Austin Lu USHistory Blog : 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 In both the movie and historical documents Col.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.