Winner of the Fall 2016 StMU History Media Award for
Best Multimedia Presentation
This video with Robert Tijerina is the first in our series of videos on American History. In this first video, Robert explores the relationship between the Founding Fathers and their views on slavery.
47 comments
Emily Jensen
I really liked the presentation of the video, the history mixed in with the occasional comedic comment. The video was informative from start to finish and Roberto did a great job at keeping the audience attention. I really liked how with each Founding Father he examined, he looked at the pros and cons of their viewpoints and the way they lead their lives.
Hailey Stewart
This video actually shed some light on a subject that I thought I had a decent understanding of already. The analogy, calling George Washington a “jumbo shrimp”, or a good bad guy, made a lot of sense. The witty translations of the Founding Father’s thoughts and actions added appropriate humor to this lesson. There was thorough use of other sources such as the video of Michele Bachmann, and several photos and graphics. Well done!
Yadira Chavez
This video was so well made, i am genuinely impressed. The pictures were well chosen and the dialogue was fresh and confidently said! It is sad that our founding fathers were not really advocates for the end of slavery, especially because most of them had at least one. It is true, if they were to be outspoken for abolishing slavery they might have not been respected by the general public. Now though, we must recognize that the founding fathers were not as moral as we often say they are.
Steven Hale
This video was great! It almost seems like common sense that if the founding fathers did not at least propose legislation banning slavery then they did not really care much about the issue; maybe Michelle Bachman’s constituents just really love the founding fathers. I was surprised to learn about Benjamin Franklin’s history in the slave trade. His story just goes to show you can be smart and still be wrong.
Noah Bolhuis
This was an incredibly put together video. It was very informational and easy to watch. I have known that many of the founding fathers owned slaves, and some were for abolition. However, I did not know the extent of it. Franklin being the president of an abolitionist group, and Washington and Jefferson having a great desire to end slavery. I understand their dilemma. Writing a new constitution was extremely urgent, and having slavery, whether it be allowing it or abolishing it, would have meant either a delay of the signing or states refusing to look at it. Owning slaves was common then, and it was almost a way of showing your wealth, so I look at the morality of slave owners the way they treated their slaves. Knowing it was a moral evil, they should treat them with respect and dignity, and not the way the stereotypical slave owner did.
Luisa Ortiz
You are a natural on this, I first thought I was watching a Youtube channel, great job in this video and for winning as well! The title, the music, the production, the animations, and the pictures are a great combination. Your video and the content inspire me to also make a video for my next project!
Natalie Childs
The music and the title were great. I also love how its set up like a class video. Robert did a great job of making it fun, and interesting, and keeping it interesting through out, making me want to learn more history from him in these video forms. Before this video, I had not known really anything about the founding fathers and their stances on slavery, and this video does an amazing job of breaking it down, using relevant comparisons and jokes to keep it lively throughout.
Thomas Fraire
Awesome Job on the video! Truth be told what you displayed was interesting to the point that even my more youthful sisters accumulated around to watch which persuade that this sort of material would be awesome for center school or secondary teachers to use inside the classroom to keep understudies locked in. Concerning the discourse on subjugation I’d need to concur with a greater part of the past remarks, in spite of the fact that it was a questionable point at the ideal opportunity for the establishing fathers to completely address it shouldn’t have been hidden away from plain view for so long. Approach to join humor and current occasions to make the video more satisfactory to your coveted crowd!
Cameron Ramirez
Hey Robert, your video on the Founding Fathers vs. Slavery is the best micro-documentary currently on the StMU History Media in my opinion. I felt like I was watching a YouTube channel in American history and it was very informative and concise. Your witty humor and the ability to tie topics into the modern day helps the audience feel more connected to what you have to say. Overall great job on the video!
Christopher Repka
Robert, this was a really fun video. I would actually like to know how you did the small pictures in the top left of your screen while you were still talking, that was pretty cool. The information was presented clearly and in an orderly and logical fashion without losing my interest. Furthermore, the way you presented the information about each individual was prudent, since you gave ways in which they all did or did not contribute to the abolition of slavery at various points in their lives (in other words, you did not assume that, because they supported slavery in their early lives, they supported slavery in their later lives). Very interesting and entertaining video overall.
Roberto Tijerina
Thanks man, I actually had to replace the box and picture after every cut. It made for a long editing process but I liked how it looked.