glory

     "Glory" tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in the Union Army in 1863. Matthew Broderick plays Robert Gould Shaw, the Colonel who commanded that regiment - the first fighting regiment of black men in United States history. Morgan Freeman plays the part of a grave digger who volunteers for this historic black regiment and rises to the rank of Sergeant. Denzel Washington also stars as a tough ex-slave who performs well as a soldier during battle.
     The 54th Regiment was immensely controversial at the time. The Union army was on a string of defeats in 1863, including the Battle of Antietam in which Shaw, then a Captain, was injured. Shaw's parents were wealthy Bostonian abolitionists who were prominent in Massachusetts society and politics. The Governor of Massachusetts and Frederick Douglass, among others were petitioning President Lincoln for the formation of a black fighting regiment and when the tide began to shift towards approval of such an idea, the elder Shaw volunteered his recently injured son for command there. Captain Shaw was reluctant to accept the command but was talked into it by his mother.
      Even then there were many misunderstandings about what the purpose and of this regiment would be. Frederick Douglass and other abolitionist leaders had helped to drum up huge numbers of volunteers for the regiment. But, many in the War Department never intended for that regiment to do anything more than manual labor. Many white leaders of the time were afraid of putting guns in the hands of black people for fear of revolt and misbehavior. Also, the Army was reluctant to supply the regiment with basic supplies such as uniforms and shoes. This was all due to racism and controversy surrounding slavery. Specifically, many white soldiers would not see black soldiers as their equals, and certainly did not want to fight to free the slaves. This was a powerful and urgent issue because it was the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in early 1863 that made this regiment possible.
      President Lincoln, among others, was glad to have this black regiment and wanted them to fight like any other. The Union Army was groping for victories in the face of great difficulty. The black population of the Union would be large resource to the Army.
      And so the black 54th was allowed to fight. They exhibited greatly developed skill and bravery in some small battles, and then lead the assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina. In that assault they lost more than half their number and Shaw and other white officers were also killed.
      Nearly all of this is portrayed in the movie true to history. Shelby Foote, a prominent Civil War historian, was a historic advisor to the production. Also, hundreds of Civil War reenactors, nearly all of whom are obsessive about accuracy to detail, were included in the production.
      The cast and crew were very sensitive to the issues they dealt with. Washington and Freeman, among others, made sure that Glory would not be a movie based on white-skinned protagonists. Because they believed in the importance of this film, all of the principal actors agreed to do this movie for less than their normal pay rate.
     Both Washington and Freeman voiced their hope that the film would help make people, especially those with black skin, more aware of their history and the process by which slavery was eliminated.
     "'Freedom was not given to us in some paternalistic way; it was something we
had to claim with blood,' commented Mr. Washington. 'Well, they never taught me that in my school.'" (Collins)
      But, the film still comes under fire for, say some critics, focusing on Broderick more than the black actors whom the movie is really about.
      Says one Christian Science Monitor reporter, "'Glory' features a whole regiment of African-Americans earning glory in the Civil War - yet the movie's central character is the white colonel who leads them, and the story gives almost as much attention to his problems as to the sufferings of all the black men combined." (Sterrit)
      He goes on to say he appreciates the film's attempt to emphasize the black characters but that Hollywood should make a movie that gives all of its attention to black characters.
     Whether that is true or not is irrelevant. What is clear is that Glory should not be that movie. In reality, the character played by Broderick is immensely important to the overall story. He is also very dramatic. He was a wealthy man's son who had been injured in battle. He could have refused command and held nice, safe assignments for the rest of his career until his lush retirement. But, he accepted command of that black regiment. And, the proclamation that was issued in late 1863 did not only say that any black soldier caught would be put into or returned to slavery, and that any black solider caught in a Union army uniform would be summarily executed, it also said that any white officer commanding those trips would be executed just the same. The Union Army then allowed these volunteers an honorable discharge if they wanted it and none accepted. The white officer also stuck with it and many met their fate of death on the battle field because of it.
      There are super remarkable of examples of the impact of this movie. One is from the Atlanta Journal and Constitution from 1993 about a Civil War reenactment group for the 54th Regiment that was formed after the movie's release:

          As an example of how black re-enactors can change minds, Wozniak tells the story of      a re-created battle in Tampa, Fla., three years ago. After the Rebs and the Yankees had
     had at one another and the battle dust had cleared, they began to mingle in their two
     camps.
          Soon, one white Confederate soldier came up to Wozniak, "looking like he was
     having a migraine headache. He was shaking his head back and forth like he was trying to      shake out something that wasn't supposed to be there." (May)

      What was it? The black soldiers.

      "'Some of your men came by,' said the dazed Confederate
re-enactor. 'They're just like us,' he said. 'They're black, but they're just like us.'" (May)

      This movie caused changes in behavior that, when witnessed by people whose racial eye was solidly set or entirely closed, saw fresh, new images of similarity and equality in ways that are groundbreakingly beneficial for society.
      The second example is from earlier this year: "The granite statue of Sgt. William Carney, whose story was told in the movie 'Glory' about the assault on a South Carolina fort, has been added to the Virginia Civil War Trails project, a network of more than 250 historic sites promoted to tourists." (News Services)
      One historian in this story says that this is the only statue in the South that memorializes black soldiers who fought for the North. Few things immortalize a person or event better than a granite statue - few things can have a more permanent impact. This clearly shows that even in the defeated South the influence of these men in ending slavery and breaking down racial barriers was powerful. And, it is very difficult to believe that this would have happened without the prompting of "Glory."

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WORKS CITED

Collins, Glenn. "'Glory' Resurrects Its Black Heroes." The New York Times. Section 2, Page 1, Column 1. March 26 1989

May, Lee. "Lessons of Glory." The Atlanta Journal and Constituion. Section M, Page 1. Oct. 24. 1993

News Services. "'Glory' soldier statue on historic trail." The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Travel, Page 7K. Feb. 25, 2001

Sterrit, David. "Hollywood Focuses on Civil Rights." The Christian Science Monitor. The arts, page 10. Jan 10. 1990