Remember The Titans Historical Analysis

Though Remember the Titans contains a heartfelt and genuine message, the movie sacrifices historical accuracy to portray it. Training at Gettysburg, as depicted in the film, was rife with racial tensions and conflicts. Players regularly got into brawls, unofficially segregated lunch tables, and refused to communicate with players of another race. Julius and Gerry 's fight is a prominent example, escalating to the full-on brawl between the team. However, despite the intensity of the player 's prejudice portrayed in the movie, real life tells a different story. According to the original 1971 Titans, there was conflict prevalent during training camp. However, most of the disputes arose from the competitive spirit of the camp- not racial issues

Furthermore, interviews with teachers who worked at T.C Williams in 1971 share a similar view with the Titans. Joann Patton, a former English teacher at T.C Williams, stated "Students adjusted pretty well to the integrated situation. The kids behaved a whole lot better than most of the adults" (Merron, 2002). Though Howard claims his depiction is correct despite the claims of the players, reports from those at T.C Williams in 1971 beg to differ.
Gettysburg isn 't the only instance of the movie inaccurately displaying racial tensions. In the film, the Titans find themselves in a mob of mass hysteria after returning from camp. On the first day of school, a violent crowd of white people protests outside the school carrying signs with phrases such as "Alexandria parents against busing," "We love our kids, we hate busing," etc. As buses pull in, police force the enraged crowd back, many of whom are attempting to get past them and storm the buses. Meanwhile, the Titans meet up for the first time since training camp and take in the horrific scene in front of them. Though they expected some