Wealth of a Nation
1966
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This film created by the U.S. Information Agency explores freedom of speech in the United States. The original description is that it "illustrates that freedom of thought and expression, including violent dissent, is a source of national strength in U.S. politics, education and the arts."
It was created by William Greaves, a prominent African-American filmmaker and producer from the 1960s-2000s. His career led him everywhere from the National Film Board of Canada, to Africa, to India and around the world. One of his jobs was with the U.S. Information Agency (USIA). The USIA’s primary goal was to promote understanding, “inform, and influence foreign publics in promotion of the U.S. national interest, and to broaden the dialogue between Americans and U.S. institutions and their counterparts abroad.”
The USIA was particularly prolific in the 1950s and 1960s, during the post-WWII period and throughout the Cold War. It was during this period that Greaves produced and directed Wealth of a Nation and The First World Festival of Negro Arts for the USIA.
You can also watch this film in our main National Archives online catalog.
It was created by William Greaves, a prominent African-American filmmaker and producer from the 1960s-2000s. His career led him everywhere from the National Film Board of Canada, to Africa, to India and around the world. One of his jobs was with the U.S. Information Agency (USIA). The USIA’s primary goal was to promote understanding, “inform, and influence foreign publics in promotion of the U.S. national interest, and to broaden the dialogue between Americans and U.S. institutions and their counterparts abroad.”
The USIA was particularly prolific in the 1950s and 1960s, during the post-WWII period and throughout the Cold War. It was during this period that Greaves produced and directed Wealth of a Nation and The First World Festival of Negro Arts for the USIA.
You can also watch this film in our main National Archives online catalog.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Information Agency.
National Archives Identifier: 50289
Full Citation: Motion Picture 306.3957; Wealth of a Nation; 1966; Moving Images Relating to U.S. Domestic and International Activities , 1982 - 1999; Records of the U.S. Information Agency, Record Group 306; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/wealth-of-a-nation, October 13, 2024]Activities that use this document
- Cultural Diplomacy and Propaganda During the Cold War
Created by the National Archives Education Team
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