The Patriot: Comparing Known History To Movie Magic

A Historical Analysis of The Patriot:
Comparing Known History to Movie Magic

Grace Christen
HIST 1250: Early America
Dr. Rebecca Mancuso
March 12, 2023

The Revolutionary War was a time of immense change in the United States and brought about new attitudes, perspectives, and policies, along with the creation of a new country. The fight for American independence from Britain began in 1775 at the Battle of Lexington and Concord and concluded with the colonies' freedom from Britain in 1783 (Ambuske 2018). Today, over two hundred years have passed since the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, but Americans still honor and remember the fight for American independence. The film, The Patriot, directed by Roland Emmerich is one such

There are very few colonial loyalists in the movie and the only one that is repeatedly depicted is Captain Wilkins who joins the British forces and is forced with carrying out the burning of a church full of his fellow townspeople (The Patriot, 2000). However, there were many colonial loyalists throughout the colonies. The American Yawp specifies that, “Approximately sixty thousand loyalists ended up leaving America because of the Revolution. Loyalists came from all ranks of American society, and many lived the rest of their lives in exile from their homeland” (Ambuske, The American Yawp, chap. 5). Therefore, The Patriot almost clearly ignores the fact that there would have been loyalists in South Carolina and the other colonies, demonstrating a historical inaccuracy. An additional historical inaccuracy in the film, The Patriot is that the British are portrayed as extremely brutal and did not exclude women and children from the violence of war. Towards the end of the film, British Colonel William Tavington, who is loosely based on Colonel Banastre Tarleton, burns a church full of men, women, and children who had given aid to the Patriots (The Patriot, 2000). Even though there were brutal

Roland Emmerich’s depiction of the Revolutionary War is clouded by inaccuracies, fictional characters, and far from realistic and exaggerated depictions of authentic revolutionary America. This movie allows the general public to get a glimpse of the Revolutionary War and the spirit of independence that plagued many colonists, and certainly evokes feelings of patriotism, but if one is looking for a historically accurate film, The Partiot is not the most historically accurate. Consequently, The Patriot is capable of being a learning tool if viewers are aware of the fact that this film is loosely based on historical figures, embellishes some aspects of colonial life and military service, and has numerous inaccuracies. As a result of the factual errors, it is not a solid learning tool, but it does give a glimpse into the Revolutionary War, the time frame of the war, significant battles, and military strategies. The film also slightly conveys a patriotic, American bias, so that should be considered when viewing as well. The characters in The Patriot draw on emotions and use the viewers ability to empathize or their lack of empathy to create a meaningful storyline that centers on the revenge of Benjamin Martin on Colonel William Tavington, influencing the interpretation of the American and British conflict (The Patriot, 2000). In a