Mel Gibson, the star of the blockbuster The Patriot is quoted as saying, “ If one were to adhere to historical accuracy all the way, you’d probably have the most boring two hours on earth, but firstly, it’s entertaining and we’ve taken license with history to make it more compelling.” While one cannot solely rely on the word of an actor to state the historical accuracy, it is pretty safe to say that The Patriot was not true to the events of the American Revolutionary War. However, this movie was not made as a documentary, it was made as a source of entertainment. Unfortunately, this does not take away from the multiple historical inaccuracies. Main characters were not accurately represented, Loyalists and slaves were omitted, and the Battle of Cowpens was not correctly portrayed. Mel Gibson played a plantation owner by the name of Benjamin Martin. This character was based on three real men: Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, and Andrew Pickens. Marion set up is home base in the middle of a swamp, just like Gibson’s character. Both Sumter and Pickens took up arms after their plantations …show more content…
In the film, only one Loyalist is identified as a part of Colonel Tavington’s regiment. Even this one Loyalist is questioning the tactics of the Colonel. Much of the fighting in South Carolina was a fight between Tories and Whigs. Slaves were also almost nonexistent in this movie. Benjamin Martin was a plantation owner in South Carolina. If this movie were accurate, there would be hundreds of slaves. Instead, all of the African Americans on Martin’s plantations were free people that were his employees. This almost never happened in colonial times. In the movie, Martin actually takes his family to a maroon community to hide them from the British. In reality, maroon communities were used by runaway slaves to hide from the Patriots so that they would not be used as payment for those who
Zwick’s choice of characters greatly contributed to the success of Glory. Matthew Broderick was an interesting choice to play the lead role of Colonel Shaw and many film critics criticized Zwick’s choice of Broderick. Broderick’s resume included films such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and War Games. In these movies he was better known as a teen rebel rather than a serious actor. This role gave Broderick the opportunity to extend his range and add to his resume. It was the acting of Broderick that laid the groundwork upon which the rest of the film could be constructed.
The first scene takes place at Antietam Creek, Maryland Sept. 17, 1862 at The Battle of Tatum. The Union marches on foot lead by Shaw, only to be bombarded with cannon shots and gunfire. After the battle he was taken to a hospital where he heard Lincoln would be issuing an emancipation proclamation to free the slaves. At a house party afterwards, Robert sees Gov. Andrew and meets Fredrick Douglas who tells him there is to be an all black regiment of which he would like Robert to be colonel. He asks his friend Kevin to assist him in leading this group. On November 27, 1862, black volunteer soldiers are brought to Readville Camp in Massachusetts. There we meet the main characters of the 54th Mass. Regiment. Rawlins is the future Sergeant Major and is a father figure to the group. Trip seems to have an angry personality who takes his frustration out on others. Thomas, a childhood friend of Shaw’s, is well educated and has not been exposed to harsh reality of the slavery scene.
One would ruminate that 1100 men equipped with 30 pieces of artillery defending an un-finished fort would be no match for three thousand men and nine war ships armed with 270 cannons. Contrarily, on 28 June 1776 during the Revolutionary War, the American Forces proved a decisive victory against the British, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence was days later. The Patriots, under the leadership of Colonel William Moultrie, made a fort of the indigenous Sabal (cabbage) Palmetto Palm tree and took advantage of the British’s poor planning and lack of integration for a decisive American victory. Due to this battle, the Palmetto Palm tree was added to South Carolina’s state flag in 1861, and to this day, 28 June 1776 is termed South Carolina’s Independence Day. Sources used in this Battle Analysis are all from American internet sites, with some originating from South Carolina. The Sources seem to glorify the American Victory and favor the Patriots.
The Revolutionary war, sparked by the colonist’s anger towards taxation without representation, was a conflict between the United States and its mother country Great Britain. This event had been considered the most significant event in the American history. It separated the thirteen colonies from the tyrannical ruling of King George. The revolutionary war was not a big war, “The military conflict was, by the standards of later wars, a relatively modest one. Battle deaths on the American side totaled fewer than 5,000”1. However, the war proved that the thirteen colonies were capable of defeating the powerful Great Britain. Over the years there were many Hollywood films made based on the revolutionary war, 1776, Revolution, Johnny Tremain, and The Patriot. But, no movie has stirred up as much controversy as the Mel Gibbson movie The Patriot. The patriot is very entertaining but it is historically inaccurate. Too much Hollywood “spices” was added to the movie for viewing pleasures.
The movie Glory is about Colonel Robert Shaw coming back from the fighting in the war and leads the first African American regiment in the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts. The movie focuses on Captain turned Colonel Robert Shaw coming back from battle and training an African American regiment along with his friend Captain Cabot Forbes. The movie focuses on four African Americans, Sargent Rawlins, Thomas Searles, Jupiter Sharts, and Tripp, following their journey into a united division in the US military. The movie begins with Shaw in the Battle of Antietam, where he passed out due to his injuries and wakes up with the conflict over. Afterwards, he returns home in Massachusetts, showing signs that the battle had slightly traumatized him. Shaw meets Frederick Douglass there and is told that he will be the first to lead a colored regiment, the 54th Massachusetts. When he is told of this news, he asks his friend Cabot Forbes to assist him as his second in command. Shaw’s first volunteer for the 54th Mass. is other close friend Thomas Searles. After sending word of a colored regiment, many African Americans sign up, specifically Rawlins, Searles, and Tripp. However, Lincoln sends an order saying that any black person that takes arms in the war would either return to slavery or be put to death. Even though they face the threat of death, none of the soldiers-in-training leave. This scene is important since it demonstrates how much they are willing to sacrifice in order to get their freedom. The soldiers’ training begins and in order to train everyone correctly, Shaw brings in Col. Mulcahy. At this point of the film, some of the scenes can be viewed as Shaw being introduced to racism due to superiorit...
...Revolution." Black Soldiers in the Revolutionary War. U.S. Army, 27 Feb. 2013. Web 6 May 2015..
African Americans; both slaves and free men; served on both sides during the revolution. The British had recruited the slaves du...
The American Revolution was so much more than just a war, or a time in history. It was a time where America grew, and as the name suggests, revolutionized their way of thinking and governing. It was a time for some great thinkers to get their ideas out there, and these ideas helped shape America into what it is today. These revolutionary thinkers shared their ideas publicly, and that gave the people ways to revolutionize their thoughts as well. They flipped what they knew about government upside down. They turned against the ways of monarchy, realizing that all men should be equal and should not be under a tyrannical king any longer. While this revolution was extremely powerful, it was also a trial and error effort. The Patriots tried many
Saving Private Ryan is a very realistic and accurate World War II movie and it is probably one of the best movies that have ever been created about World War II in my opinion. The movie is very realistic and because of this it was selected last year for long term preservation in the national film registry by the library of congress because of how vividly and accurately it depicts “war as hell” in the opening scenes. It is a movie I would recommend to anyone who would want to see an accurate portrayal of what some of World War II was like in a movie and it would be my first recommendation if you wanted a good depiction of what the events of D-Day were like.
When thinking of the most important men in US history, Abraham Lincoln is someone who will always be brought up. Lincoln is most known for saving the Union and writing the Emancipation Proclamation. Because of this, he is remembered as a hero and one of the most respected presidents in the United States’ history. Often times when looking back on respected historical figures, there can be a tendency to misremember things or omit details to cement the figure into the legacy we want to remember. Hollywood is especially notorious for creating films “based on a true story,” but are heavily altered for the sake of the film’s plot. This leads to the question, is Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” a historically accurate representation of Lincoln, or is it Hollywood misremembering details, or adding their own plot lines?
After an intensely bloody and graphic scene where the Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France on D-Day, 1944, a squad of eight American soldiers was assembled for a special mission to find and save Private James Ryan, played by Matt Damon. Mrs. Ryan, played by Amanda Boxer, was about to received notice that three of her four sons had been killed in action during war. The United States Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall, played by Harve Presnell, made the decision to try and save her last son and return him home. The Academy award winning WWII film Saving Private Ryan by Stephen Spielberg goes beyond simple entertainment because of the movies historical accuracy, believable characters and its realistic story of courage
To a plantation owner, slaves were seen as a commodity or resource to be exploited, like tobacco or sugarcane. To many northern politicians, who may have been morally against slavery, it was not an issue worth splitting up the United States. It sustained the Southern economy, which relied almost exclusively on agriculture. However, it also went against the foundations of American democracy. As early as the 1770’s, there were signs that Americans were deeply divided over race. There was resistance against slavery and blacks were sometimes able to negotiate or buy their way out of slavery. During the American Revolution, General George Washington accepted black recruits and five thousand African-Americans served during the war. Some slaves gained freedom by serving in place of their owners. Over 100,000 blacks logically chose to fight with the English, and 15,000 fled for England after the war. In the North, the push for emancipation started early, almost immediately after the Revolutionary War, but this would turn out to be a very slow process, and instigate a division that would split the country in
The movie “Glory” tells the history and the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. It became the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War. The Regiment was made up of black soldiers – some were Northern freemen, some were escaped slaves. The leader was General Robert Gould Shaw, the son of Boston abolitionists. The men of the 54th Regiment proved themselves worthy of the freedom for which they fighting, and the respect of their fellow white soldiers.
The movie I decided to analyze for this course was American History X (1998), which stars Edward Norton. Though this movie isn’t widely known, it is one of the more interesting movies I have seen. It’s probably one of the best films that depict the Neo Nazi plague on American culture. The film takes place from the mid to late 1990’s during the Internet boom, and touches on subjects from affirmative action to Rodney King. One of the highlights of this movie that really relates to one of the key aspects of this course is the deterrence of capital punishment. Edward Norton’s portrayal as the grief stricken older brother who turns to racist ideologies and violence to cope with his fathers death, completely disregards the consequences of his actions as he brutally murders someone in front of his family for trying to steal his car. The unstable mentality that he developed after his father’s death really goes hand-to-hand specifically with Isaac Ehrlich’s study of capital punishment and deterrence. Although this movie is entirely fictional, a lot of the central themes (racism, crime punishment, gang pervasiveness, and one’s own vulnerability) are accurate representations of the very problems that essentially afflict us as a society.
The story leads up to the summer of 1863, during which the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment led an unsuccessful attack on the Confederate’s Fort Wagner in South Carolina. The 54th regiment was the Nation's first black regiment and because of their skill, courage, and determination, they were credited with paving the way for the successful entry of other black soldiers into the ranks of the Union. In addition, these brave men demonstrated that black men were willing to fight and die both for their country and for their freedom. The setting was primarily outdoors and on the battle