Movies Like Frederick Douglass: Slave and Statesman

If you liked Frederick Douglass: Slave and Statesman (1983), a movie directed by Ivan Dixon, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Something the Lord Made (2004)
★ 8/10
A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.
2
Emperor (2020)
★ 7.6/10
An escaped slave travels north and has chance encounters with Frederick Douglass and John Brown. Based on the life story of Shields Green.
3
Braveheart (1995)
★ 7.9/10
Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire…
4
Lincoln (2012)
★ 6.8/10
The revealing story of the 16th US President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country…
5
The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)
★ 6.3/10
The extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers as the female Christ.
6
Outlaw King (2018)
★ 6.8/10
Forced into exile by the English after being crowned King of Scotland, legendary warrior Robert the Bruce fights to reclaim the throne.
7
Derek DelGaudio's In & of Itself (2020)
★ 7.6/10
Storyteller and Conceptual Magician Derek DelGaudio attempts to understand the illusory nature of identity and answer the deceptively simple question 'Who am I?'
8
Swiped (2025)
★ 6.6/10
Whitney Wolfe uses extraordinary grit and ingenuity to break into the male-dominated tech industry.
9
Nothing But a Man (1964)
★ 7.4/10
Railroad laborer Duff Anderson struggles to maintain his dignity and marriage to a preacher's daughter in the racially segregated South.
10
Bessie (2015)
★ 6.4/10
The story of legendary blues performer, Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.
11
Glory (1989)
★ 7.5/10
Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.
12
Get On Up (2014)
★ 6.8/10
A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
13
I Know That Voice (2014)
★ 7.1/10
Filmmaker Lawrence Shapiro discusses voice-over acting with the talented people behind the characters.
14
Belle (2013)
★ 7.1/10
Dido Elizabeth Bell, the illegitimate, mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy admiral, plays an important role in the campaign to abolish slavery in England.
15
Selma (2014)
★ 7.4/10
"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing…
16
Red Tails (2012)
★ 6.7/10
The story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II.
17
Flyboys (2006)
★ 6.5/10
The adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, young Americans who volunteered for the French military before the U.S. entered World War I, and became the country's first fighter pilots.
18
The Best of Enemies (2019)
★ 7.4/10
Centers on the unlikely relationship between Ann Atwater, an outspoken civil rights activist, and C.P. Ellis, a local Ku Klux Klan leader who reluctantly co-chaired a community summit, battling over the desegregation…
19
All the Way (2016)
★ 6.7/10
Lyndon B. Johnson's amazing 11-month journey from taking office after JFK's assassination, through the fight to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and his own presidential campaign, culminating on the night LBJ is actually…
20
12 Years a Slave (2013)
★ 7.9/10
In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive…