American Propaganda Film 'Drums Along The Mohawk'

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In “Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)” colonial life and all its uncertainty and hardships are displayed with the intent of shaping how people view their present by showing them a small piece of our history. The film takes place during the American Revolutionary War where a young couple, Gil & Lana Martin, must survive the attacks of British allied Native Americans on their small farm and community. During 1939 when the film debuted, the United States was still deeply intrenched in the Great Depression and all the personal burden and suffering the citizens were experiencing. After coming out of the prosperous 1920’s where decadence and an economic boom helped define a decade the economic collapse of 1929 marked a point of great hopelessness for …show more content…

“Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)” is essentially a propaganda film which sought to assuage the catastrophe of the Great Depression while also instilling a feeling of American Patriotism in the citizens of the United States. In 1939 American politics had a isolationist view of the world and was hesitant to get involved in world wide affairs such as the beginning of World War II on September 1, 1939. It was the view of many Politian’s and citizens alike that there was no reason to get involved with the war unless the United States was directly attacked. This isolationist way of thinking can be seen in “Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)” as colonists only rise up to fight the Natives when their farms and property are attacked. Colonists do not go out of their way to engage the British allied Natives but instead the Natives are the ones who are portrayed as the aggressors throughout the film. It is also meaningful that the British are hardly depicted in “Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)” despite the film being a Revolutionary War historical fiction. While there are a few characters leading the Native tribe which are characterized as British; that is the end of their representation in the film. This is due, in part, to the fact that despite many isolationist views that it would have been counter productive at this point in history to …show more content…

Edmonds in 1936. The novel is much truer to the actual historical events and the complexities of Revolutionary War era life. Historical accuracy is not the film makers first priority. Instead the film maker is more interested in telling a story with characters that audiences relate themselves to. Audiences in 1939 where more comfortable culturally with the use of stereotypes than perhaps audiences today. “Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)” filmmakers certainly heavily relied on certain tropes and prejudices which where used to define entire groups of people in 1939. Lana Martin exemplified the “fairer sex” whether she was excessively hysterical at the sight of the Native American Blue Back in her new home or demurely submitting to her husband’s authority. During 1939 this wasn’t an unusual portrayal of women in film which emulated society’s view of women. However, Lana is seen working beside her husband in the fields of their farm performing hard manual work. This is an aspect that diverges from the way which women were typically represented in the media. But in 1939 some women where working just as hard as their male counterparts where in order to scrape by and feed their families. Jobs where few and far between but women made up 25% of the workforce for the first time in American history, though most women were still bound to the

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