Learning History Through Film

Movies can change minds. Although Hollywood cannot get everything historically accurate movies are a great way to experience history through time. Glory and 12 Years a Slave prove that movies can help develop analytical thinking towards real events, circumstances, and attitude by critical watching and researching. Both of these movies were taken from true events that the filmmakers were able to present years of history into a couple of hours.

Colonel Shaw

The movies were presented in different perspectives to create eye opening experiences of how blacks were treated pre-civil war based on different circumstances. Glory was told from the perspective of a white general leading the 54^th Massachusetts regime. In an interview with director Edward Zwick he was asked why he chose to have the movie told from a white officer’s point of view. He replied,” I think the choice was to try to focus on neither blacks nor whites, but on the regiment. One of the points of the story was to explore a time in which both blacks and whites found some commonality of purpose.” The movie didn’t focus on individual race but on the coming together of men. Not only did the movie tell of a nonfictional character but they used his actual letters written to his mother giving his direct opinion on the matter. These letters show the slow growth of empathy Shaw developed towards his men. He addressed the unfairness of pay, “they enlisted on the understanding that they were to be on the same footing as others”, and the remarkable change of society, “can you imagine anything more wonderful than a colored…liberated slaves learning to read, owning land, and going to church and school……most extraordinary change. Such things oblige a man to believe that God isn’t very far off.”

Scars of a Whipped Slave

Unlike Glory, 12 Years a Slave is told from the perspective of a black man sold into slavery. The movie was based off a novel written from a man’s experience of how he was kidnapped and forced into the bounds of slavery. In an interview with the director, Steve McQueen, he was asked about if there was any manipulation of the story, he replied,” I wanted to tell the truth about that particular time in history. If we’d have altered it, I don’t think that would have been helpful. You have to look things in the face sometimes, and that’s the way it was.” The movie was able to tell a story of a man battling for his life and freedom over a 12-year period in just 2 hours. Since the movie was taken from an actual book questions could arise of the accuracy of the novel. Through research many documents were found proving Solomon Northrup’s story true. These document, found in the national archives, include an 1840 census from Saratoga Spring finding Northup living in upstate New York as a free man of color. Next, the slave manifest for the Brig Orleans listening Platt Hamilton (name given to Solomon) as one of the slaves of the boat, thus proving he was sold into slavery. Lastly, there was an 1850 federal census slave schedule for Edwin Epps with Platt on the document. In the New York Times, a couple years after Solomon’s rescue, an article was published explaining his entire case and the outcome of the trials of his kidnappers. The article stated, “The material facts in history of the transaction have already been given, but this narrative will be found a more complete and authentic record that has yet appeared.” It also included Solomon’s first letter that was dated June 1841 telling how he had been kidnapped heading towards an unknown destination and was in need of assistance.

Not only are these movies primarily historically accurate they can also be backed up with other primary sources (not used in the movie) from people during the actual time period. On the 31^st of July 1863 a letter was sent to the President Lincoln from Hannah Jonson, the mother of a black soldier in the 54^th regiment. She stated that though blacks have poor “edication” and never went to “schol” all know what is right between a man and a man and that despite the color they are equal in a common goal “the colored people have as much to fight for as any.” Her son was apart of the regiment the movie was portraying and actually went through the issues they faced. She implored the president to not let the Confederates sell black captive soldiers into slavery for it is not right for a man serving his country to be put in the bondage of slavery. In 12 Years a Slave Patsy's story touches all with the trials she faced with Epps. In the narrative Life of a Slave Girl  a young girl wrote of her jealous mistress and how her master continually harassed her ,like Epps did to Patsy, and never punished her. This shows that Patsy's circumstance was not just one a million but actually fairly common during that era. 
Although the movies were not able to display full historical accuracy they still were able to provoke a sense of empathy.Watching the experience of colored men and women of the time was heart wrenching because of what they had to go through. These movies really brought up a strong sense of morals when watching it and realizing that what the US did to these people was wrong. Much like Samuel Bass said, "but begging the Law's pardon, it lies....theres a sin, a fearful sin, resting on this nation that will not go unpunished forever. There will be a reckoning yet-yet, Epps, theres a day coming that will burn as an oven. It may be sooner or it may be later, but its a coming as sure as the Lord is just." Many people of today want to turn their head to the past and pretend that it never happened because what we did as a nation was morally unacceptable. Through the use of these movies Hollywood has been able to open our eyes to the past. Being aware of where we came from only makes us stronger as a nation to not fall back down the dark path we were once on.

Citations: 
Glory Director Edward Zwick Discusses Motivations behind the Film. (The director's goal for the movie. I was interested to see if he actually achieved what he was striving for.)
Mother of a Northern Black Soldier Letter to President (I wanted to find a primary source from someone in the regime and this one interested me because it was to the president)
CwMemory (used to describe the historical accuracy of the movie glory)General Shaw letter (I wanted to see all the letters Shaw had written that the movie did/didnt use) 

12 years a slave accuracy (The accuracy of the movie based upon the novel)
Documents Behind 12 Years a Slave (The documents that prove Solomon's story is true.)
Jealous Mistress (Another narrative of a slave girl. Her experience was much like Patsy's so I was trying to find a commonality between the two)
New York TImes article (An article published after the trials of Solomon. I was interested in seeing what the people were being told and the facts when it was a more current event.)
Director Interview of 12 years a slave (An interview with the director and the actor of Solomon. I was interested in what he was hoping to achieve in the movie.) 
12 years a slave interview (Another interview from 12 years a slave)

Shaw's letter

Brig of New Orleans Slave Manifest