Native American Fast Fact Research

The city of Tuscaloosa is located near the Black Warrior River in Alabama. In an article written by the University of Alabama School of Law a network of trails leading to the tribal area allowed white settlers to settle in the area. The area of Tuscaloosa became more populated after the War of 1812 and honored the famed tribal chief, Creek Chief Tuskaloosa, by naming the area after him. The name Creek Chief Tuskaloosa means "Black Warrior" in Choctaw. Based on a teachers guide titled Discovering Alabama the definition of the chief's name was also used to name the river the tribe settled on. Choctaw is only one of the eight tribes that settled in the region of Alabama. Native-Languages.org claims that the Alabama, Biloxi, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Koasati, Mobile, and Muskogee tribes all resided in the current state. However, with all these tribes that lived in the area there is only one federally recognized Indian Reservation. That Reservation is called Poarch Creek Indians part of the Muskogee tribe.

Learning History Through Film

            Many teachers prefer students to conduct research to learn more about a topic. However, I think movies can be an alternative and fun way to learn more about a topic. Movies are usually associated with entertainment, but they can be educational at the same time. Glory and Twelve Years a Slave are both historically accurate about slavery in the United States. Both of these movies are based on true events that happened during the Civil War.

            Glory is based off the letters that Robert Gould Shaw had written when he had breaks from battles in the Civil War. Glory is a film focused on Col. Shaw leading the Massachusetts 54^th regiment. According to the Massachusetts Historical Society the 54^th regiment was the first volunteer infantry of colored soldiers. To add onto to the historical accuracy of the movie, in a New York Times review, Robert Shaw was recorded as leading the Massachusetts 54^th regiment. In both the movie and historical documents Col. Shaw was known the lead the 54^th in the attack on Fort Wagner. In a Historynet interview with the director Edward Zwick, Zwick states that he wanted to use the African-American experience to help create the movie. Director Zwick was not intending to break a political barrier and I thought that he showed that very well. Reelviews wrote in the review on the film saying, “Edward Zwick gives multiple points of view”. I think is great because it allows the audience to see all the diverse lives throughout the movie and it also allows the audience to empathize with the characters. This film was well produced winning best supporting actor, best cinematography, and 3 best sounds as the New York Times claims.

            12 Years a Slave is another great and historically accurate film based on a book that Solomon Northup wrote. Solomon Northup was a free man living in New York when we was then drugged in Washington D.C. and sold as a slave. This was both shown in the movie and was written in his book Twelve Years a Slave. Two historians Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsron both agree that Solomon’s book gave an accurate description of slavery in Louisiana. The American Historical Association records that Solomon was enslaved for twelve years until a carpenter helped free him letter to Solomon’s friends. This detail was shown in the movie just as it was recorded. 12 Years a Slave won was recoded by IMDb to win an Academy Award for best picture, best-adapted screenplay, and best supporting actress. This film was also well produced and it made me feel like I was in the movie. Director McQueen said in an interview with The Guardian, “’It’s not about sort of sugarcoating it.’”.

            Movies based on true events are a great way to learn more about a topic. They are great in a sense that the audience can really experience what it was like during that time of history and can get a better understanding. I believe that movies are a great resource in class to learn more about a topic if it is historically accurate.

Works Cited

New York Times: The Blood and Tears, Not Magnolias

New York Times: Black Combat Bravery in the Civil War

Reelviews

Massachusetts Historical Society

Glory IMDb

The Tech Interview by Michelle P. Perry

Historynet Interview by Jay Werttz

New York Times: Glory Awards

The Telegraph

12 Years a Slave IMDb

Euronews

American Historical Association

The Guardian

12 Years a Slave Photo

Practicing Incorporating a Quotation

In the movie Glory colored soldiers fight for different purposes but in the middle they come together as one, and James Berardinelli wrote in a review of the movie, "In the heat of the fight, men are color blind.".


Paraphrasing is a fit frustrating because usually what is read is well said and I can't think of other ways of wording the same piece of text. Quoting however is not as hard as long as an argument is said and then the quote comes as evidence to help prove the argument made.

This is what Mrs. Lawson wanted me to learn today:

• Only use a quote whine adds power and style to my writing
• Always make it clear, from context, that I understand the full meaning of the quote
• Whether I quote or paraphrase, always be transparent about the source and how I'm using it
• If I use another authors exact words or phrases, to any extent, I have to use quotation marks and give credit
• If I use another author's presentation of facts or ideas, but put their ideas in my own words, I better had a good reason for doing that and I MUST give credit
• Hyperlinking is so easy, there is no excuse for not being transparent about my sources

I really understand these reasons

"Paraphrase Practice"

This excerpt from an article on the historical accuracy of Glory is from Reelviews.

"The historical backdrop against which Glory transpires is mostly historically accurate. In fact, a great deal of effort went into getting the details correct. The main events shown in the film happened much as they are depicted, some of the key characters (Shaw, Frederick Douglas, etc.) existed, and the outcome was as Zwick presents it. Many of the secondary characters are either partially or entirely fictionalized, but they are intended to represent a broad cross-section of the types of men who joined the Massachusetts 54th. The danger in this approach is that it becomes easy to trivialize the individuals, turning them into types rather than people. Fortunately, Jarre's screenplay avoids the trap. The characters in Glory never seem less than three-dimensional."

The movie Glory was produced and directed based on true events that happened in history. The director, Edward Zwick, worked hard to ensure that his actors perform the details as the real event did. Zwick was so accurate that he made sure that the true vital characters were present during the main events. For example, Col. Shaw and Frederick Douglas were actual leaders in battles during the Civil War. There were many other characters that were also an important part of the movie. Though that they are fictionalized it was important that they were not characterized as stereotypes and to resemble the diversity of the soldiers through the 54th Regiment. The movie does a great job with avoiding to use every detail but it does include the important events and the details necessary. The characters did a great job of this which helps excel Glory.

Understanding Empathy vs. Sympathy

     Many people confuse the words empathy and sympathy and what they mean. Most people know that sympathy involves feeling and have pity for someone else. An example of this would be losing a family member and have all your friends feel sorry for you and grieve for you. Recently I have finally learned and understood the meaning of empathy. Empathy is being able to understand a situation using one's intellect to imagine the setting of the situation. I want to become a pilot when I grow up and being delayed or late is not an option. All of my passengers have schedules to stick to, like for example a business man may have an important financial meeting shortly after his flight and being late may result in a loss financially for him. I must do everything in my control to make sure that the flight is on time and that everyone is satisfied. Understanding empathy is such an important skill to have not just to perform a job better but to also understand history. Before the civil war southern states allowed for the use of slaves and today it seems so horrible but people have to understand that the south had a lot of farms and needed a lot hands to help out. Also slaves were a large part in the southern economy because they were so expensive and trading them and selling were a big deal. Below is an image that demonstrates what empathy really means.