MPT’s slate of Black History Month programs offers compelling, inspiring, and heart-wrenching stories about the Black experience in our nation. We’re pleased to offer this focus on the Black community and to celebrate its many contributions to American society.

Ben’s Ten: Chattel Slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Premieres Monday, February 19 at 9pm on MPT
Stream now on demand

Embark on a riveting journey with Maryland Department of Transportation Chief Archaeologist Dr. Julie Schablistky and her team as they delve into the eerie past lurking beneath a rural landscape in Ben’s Ten: Chattel Slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. This hour-long documentary follows the team as they work in Dorchester and Talbot counties, uncovering artifacts that illuminate a chilling history of slavery and the lives of the enslaved in 19th century Maryland.

Among the captivating discoveries is a dwelling believed to be the home of Ben Ross, the father of the American abolitionist hero Harriet Tubman. Now part of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the property once belonged to the enslaver Anthony Thompson. The excavation of Ross’s home provides insight into Tubman’s early years—and the harsh realities faced by those in bondage.

Other sites featured in the program include another home on the Thompson property, where archaeologists uncover what is presumably an enslaved family’s “spirit bundle,” the slave quarters at Talbot County’s Wye Plantation, and the home of a doctor, his family, and their enslaved laborers in Cambridge. 

Ben’s Ten: Chattel Slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore is produced by Lynne Robinson of Black Robin Media for MPT in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration.

American Masters "Little Richard: The King and Queen of Rock and Roll" 
Friday, February 2 at 9:30pm

The Tower Road Bus
Monday, February 5 at 9pm

American Masters "How It Feels To Be Free" 
Tuesday, February 6 at 9pm

GOSPEL Live! Presented by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 
Friday, February 9 at 9:30pm

Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom
Saturday, February 10 at 8pm

Great Performances at the Met: X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
Sunday, February 11 at 3pm

Gospel The Gospel Train/Golden Age of Gospel 
Monday, February 12 at 9pm

Finding Your Roots: The Brick Walls
Tuesday, February 13 at 8pm on MPT 

Gospel Take The Message Everywhere/Gospel's Second Century
Tuesday, February 13 at 9pm

Truth Tellers  
Sunday, February 18 at 3pm

Fire on the Hill: The Cowboys of South Central LA  
Sunday, February 18 at 4pm

Becoming Frederick Douglass 
Sunday, February 18 at 5pm

Ben's Ten: Chattel Slavery on Maryland's Eastern Shore 
Monday, February 19 at 9pm

Local USA - HBCU Week: Beyond the Field
Tuesday, February 20 at 9pm

Wes Bound: The Genius of Wes Montgomery 
Thursday, February 1 at 9pm

Torchbearers
Wednesday, February 7 at 10pm

Shuttlesworth
Monday, February 12 at 8pm

Truth Tellers  
Sunday, February 12 at 9pm

Pullman and the Railroad Rebellion: American Stories 
Wednesday, February 14 at 10pm 

A Symphony Celebration: The Blind Boys of Alabama 8pm
Tuesday, February 20 at 8pm 

The Dream Whisperer 
Wednesday, February 21 at 10pm

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