The movie Glory is a 1989 production made to tell the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. African- Americans were not able to serve in the United States Union until “January 1, 1863 when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. In early February of 1863, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was the first regiment to have an official black unit issued by Governor John A. Andrew with Robert Gould Shaw as their leader. Shaw led the troops and had been in many before battles at the young age of 25.” Training an army of black troops was more difficult than whites because the black men were uneducated while the whites had education, but creating one was simple. “More than 1,000 men came from New York, Ohio, and even Canada.” …show more content…
The troops in the 54 Massachusetts gave their all for the unknown. They realized they were going to have to put in a ton of work, but were not aware of how hard this war was going to be. During the Battle of Fort Wagner the troops went in with their heads held high. Fort Wagner was set up by the Confederates at the approach to Charleston. General Shaw asked the men, if the man holding the flag were to fall who will be there to pick it up? In the movie, Thomas also known as snowflake, one of Shaw’s good friends, stepped up. In the real battle of Fort Wagner the man who took the flag was William Caney. “Carney was the first black man to receive the medal of Congressional Honor. He never let the flag touch the ground and became an inspiration for everyone in the 54 and all African Americans.“ Even though the 54th did not take the fort, they still gave their best shot and the battle was just not about the fort. The battle was about getting African Americans their freedom and showing that they are no different than the white men. A new respect was earned for the African Americans because no matter what, they kept fighting and fought until their last