Client Name
Capella University
HIS-FPX1150
Instructor’s Name
December 2024
History in the Movies: Facts or Fiction
HIS FPX 1150 Assessment 5 Movies for a long time played an effective role in providing knowledge and information to people regarding the history and the events that still hold great importance in shaping the future (Kubrak, 2020). Hollywood movies hold great significance in enlightening people about historical events and movements, building their understanding, and providing them with knowledge that in other cases they won’t be able to encounter. The movies are not only made to give quality information to the viewers regarding historical events but they are also a great source of entertainment for the people which creates an ambiguity regarding the facts and fiction of the movie. Identifying whether the information provided is based on fact or fiction is necessary to analyze the effectiveness of the movie in making the minds of the people for future perspectives. The Glory movie created in 1989 provides effective knowledge about the historical event of African Americans’ participation in the Civil War. It was about the time when African Americans were not allowed to join the military due to segregation and discrimination in the United States (American Battlefield Trust, 2020). The Glory provides great coverage of the historical events of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first African American unit created in the Union Army; they fought their best to prove themselves and fight for their freedom. This essay will provide detailed information about this movie’s impact on the understanding of the people and what changes can be made to improve its portrayal.
Summary: Glory (1989)
The Glory is about the story of African Americans’ participation in the Civil War at times when the entry of African Americans into the military was banned and they were not allowed to be part of any army union (Ueland, 2021). The movie presents the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment’s participation and experience in the war which Colonel Robert Gould Shaw led. The film started with the showcase of the bravery of leader Shaw in the Antietam battle in which he survived and then was given the task of leading and commanding the regiment of African Americans which was newly formed by the state of Massachusetts to fight for the Union Army. The major characters of the movie include Thomas Searles who was a black man having the motive of fighting for his people’s freedom and elimination of racism, a wise leader Sergeant Major John Rawlins, and an escaped slave Private Trip.
The movie shows the journey of the African American soldiers on the battlefield and how they show their bravery despite many challenges and hardships. This movie presents the whole situation of the war, shows how the soldiers were treated, what was the behavior of other soldiers of the Union with them, and the discrimination they faced at the time of recruitment. They also faced disrespectful behavior from the other soldiers during training, prominent unfair actions of the leaders and the other members, and most importantly the racism they faced in the war was heart-wrenching (Welker, 2024). Despite all the inequalities, prejudice, and not even being paid equally they fought with complete passion and many of them even lost their lives. They show courage and bravery to make their name in history and enlighten the world with the importance of passion for freedom and equality. They were considered the first African Americans who fought with great zeal and their recruitment in the Union army was one of the best decisions of the state.
Analyzing Glory Movie to Separate Fact From Fiction
The Glory shows both facts and fiction to make it more interesting for the people so that they can effectively understand the efforts of the people at that time fighting endlessly for their freedom. The first fact about the movie is the formation and participation of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and their historical performance on the battlefield. Shaw was their commander who was effectively and tirelessly putting efforts to ensure equal pay rights and the elimination of racism for the soldiers. The discriminatory behavior faced by the soldiers and the refusal of the heads to provide them with proper uniforms and combat tasks is the most important fact that highlights the passion of African Americans in battling for their freedom despite all the differences (Selvanathan et al., 2022). The major scene of the movie was the attack on Fort Wagner and the bravery of the African Americans in fighting against the opposition despite the heavy fight back. Many lives were lost but still, African Americans showed strength and courage. This was the major turning point in the Civil War history representing the passion of the African Americans fighting for their rights.
The filmmakers also added fiction in the movie to give some emotional touch and increase the interest of the people in the history of African Americans fighting effortlessly for their freedom (Portillo, 2024). They created characters like Private Trip to showcase the experiences of African American soldiers in training or on the battlefield. Some dramatic effects are also added in the movie to make it appealing to the viewers like the argument between Trip and Commander Shaw which is a little more dramatic than the actual conversation. The film also introduces personal stories instead of representing the real political and economic situation faced by African Americans. Joining the army for the first time was challenging for the soldiers, still, they participated for their people and this movie showed this both through the facts and the fiction making it more interesting for the people.
Impact of Glory Movie on the Public’s Understanding
Glory is one of the most famous Hollywood movies of history based on both facts and fiction showing the efforts of the African Americans who were fighting for their rights and freedom. This movie increased the awareness of the people about the Civil War and presented them with the experiences of African Americans during the training, recruitment, battlefield, and other major fights of the war. Before the movie people were unaware of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and the first-time participation of the African Americans. The movie effectively shows the sacrifices of the soldiers, the challenges they face, and the inequality they bear during the war. It also shows that despite all the inequalities the soldiers fought with great bravery and courage and gave their best to leave their mark in history. Their efforts, courage, and fearless battle with the opposition represent their passion for freedom and eliminating discrimination (Banaji et al., 2021). Moreover, the movie highlights the systematic racism faced by African Americans and the challenges they overcame effectively for the success of their battle for freedom. This passion and zeal of the African American soldiers motivate the people to talk about justice and equality at all levels whether educational or organizational, and keep working for the removal of discrimination.
The Glory shows the consistency of the African Americans to fight for humanity and the preservation of equal ethical and legal rights ensuring a promising future for their ancestors. The great efforts of the soldiers in the past for the validity of their rights increased the motivation among the people to stand up against any discrimination and racism and bring it to an end for the betterment and awareness of future generations (Jones & Kamara, 2020). Despite all the positive facts of the movie, it has some limitations. The movie completely focuses on Commander Shaw which according to viewers takes away the attention from African Americans. Shawn was a great leader but the movie should have shown more about African Americans and the challenges they face. Most importantly the movies do not show the real brutality that occurs in the war but try to show some heroic moments for the dramatic context.
Changes to Improve Glory Movie’s Portrayal
The movie can be made more effective by incorporating more transparent and historical content related to African Americans. This can be done by including the content from the letters, and diaries of the soldiers fighting for the nation during the civil war. The movie should include more real content and stories to give real experience to the viewers and increase their interest in the history (Walsh et al., 2022). The movie should focus more on the reason for the participation of the African American soldiers in the war defining their motive of freedom, equality, and justice. This justification for the efforts of the soldiers provides more meaning to the movie and makes it more realistic for the people. Instead of only showing the battle at Fort Wagner the movie can also show the treatment given to the 54th Massachusetts after the war so people can analyze the impact of the African American’s first participation in the War. Showing the results of the efforts of the soldiers will help the other people to participate more actively in the battles and join the military for the greater amendments in the laws and policies of the nation. The amendments like the 13th, 14th, and 15th ensure the rights and freedom of African Americans which is only possible by the passion of the people of history. The movie should focus more on the efforts of the soldiers instead of giving more screen time to the commander Shaw.
HIS FPX 1150 Assessment 5 Conclusion
Hollywood movies act as cornerstone in making up the minds of the people regarding historical events and their impact on the future. The Glory provides detailed information about the 54th Massachusetts which shows the first entry of African Americans into the military at times when they were brutally treated based on racism and were not allowed to participate in the military (Jacob et al., 2022). The movie shows the challenges and effort faced by the soldiers and how effectively they fought on the battlefield instead of all the unfairness and inequality. Their bravery and fight for freedom and equal rights increase motivation among the people and give them the lesson to remain consistently fighting for their rights and not be afraid of any discrimination. The movie can be improved more by integrating the real stories of the soldiers to its more realistic touch for the better response of the viewers.
HIS FPX 1150 Assessment 5 References
American Battlefield Trust. (2020). The 54th Massachusetts infantry regiment. American Battlefield Trust. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/54th-massachusetts-infantry-regiment
Banaji, M. R., Fiske, S. T., & Massey, D. S. (2021). Systemic racism: Individuals and interactions, institutions and society. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-021-00349-3
Jacob, G., Faber, S., Faber, N., Bartlett, A., Ouimet, A., & Williams, M. (2022). A systematic review of black people coping with racism: Approaches, analysis, and empowerment. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(2), 392–415. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221100509
Jones, G., & Kamara, M. R. (2020). The traumatic impact of structural racism on african americans. Delaware Journal of Public Health, 6(5), 80–82. https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2020.11.019
Kubrak, T. (2020). Impact of films: Changes in young people’s attitudes after watching a movie. Behavioral Sciences, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10050086
Portillo, I. J. (2024). From body to world: Empathy and the transformative power of cinematic imagination. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2024.1363720
Selvanathan, H. P., Jetten, J., & Umeh, A. (2022). A history of collective resilience and collective victimhood: Two sides of the same coin that explain Black Americans’ present‐day responses to oppression. British Journal of Social Psychology, 62(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12562
Ueland, T. (2021). The experiences of black soldiers during the civil war: a microhistorical case study of the demus family. The research repository. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wvuhistoricalreview/vol2/iss1/8?utm_source=researchrepository.wvu.edu%2Fwvuhistoricalreview%2Fvol2%2Fiss1%2F8&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
Walsh, J. S., Vaida, N., Coman, A., & Fiske, S. T. (2022). Stories in action. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 23(3), 99–141. https://doi.org/10.1177/15291006231161337
Welker, D. A. (2024). African american intelligence contributions during the american civil war. International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/08850607.2023.2288007
