Freedom

A couple of days ago I watched a movie, I've seen it many times and yet its powerful message, disturbing imagery and superb acting never fails to impact me deeply.

History is my thing, war history in particular, however I have always had an interest in knowing what happened before I was around. It might be due to the fact I find more valuable role models in the past; Today's seem...Thin at best.

This particular movie centres around the Civil War in America. This tragic part of American history saw the country torn apart, brother fighting brother, massive loss of life and empowerment for the oppressed. Slavery was the catalyst for the war and between April 1961 and May 1965 hundreds of thousands of men fought and died.

The movie Glory focuses on the formation of the first African-American regiment the 54th Massachussets Infantry Regiment and their commanding officer Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. 1837-1863. The regiment consisted of volunteer soldiers and was commanded by white officers. Below is the real Shaw on the left and Matthew Broderick as Shaw in the movie Glory on the right.

Storming Fort Wagner. Colonel Shaw was killed on the parapet 18th July 1963. The Regiment lost approximately 40 percent of is force at this battle after a frontal assault. The fort was never taken.

Approximately 10% of the Union forces were made up of African-American troops by the end of the war, some 180,000 men. A further 19,000 served in the navy. Some 40,000 of them lost their lives. In total 2,750,000 soldiers fought in the war. (2 million for the North and 750,000 for the South.) Around 620,000 soldiers were killed in the Civil War.

A scene from the movie Glory showing the 54th Massachussets Infantry Regiment marching out of Boston.

Below is a trailer I found on YouTube. The movie is definitely worth a look. There are many powerful scenes, the flogging of Denzel Washington, the soldiers the night before the attack on Fort Wagner and the actual attack itself. The movie gives the watcher a feeling of what it must have been like to be an African-American in those days, the pride and passion in being able to fight for the freedom of their families. it also gives the watcher a frightening idea of what battle was like in those days.

For me this period of time signifies change, development and of course, brutality. One only needs to read the book ROOTS by Alex Hayley to get an understanding of what it must have been like. The book is about his family history of slavery and oppression. It traces the author's lineage back to Kunta Kinte, stolen from Africa and sold into slavery, and the brutality and injustice of that period in the worlds history. I wonder if we have learned anything from it or if we simply repeat the sins of the past.

I urge you to find the movie and take a look. Its men like Robert Gould Shaw, the 54th Massachussets Infantry Regiment and everyone who stands up against evil and hate who deserve our thanks and gratitude. They deserve to be remembered.

_{Images:
sites.psu.edu/sklackmovies/2015/01/22/glory-hallelujah/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/54th_Massachusetts_Infantry_Regiment}