The Movie: The Patriot

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Recommended: Historicity of The Patriot movie

The Patriot was a historically inaccurate film based on the American Revolution. The Patriot incorrectly displayed the main character Benjamin Martin, Colonial Tavington, the British, Loyalist, slavery, military tactics, and factual errors.
The main character Benjamin Martin was mainly based on the real-life militia officer Francis Marion incorrectly. Martin though was not only based on Marion, he held many characteristics of different historical figures such as Thomas Sumter, Daniel Morgan, Elijah Clarks, and Andrew Pickens. The film makers compose Martin of all these different characteristics, in order to form a dramatic narrative by creating a new American Revolution war hero that is inaccurate. (Schermaul, 2005) Martin was shown as a single family man who took care of his seven children and also depicted as a war hero who conquers many Brits. (The Patriot) Although, the actually Francis Marion persecuted Cherokee Indians by murdering them for the enjoyment of it. Marion also raped female slave regularly. (Top 10 Misleading Films 2011, 1)
On the British side the leader of the pack Tavington was wrongly depicted as the historical character Banastre Tarleton. Tavington was shown as a Nazi leader, for example when he shoots Thomas, one of Benjamin’s sons. (The Patriot) He was shown as impoverished and aristocratic though really he came from a prosperous Liverpool merchant family. Tarleton did not die in the battle of Cowpens as depicted in the movie he died in England fifty years after the war ended. However, the actually Tarleton was a brutal officer who burned colonial homes and executed freedom fighters, but never targeted women and children and committed such violence as seen on film. Also, Martin keeps going on about Taving...

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...upplies. (The Patriot) The film misses the true depth of distress and deficiency that the Continental regulars suffered through for independence. (Journal of American History 2002, vol. 87)
Other factual errors in the movie are when Martin son Gabriel salutes wrong by placing his hand on his head, which is how we do it now but back then the men saluted by taking off their hats and lowering it to their sides. Another, factual error is when Benjamin, also Martin son, is giving money to a store clerk you can tell that he just gave him a five dollar bill which had Abraham Lincoln on it.(The Patriot) This happened more than eighty years before Lincoln was president. (Sandys, 2004)
Therefore, in conclusion the patriot was completely inaccurate regarding the American Revolution. The film showed several inaccuracies such as characters, armies, slavery, and minor details.

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