When we think of African American slaves, the first thing that usually comes to mind is how they worked extremely hard and how they were beaten. You may also think about male slaves being bought based on their physical attributes. When learning about slavery throughout my life I was never taught the hardships of the women. Frederick Douglass gives us a glimpse of how the women were treated. When he recalls the incident with his aunt Hester getting raped and abused, it opened my eyes. I realized that the women had it even harder the men. African American women were looked at as real estate, and nothing more than that. The film “The Birth of a Nation” gives us insight into the lives of the African American women during slavery, and it shows us through the life of Esther, a slave who was horribly raped and treated like absolute garbage by her master. This article speaks about the deeper meanings of the film such as the gender gap, and the power of women. As quoted in article: “she represents countless black women who have been and continue to be violated. Women without a voice, without power. Women in general. But black women in particular.” I truly believe that this film was speaking out against rape and against sexual abuse of women. The director is using rape of African American women during slavery as a vehicle to relay a deeper message. That being the issue of rape, which is still current and happening as we speak.