Douglas A. Blackmon on the “convict-leasing system” that arose during Radical Reconstruction (1865-1877), and answer the following questions:

1. What was the “convict-leasing” system? How did it operate?

2. What are some of the factors that led to the rise of the “convict-leasing system”? How was the law fundamental to its existence?

3. Pick ONE (1) person discussed in the documentary who you don’t immediately identity with and practice empathy. That is, try to understand that person’s life and actions and describe why you think s/he may have acted the way that s/he did.

4. How might the person you empathize with in your answer to question #2 have acted differently? What might the consequences of that different action have looked like in his/her life?