Forrest Gump Historical Accuracy

The movie, Forrest Gump, covers many decades of American history. The eras covered are also very prominent times in American history. They were very formative times in American history. The accuracy will be analyzed in this paper. The historical topics covered include: The Vietnam War, Watergate, the Hippie Movement, the AIDS epidemic, Integration, and communist China and the effect that had on America. The historical accuracy and depth will be critically viewed in this paper. I will take culture into account as well. Did this film accurately describe how American culture truly was during these decades? The best way to follow something historical is to go in chronological order, so that is exactly what this paper will start with.

Integration is the first large historical movement shown in this film. The first big push for integration happened in 1954, after the Brown vs. Board of Education supreme court case, which ruled segregation in schools as unconstitutional. Because of this timing, you can infer that the segregation of Forrest`s college is happening in the late fifties. The film captures integration in the south how it very

The Vietnam War was a by-product of the Cold War. There are also scenes showing communist China. This is also a prominent theme in the Cold War. The Iron Curtain, communism, “red” countries. A big issue in the Cold War was the fear. Fear of Russia bombing us. Fear of sleeper spies. The Cold War had tension surrounding it on all sides. This was a time of fear and confusion among Americans. My parents have told me about the bomb drills they had to do in school incase Russia dropped a bomb. Forrest Gump does not catch this feeling at all. If you did not know when the Cold War occurred, you may not even realize it happens during this movie. This conflict was such a pivotal issue in American history. It is not accurate at all to fully omit this in a film set in the 1960s and