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Glory Movie Historical Accuracy

981 Words4 Pages

Glory history or just a good story?

The movie Glory was released in 1989, directed by Edward Zwick, and starred Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman. The film follows the Civil War's first all-black volunteer regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, and their fight for equality and freedom in the face of racism and prejudice. The question that arises is whether the movie Glory is an accurate portrayal of the African-American experience during the Civil War or is it just a good story. The answer is that Glory is certainly an accurate depiction of the African-American experience during the Civil War, with its rough spots. The movie focuses on the historical context of the Civil War, depicting the struggles of …show more content…

He works hard to train the soldiers, despite the challenges and obstacles they faced, including a lack of supplies and equipment. The movie depicts the importance of perseverance and determination in the face of adversity, emphasizing the 54th's struggle for recognition, respect, and honor. Although all of the characters in the movie were completely fictional, it was said the 54th regiment was mostly educated freedmen rather than runaway slaves, which was accurately portrayed in the movie, except for Trip. This helps prove that African-Americans should have been viewed as equals because they certainly were just as qualified as the men in the white regiments. The majority of the main characters were fictional like John Rawlins, Trips, and Colonel Robert Shaw. Trip was an angry former slave, John was the elder of the regiment who was mainly the person holding the group together and protecting them all, and Shaws was the leader of the battalion who was determined to fight for what he believed in and to show others that his regiment should be looked at as brothers in arms and not looked down upon because of their …show more content…

The movie showcases how the discrimination affected both soldiers and their families and emphasizes the importance of fighting for justice and equality. For example, the movie does not go into detail about the impact the battle of Fort Wagner had on the North. The New York City draft riots were a significant event in American history that demonstrated the anger and frustration of working-class citizens and the government's inability to address their concerns. The riots also exposed racial divisions in the city, highlighting the need for social reform and equality for all citizens, but this was all barely mentioned in the movie. African-Americans became the main targets of violence throughout the riots, with many being lynched or beaten by white mobs. This affected many of their lives outside of the battlefield in a drastic way. If this information about the New York City draft riots had been included in the movie I feel it would have added depth to knowing not only were the lives of African-Americans on the battlefield rough but their lives at home may have been definitively

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616 Words | 3 Pages

The opportunity was given to Shaw to lead the first ever all negro repentant the 54th Massachusetts. COl. War changes people, as exemplified by the characters in the movie Glory. The trials and tribulations of fighting the enemy can change even the hardest of hearts. Colonel Shaw in the movie Glory perspective changed tremendously throughout the movie.

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1947 Words | 8 Pages

Many people sacrificed their lives in the war. People like the characters in “Glory”. The movie “Glory” is based on the true story of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. The movie was made by the letters he would send back home. Though most of the characters are fictional, they all have a unique story to tell.

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1248 Words | 5 Pages

This is just another example from the text used to express life in battle for any man fighting, not only the six that were focused on in the book. The lives both before and after battle were again well researched by Bradley. “Although this was first year at Weslaco, he made the All-South Texas team that season.” (Bradley 19) The entire beginning of the book was a description of each of the six men leading them up to battle.

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1631 Words | 7 Pages

As the riot developed, it was clear that the focus was no longer on the government and the draft, but on the African-American community in New York City. The riot was a result of the fears and opinions of a changing America. The riot and the events afterwards made it clear that the attitude and demographic of America was changing. The men commanding the Union Army realized that they desperately need more men to combat the Confederacy. Many law makers agreed and so the Union passed the Enrollment Act which had several specific

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1844 Words | 8 Pages

In fact, nearly 200,000 fought for the North, and at one point the South issued a declaration that any black man taken as a prisoner would be executed. Most of the main events that are shown in the film actually happened. The first half of Glory follows the massachusetts 54th as they undergo the training which is brutal. There are times where Shaw seems out of his depth, such as when Trip publicly flogged for desertion ( standard punishment for the act). During the film's second hour, the regiment goes on active duty.

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904 Words | 4 Pages

At the outset of the story African Americans flock to recruitment offices looking to prove there loyalty to America to there white center parts. The men are sent and trained at Camp Whitney. A handful of squads, one being directed by Sergeant MandLa are sent to aid the French on the western front of the war. Upon arrival the French ask for volunteers to defend a very susceptible trench line in the coming offensive. Sergeant MandLa and his squad volunteer to take on the task.

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1411 Words | 6 Pages

In lieu of a dramatic, unrealistic resolution against this widespread mindset, Robinson 's team was able to set aside their differences and unify with him. Robinson’s victory was in proving to the world that African American people can perform at the same level as other Americans and should be treated as such. The question becomes whether or not the film was able to entertain the viewer through all these common pitfalls. Against the odds, I feel the film was very successful in that right. It was able to summarize a remarkable margin, within 1945-1947, of an American hero who will be remembered, even independent of the film, for

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866 Words | 4 Pages

The 1989 film Glory highlights the bravery displayed by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. It is a powerful and engaging film that holds the attention of the audience with action-packed scenes and emotionally-charged performances by the actors. It touches on historical events such as the Battle of Antietam and the storming of Fort Wagner. Glory chronicles the struggles faced by one of the first all African-American Infantry Regiments as they fought the Confederate enemy, while also fighting injustices in the army in which they served.

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1516 Words | 7 Pages

When a story aligns itself so deliberately with real individuals from history and strongly claims to have rights of representation of events on lands where they actually took place in the way Gettysburg chose to do from the very beginning of the film, it automatically takes responsibility for accuracy. Leaving out the important portrayals of how life was for the Confederate and Union Armies by failing to fill in the background makes the Confederates meeting the criteria of passive racists by simply applying slurs when in fact the invasion of Virginia opened up opportunities for their actively aggressive racism and physical oppression of all African-Americans of Gettysburg. By having the only African-American in the film be featured as an escaped prisoner whose only salvation was provided by the Federal Army dismisses the background role of African-Americans throughout the entire war as cooks, tailors, and construction workers. The story is told strictly from the perspective of the important people during the Battle of Gettysburg but did not accurately portray the community and daily life of the Civil War, the decisions of those in command affected citizens in Gettysburg at the time. We see this occurrence in other events described in modern-day history, including the portrayal of Napoleon, Alexander The Great, Julius Caesar, and Christopher Columbus.

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436 Words | 2 Pages

One person said that they should be exempted from military duties. An interesting quote from the documentary was “the only place the black man should fight is where he is oppressed; I am not oppressed in Japan, in Vietnam, in Pakistan”. In other words, what did the Vietnamese did to me that I go over there and fight? Also, in the Long Binh Jail in Vietnam, they mentioned that like 90% were African Americans in there, just like the prisons here in the United States. They were frustrated in the jail, so group of African American inmates rioted trying to escape, after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The worst case in the documentary was the My Lai Massacre, where U.S. troops went in and destroyed the village, killing many women and children.

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510 Words | 3 Pages

For example, sanitation workers had to carry bags of garbage that had holes in them and since they were paid low wages, they ended up poor on welfare. Not only was this film was a way of seeing another turning point during the civil rights movement but also, African Americans fighting for justice. Even though I was not born during that time, I can understand how they felt because it wasn’t that easy. In today’s society racism isn’t as bad as what it was during that time. Besides we still have times were we face racism in our lives so I would say in some areas racism is still a

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766 Words | 4 Pages

In this movie, you see the life style on being a slave. Solomon Northup was a free man that was kidnapped and was traded off in the slave trade and endured the life style of a slave. There is a scene in the movie where he is building a house and the white man comes and tells him he is wrong and tells him to rip his clothes off so he can be whipped. Solomon refuse and takes a stand knowing that it is wrong he took a stand for what he though was right. This movie was primarily made to show the harsh conditions that they had to go thought but also an insider some of the slaves that made a stand.

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1180 Words | 5 Pages

Towards the beginning of this movie, many blacks were looking at the white men with hatred for raping and nearly killing a ten year old black girl. The men transformed the innocent little girl’s life forever. The men were instantly

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744 Words | 3 Pages

Another way this movie is historically accurate is through the soldiers themselves. The characters in the film are based on real soldiers who fought in World War II. Their fears and struggles all reflect the experiences of the soldiers during war. It also shows all of the destruction and devastation caused by the

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914 Words | 4 Pages

The south in widespread was not a good place for Blacks, yet they continued to fight for their rights. “The civil rights movement was a struggle for social justice that took place for blacks to gain equal rights under the law… The Civil War had officially abolished slavery, but it didn’t end discrimination against blacks… continued to endure the devastating effects of racism, especially in the South” . I do not believe the racism shown in this movie was as bad as it was in real life. It’s a sad thing to show, but it is equally as sad to cut out the truth from a film to save the viewers

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