❤️BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY❤️ REVELATION 5:5 NIV 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
1 Corinthians 15:54-57 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen my sister in Christ. Keep up the good work!
When asked if he wanted his son's body disinterred to be brought back home to Boston for burial, Frank Shaw replied "We would not have his body removed from where it lies surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers. ... We can imagine no holier place than that in which he lies, among his brave and devoted followers, nor wish for him better company. - what a body-guard he has!"
my favorite part of that story is that the confederates threw him in with the regiment as a demeaning gesture, which his father then turns into that, one of the best stories of our history
@@shaneparsg1681 shaw, and his whole regiment, were so underrated in American history. What a haunting beautiful fucking story. We must never let their memories fade.
This quote from Shaws Father was beautiful “We would not have his body removed from where it lies surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers… what a body-guard he has!”
This was the battle where Sgt William Carney earned his Medal Of Honor.When the 54th was ordered to retreat,In that moment of danger Carney remembered the flag that represented all he held dear and was fighting to protect that day. Rather than dropping the flag and fleeing for his life, he wrapped the flag around the staff to protect it and ran down an embankment. Stumbling through a ditch, chest-deep in water, he held his flag high. Another bullet struck him in the chest, another in the right arm, then another in his right leg. Carney struggled on alone, determined not to let his flag fall to the enemy.With indomitable courage Sergeant Carney replied, “No one but a member of the 54th should carry the colors.” Despite the sounds of rifle and cannon fire that followed him, Carney struggled on. Another enemy bullet found its mark, grazing his head, but Carney wouldn’t quit.Amid the cheers of his battered comrades Sergeant Carney finally reached safety. Before collapsing among them from his many wounds his only words were, “Boys, I only did my duty. The flag never touched the ground.”Every flag bearer in the US Army will always be reminded to carry the flag just like Sgt Carney did,It's been over 40 years isnce the first time I heard those words back in Fort Jackson,SC.
Sergeant Carney earned a Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism at Battery Wagner. There is a monument to him in Norfolk, Virginia, completed in 1920. It is one of the very few monuments to United States Colored Troops erected in the Jim Crow south.
Those same regimental colors are in the rotunda of the State House (The Hall of Flags) and right across the street is the bronze relief honoring the soldiers of the 54th shown at the end of the film
@@soupsoup1031 For me as a young man,I will never forget in 1976 that Rick Monday of the Dodgers saved Old Glory from two protesters trying to burn it,that's the moment I said to myself that when I'm old enough I will serve under that flag and all it stands for.
As a black man and veteran who served 24 years in the military this is one of my favorite movies. I think sometimes people watch this movie with a 21st century mindset but dont realize the 19th century mindset is on display. All these years later and the struggle still remains.
Same struggle because blacks ain't united. Slavery to freedom, freedom but segregated, segregation to equal rights(this is where Americans have up hold their responsibilities, the next part, no one else to blame but yourselves), equal rights to self segregation, self segregation to tribalism, tribalism with media culture to this day. Things are made fun like crazy, the blacks have huge shafts, with laughter and pride, proceed to screw everything with most confident, other's girlfriends, fiances, wives, drunks, cheaters and even gold diggers, no bars held back. Make tons of money from sport and music, proceeds to destroys their bank account as well. And then wonder why black women in US are in current state. You spoiled them, you neglected them, and now they want more, hungrier to be spoiled and expecting to be neglected. And then you just watch an entire generation of women put their faith on the wrong matriarch, Oprah and what they learned from older generation. And then the feminist movement got them, and you are more than screwed. Because women ARE the backbone of a society and culture.
There is debate over if or not Broderick (who often played himself) was a good actor or not and my dad would always fire back "Watch that Civil War movie." (and Ladyhawk)
I am a combat vet and what you have just seen is how the brotherhood developers in soldiers . Sometimes even closer than our own families . Thank you for this and God bless you
Shaw was actually being merciful with a flogging. The punishment for desertion in the civil war was death by hanging. However, a commanding officer could flog instead but had to file a report to the War Department justifying the lessor punishment
Flogging was outlawed in the Union army at the start of the war. So almost no one was flogged on the Union side. The Confederacy outlawed flogging in 1862. There are instances of men being flogged in the Union army after the law was passed, but those officers who ordered it were almost always court-martialled. It’s more likely that a deserter would be branded with a “D” for desertion. Usually on the cheek, hand, or hip. Sometimes the brand was done with a tattoo. Only 147 deserters were executed by the Union over the entire Civil war.
@@bobsylvester88 Flogging did take place but not like that. On the Union side if you deserted and were caught you were just put back. If you did it a 2nd time you would be put in a military prison usually for a year and be forced to do hard labor. Whipping or beating the crap out of a prisoner in the military prisons was fairly common and not punished.
From an old white guy.. who happens to be a Civil War buff and amateur military historian, you impress me as a very insightful, intelligent and beautiful young lady. Your reaction truly warms my heart and gives me hope for the younger generations of all Americans. Thank you for making my day! God Bless. 😎❤️
The tall white soldier who fought Denzel and later yelled "Give em hell" was Kevin Jarre, the screenwriter. He also wrote Tombstone. Check out the wiki for Col. Shaw. Broderick looks just like him!
Indeed. There is another tender coincidence: the real-life Shaw attended Fordham University. Over one hundred years later, Denzel Washington graduated with honours from an exceptionally well-regarded acting program --in the same-said Fordham University.
The American Civil War was well-known for ridiculously fast promotions of officers, often to the detriment of their troops. the fact that he has been given such a high rank so quickly and feels ill-prepared for it was part of Shaw's character throughout the movie. Love the scene where he gives Freeman's character the rank of Sargent Major and share's his trepidation at being "kicked upstairs."
I understand that flogging/ whipping was a standard punishment practice, regardless of race. In my reaction, I also iterated what whipping meant for black people during this time. For slaves, this was not a standard punishment practice coming from the military. For even the smallest infractions, slaves faced brutal whippings at the hands of their masters. For black individuals who were beaten by their masters, "whipping" has a distinct significance. This is the point I was trying to articulate. When the col. whips Trip it can evoke a sense of bondage and submission to another person. I appreciate the respectful discord within the comments section 😊
I think that the scene was the first time Robert realized that the action had totally different meanings because of the historical context. For a white soldier, it is painful and humiliating, but doesn't have the added association with the slavery. For Robert, he was originally thinking of it as "everyone gets the same treatment," while in the end, he realized that it absolutely wasn't the same treatment. ETA: Thank goodness, the entire practice of whipping in the military became moot as the practice was prohibited for everyone.
Agreed. It’s the meaning behind Forbes pleading with Shaw by his emphasizing “not to THEM.” Whipping a former slave, in front of former slaves, sends a very different message than the flogging would have to a northern white soldier. It’s a different kind of cruelty, with a net-negative effect. The commenters who say that it was a mercy are not only betraying their own callousness, but missing the point that the movie is very clearly trying to make. If they’re going to lean that hard into historical accuracy, and Trip get a death sentence, then he’d just be thrown into a cell, and that’s probably the last we would’ve seen of him for the movie. They wouldn’t have on-the-spot put him in front of a wall during basic training. There’s a not so insignificant chance that Lincoln would have pardoned him, as he was well known to do for deserters who awaited execution. There’s plenty about this movie that’s not historically accurate, as is the case with EVERY historical film. It’s important to pay attention to the story being told.
Just so you know that scene would never happen at that time of the war. Both the Union and Confederates had outlawed flogging in the army. The standard punishment was usually public humiliation for desertion of rank or if done multiple times death. However the vast majority, especially in the Union, were appealed. Lincoln was known to pardon many soldiers personally. Though punishment at times in the Confederate States varied they basically did the same because some Confederate soldiers who grew up in rural areas would dessert and go back home to help out then return back to the army. Once again by the time of the 54th flogging was banned. it was put in the movie for most likely dramatic reasons.
Denzel's performance was so captivating that he became my favorite actor when this movie came out. A male movie star should had charisma, and Denzel has tons of it.
Unfortunately flogging was the standard punishment for desertion at the time. Shaw was simply doing what was done at the time to keep order within the regiment.
I absolutely love this movie. It's so moving. The part where he greets the soldiers and then they march to the beach at the end fills me with so many emotions.
It was a joy watching your reaction to this great movie. I could feel both your pain and pride for these heroic men. I was never taught the story of Robert Shaw and the 54th as it was never mentioned in my high school history book. I first learned of the 54th watching Glory. It's a shame, as in my eyes, these are the heroes that America should be proud of. Their story must be told and passed on from generation to generation.
My Civil War reenacting club took part along with several others doing the combat scenes and training the actors and many extras for this film. It was an experience I can tell you. Most of the extras were right off the street and didn't have a clue about the civil war or Black Soldiers in it. It came out well though. We also did the combat scenes for Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Dances with Wolves and numerous History Channels episodes. T. Boyte, Capt. Norfolk Light Artillery, CSA National Civil War Assn.
This time was the beginning of one of the realization of one of the founding principles of our country ..that all men are created equal endowed by GOD ALMIGHTY with rights… I’m still praying everyday that the completion will happen in my lifetime.. one of my heroes dr. Martin Luther King Jr had a dream people judge by content of character not by skin color… it will happen when both black and white except the truth… that we are ALL GODS CHILDREN ❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Pretty sure that's only 1/2 factually correct. Because Shaw was put in charge of colored troops he was probably given the implicit or even explicit right to "preserve order and maintain discipline any way he saw fit." That definitely happened among military commanders during the American Civil War with their troops. Probably, the vast majority of incidents like this were simply never reported. Shaw probably could have shot any one of those colored troops on the spot for any number of deemed "acts of disobedience" and gotten away with it. So much of warfare in the past is unrecorded history.
Think about this, how would the other enlisted men feel about Thomas and treat him if he had special privileges from Col. Shaw? Col. Shaw needed to be fair and impartial
Flogging was a common punishment back then. Denzel’s character is lucky though because the alternative would’ve been being shot. The fact he was a slave is just a coincidence. The army didn’t care if you were white or black, slave or free, or rich or poor. If you committed a crime, you’d be punished.
Can you imagine being a slave and seeing people who had run away coming back as part of the northern army? It would give you hope where you never had it before. I can’t even imagine.
75% of the 54th Massachusetts were Free men. They came from all over, wealthy Americans like Douglas's 2 sons, from Canada, the West Indies, the American frontier, farms....from everywhere. Only 250 of the 1000 that made up the 54th were ex-slaves.
mr douglas married the white daughter of abolitionists who disowned her immediately. so much for the strength of their convictions. some things never change. as soon as he can every black man gets a white woman. look at the nba wives, oj, kjp
While there were some differences between the actual history and the movie--this movie did an excellent job of showing the struggles of black soldiers in the Civil War. The 54th assault on Ft. Wagner is every bit as significant as the Battle of Bunker Hill. Look into the actual history of these extraordinary men--it's worth knowing One of my hobbies is painting miniatures--doing the 54th with a complete diorama is one of my ambitions.
This movie did James Montgomery dirty. His raid on Combahee Ferry freed 800 slaves, and he had been fighting pro-slavery forces in Kansas and Missouri before the civil war even started.
I remember seeing this on the big screen when it first came out. Amazing. It still holds up extremely well - even period pieces tend to reflect the era they were produced. Very enjoyable reaction!
Watching historical stories does force you to distance the now, from then. People grow up, and get their values from society. As society evolves, attitudes change. We're all products of our societies. I'd like to think that if I were alive in this time, I'd be fighting side by side with everyone else putting their lives on the line on the side of the Republic.
Also understand that most of the white population of the American South never owned any slaves. The average Southern white soldier came from families that were little better off than slaves themselves. They were doing the bidding of the rich, as is often the case in war. The image of the Antebellum South in "Gone With The Wind" represented only a small fraction of Southern whites. In addition, a large number of Southern whites were loyal to the Union while a large number of people in the North were actually pro-Confederacy.
This movie changed my 15 year old life when I first saw this. I'm an atheist but I still always get into their spiritual rally the night before the big battle. I remember sitting in the theater and at the end when the Confederates raised their flag, the audience gasped in disappoinment. We got so invested into these characters that the sadness I felt when they all died was gut wrenching.
I see that this movie touched you emotionally, I regret to inform you that the monument to those men was vandalized by BLM and ANTIFA "activists" because they thought it was offensive that the figure of Colonel Shaw was on horseback while his men were walking, they did not care that the officers always went on horseback in all companies regardless of their color.
@@VictorGiler-or1mr First of all, white soldiers also walked when officers rode horses, and secondly, the US was the third country to try to abolish slavery after the UK and France. We are talking about the 19th century, in the previous ten thousand years of human history slavery was seen as normal and there was no precedent for what to do in such a situation, it was improvised as they went along. Judging the actions of that time with the logic of today makes no sense. But if it makes you feel better you should know how white slaves who were captured by Muslims from the Turkish and Ottoman empires as well as the countries of North Africa were forced to walk while their masters rode horses. Because in case you don't know, between the 9th and 14th centuries, the countries mentioned above made raids on European countries to capture the inhabitants of coastal villages and sell them as slaves, it is estimated that the number of white slaves captured in those centuries was between 6 to 8 million, many of them from Eastern Europe, from the Slav region, considering that the majority of the white slaves captured came from that region, that was what gave rise to the word slave.
I just discovered your channel just now, and I am giving you a subscribe. I am saying good evening to you from my home of NYC. Also I still have the original VHS tape of Glory from my childhood.
1:15 well, you may know that Gettysburg was the Bloodiest battle in American history but that was over three days. The battle being depicted is Antietam, which is the bloodiest single day.
True! Then there was also the Battle of Westport, Missouri, in present-day Kansas City in i think October of '64, which took place over basically two days and, while having fewer losses than those other two, is known as The Gettysburg of the West, partly because it was the Confederate high-water mark in the West, but mainly because it was, and remains to this day, by a wide margin the largest-ever cavalry battle in the Americas, and the most deadly confrontation west of the Mississippi. Unlike Gettysburg, it didn't decide the fate of the Union. However, uniquely amongst Civil War battles, it sealed the fact that the Confederate army west of the Mississippi would never again be able to operate north of Texas and Arkansas. 👍🏼
@@no_rubbernecking Yeah it's another very famous battle, but the reason it's not as widely known is because the confederates had almost as many casualties at Gettysburg than the combined number of Union and Confederate soldiers merely present at Westport. Nearly 29,000 confederate casualties, and another 23,000 Union casualties at Gettysburg, and around 30,000 total participants at Westport, with only around 3,000 total casualties. So it's just scale really. The battle of Westport was a more decisive victory than Gettysburg in the sense that Lee's army of Virginia was able to recover after Gettysburg and remain a serious threat for another two years, but after Westport the Confederate army of Missouri never recovered.
Thanks G.! You are very knowledgeable about this period of American history! You complained no one told you the film would be so good. I would not have even known how to convey the greatness of this film to you without overly spoiling it. I will tell you that the film Gettysburg (1993), produced by Ted Turner, is about equally as good, though told mostly from a White perspective. To me, these two films go hand in hand and no Civil War study is complete without both of them. The majority feeling on UA-cam seems to slightly favor Gettysburg for its extreme dedication to accuracy, realism, scale, and preserving memory of the politics and economics of the war. However, for treatment of the Northern Black experience, Glory is without peer and IMO probably shall always be. 💙
The Mass. 54th spent time in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. The ill-fated naked frontal assault of Fort Wagner really happened. Several scenes were filmed on the Georgia coastal islands. One of my friends was a "rebel" extra in Fort Wagner. Blooper alert! When one of the "liberated slaves" raises his hand to cheer on the troops, you can see that he is wearing a DIGITAL WRISTWATCH.
Your reaction and thoughts about Glory was very touching. It's been a rough road into building a nation based on "all men are created equal." But we are all Americans in the same boat now. I had an ancestor killed in this same battle at Fort Wagner, July 18th, 1863. First Sergeant Aaron McNaughton, 62nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. When I first saw this movie in the theater in 1989, at the end, the theater was so quiet and everyone so deep in thought, you could hear a pin drop.
While the story is anchored in a couple of key historical events, the details are all fiction. Even so, historians love this movie for accurately depicting the period - the North isn’t whitewashed as “the good guys.”
The soundtrack to this movie is one of my favorites of all time - the Harlam Boys Choir singing O'Fortuna during the storing of Fort Wagner gave me chills when I saw this movie in the theatre as a kid. Interesting historical fact - Frederick Douglass's sons fought with the 54th.
Shaw was right about fraternization, but I feel like, before Thomas enlisted, he should have explained the idea to him, so he wouldn't feel personally rejected.
The white union soldier that was an ass, and then said "Give them Hell , 54" is part of the crew . He's a major writer on the movie and wanted to show his feelings towards the end of the movie on how he felt.
The primary reason the Union was hesitant to use their all black regiments on the battlefield is the concern of what would happen to them if they had to surrender. They would most likely suffer very harsh care by the Confederacy. At worst, killed on the spot. At best, sent down South to serve as slaves. Either way, all that time and money invested in training them would be lost. Another was the political fallout. Soon after the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln declared this a fight to abolish slavery. When he said that, upwards of 15% of Union forces deserted their posts; refusing to continue if this was a war over slavery. The deserting Union troops felt betrayed by their commanders, who assured them at the beginning of the war that this was a fight to maintain US unity alone. Hundreds of these deserters wrote letters to the editors that their local newspapers published, proclaiming they only ever enlisted to preserve the union. Never to insert themselves into some 'moral crusade' telling other people how to run their societies. Funny how that sentiment has changed over the centuries, huh? (looking at you Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan) There had also been experiments earlier in the Civil War in naval campaigns along the Mississippi River using integrated black regiments to assist in Union raids on Southern forts. They didn't turn out so well. Those groups did have to surrender, and it's unknown what their fate became in Southern hands, but it was most likely a bad one because there was never another trace of them ever again after falling into Southern hands.
That and the North was often just as racist as the South, they just didn’t want slavery. Many Black men served in WW1 and WW2 with the hope of demonstrating that they were in every way the equal of their white brothers in arms.
1:34 I just spoke with the actor playing the medic in this scene (Ethan Philips). He said that during the first take, he accidentally said "Nixon is going to free the slaves."
A lot of folks give Colonel Shaw a lot of grief over some of the scenes during the basic training with Thomas. Yes they were childhood friends but they are in the military now and he has the commanding officer so he has to follow the regulations as does Thomas. Colonel Shaw cannot treat Thomas any differently than any of his other soldiers. There cannot be even the appearance of favoritism.
Ms CaliforniaBlend (if that’s what I may call you) never be afraid to let the tears flow. The emotions are what we are here for regardless of what emotion it may be. Yell when you’re angry and also laugh as loud as you like. It all makes for a great reaction. Also I want to congratulate you on 40K followers. That number will only grow. Maybe closing in on 50K by the end of the year.
Oh and the military structure is that for a very good reason. It seems heartless, but war is heartless. The first rule of war...young men (and women) die. The second rule is that doctors cannot change rule number one.
Saw the movie in1989 in a Baltimore theater with my future wife. Driving by the theater a couple days later I asked her if we could go see it again. So, we saw it twice.
I love this film, but it's a emotional breaker, and I don't wish to rewatch it on a Friday night. If anyone familiar that had earned my trust could tempt me, I think some Cali-blend would be very close to the top. But I'm in a different frame of mind tonight. I think I'll save this one for this coming Sunday afternoon. I have to mow the lawn, so that will be a great wat to set the mood, haha. Respect for choosing this title. ❤
People try to apply a 2024 mindset about race to an 1860s mindset about race. In the 1860s Black people were considered 2/3 of a human, even in the Union/Northern states. Even after the Civil War Black people were counted as 2/3 human in the US Census. That did not change for a number of years after the Civil War. The prevalent mindset throughout the continent was Black people were inferior to White people and less than human. Black people were not the only people who were prejudiced against. Almost all races other than White people were prejudiced against including Irish people despite Irish being White. In some ways Irish were hated more because it was not immediately apparent they were Irish until they spoke or gave their name.
The image underlying the closing credits is a bas-relief sculpture on Boston Common, across from and facing the Massachusetts State House; of the 54th on the march. The colors of the 54th, the flags they carried in battle, are on display in the Rotunda of the State House. Quite a good movie. Also as 'accurate' as Hollywood ever gets with history.
One of the best movies ever made with one of the best acting performances ever. Just to say a movie about the Civil War won 3 Oscars (back when they mattered) is an achievement on its own. After Braveheart this is my go to movie when it comes to history movies.
My history teacher in 10th grade showed us this movie, with parental permission of course. It's my favorite war movie.living in where I am I am 30 miles or so from Antietam and Gettysburg so I had a young understanding of the civil war. And the music composer went on to do the soundtrack to many movies I loved. Including the best movie ever Braveheart.
26:28 It's so hard to read how Col. Shaw is feeling because he is a seasoned veteran officer who knows that he must keep the hard military discipline in order for the battalion to survive and do the job.
I was born in 85, I was so young when this film came out and I loved it back then even before I understood what exactly was going on sometimes. Still one of my favorite films even today. I could say I grew up on this film. Lest you know I was grossly disappointed when I got old enough to realize modern militaries didn't still wear blue suits with brass buttons. That being said, it still blows me away how much they condensed into this film. Heck even Robert Shaw the main character gets PTSD from the opening battle, and it pops up a few times in the film. I can not recall an American Civil War film that even addressed the concept of PTSD. This film addresses a lot of things that are often devoid in most films on this war, and I think it's why it's considered by many including myself to be war film based on the American Civil War. It doesn't shy away from racism, heck even Denzel's character is quite racist, both toward white and black people, seeing Denzel's character evolve through the film and how he portrayed him won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Let alone the way many white soldiers and officers treat the soldiers of the 54th. The film isn't trying to make anyone out to be a goody tooshoo. Even Robert Shaw as a character in the film is heavily flawed, during the training period of the film he was literally acting a facade trying to show himself as a strong experienced officer so much so even his best friend couldn't stand his behavior and confronts him about it. He seems to snap out of that high horse mode after he realized he had a man whipped for trying to find shoes... instead of deserting. When you compare it a grossly sterilized film like Gettysburg, which tries too hard not to offend anyone, or Gods and Generals which is basically Neo Confederate ... umm can not say that 'word' that refers to red district films. Glory doesn't avoid throw punches, even the language used in the film. It's not afraid to offend. Which makes the environment that much more believable.
Mr. Douglass has a role that’s actually downplayed in the movie - two of his sons served in the 54th. Lewis served at the battle at Fort Wagner depicted in the movie, he was wounded but survived. Not finding much on Charles.
Interesting Fact: The town that Montgomery ordered to be looted and burned was Darien Georgia. Colonel Shaw wrote about it in his journal and basically said that Montgomery was a P.O.S. and that Shaw had to go along. After the war Colonel Shaw's family donated money to help pay for rebuilding the town, because Shaw had written to his father saying he was ashamed to have been involved in destroying the town.
Glory is the best Civil War movie, if you ask me. Many Civil War movies made around the same time fell into the trap of being glorified reenactments and losing the forest for the trees. Movies like Gettysburg and Gods and Generals are good, and they were meticulous in their attention to detail and recounting of facts, but they either went halfway or completely refused to zoom in on the lives of those who fought. Ordinary guys living in extraordinary times. Guys like Trip, Sharps, Thomas, and Rawlins. Glory stands out from the crowd because it went all-in and told the story of a regiment and the men who formed it, as opposed to telling the story of a battle or a series of battles, like so many other Civil War movies tend to do. By the time you hear "Give 'em Hell, 54th!" you're so attached and fired up, you feel like grabbing a rifle and donning the blue suit and joining in on their doomed attack.
President Lincoln knew he didn't have the authority to free the slaves, so he decided as Commander In Chief that he would make the Emancipation Proclamation which said that from now on any escaped slaves would not be returned to the Confederacy but be considered freed men. They were not granted citizenship but they would be allowed to join the Union Army. The slave States in the Union, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia would be allowed to keep their slaves. Until December 1965 when Congress passed the 13th amendment.😊😊
Maryland was a Southern stare. Those other states actually had very few slaves by the 1860s, with the possible exception of Kentucky, and even their numbers were pretty small. Vest Virgina nearly BORDERS CANADA which made it doomed to failure as a slave-holding region. The percentage of white in the South who held slaves was actually very low. most whites could not afford slaves and were little better off themselves than slaves. The plantation owners made up a very small number in the South and even less in the North.
@@davestang5454 Maryland was in the Union not the Confederacy! And the point is slavery was still legal in the Union no matter how many slaves were there. And where are you from? You are Geographically challenged. West Virginia is not even close to Canada. It wasn't even a State before the war. It was part of Virginia, but the people in the west of Virginia didn't want to succeed so they broke away from Virginia and joined the Union.
Great reaction!!! Glory is my favorite war movie. The regiment went 18 months refusing their pay. A bill was passed in congress for them to receive equal pay and retroactively pay them from their date of enlistment.
This was the first movie I went to see a second time. I then went out and bought the book that the movies is based on and read it cover to cover in one day. One of my all time favorite movies.
When I was a little girl in the early seventies Morgan Freeman was on a children's educational show called Electric Company. He wore purple and red and had an afro. He helped me learn how to read.☮️😉👍
Flogging was common amongst most of the worlds military forces for a long period of time. A soldier or sailor could be flogged for various reasons, but for desertion or cowardice it was usually a death sentence. Flogging was considered a minor punishment, more severe punishments were usually carried out for more major crimes or infractions. The use of flogging in a military context, is actually how it became used for slavery. A slave owner wouldn't want to permanently harm a slave, since their use for manual labor could be reduced. So flogging was adopted as a way to control people without permanent damage. It is a very shocking and brutal thing though, but it was used for a fairly long time, up until human rights started to be taken more seriously. Usually a person is unable to walk after being flogged and has to have a few days to recover. The scars are a reminder and is apart of the punishment, since it's a reminder to the person flogged but also a symbol for others to not step out of line. The earliest attempt to end corporal punishment in the military was in the 1820's but was unsuccessful. It wouldn't be until the 1880's that flogging was ended in the US Navy. There are still some nation's military forces that use corporal punishment.
I grew up in Cambridge Mass. My Dad was an electrician. I used to work with him on weekends when I was in HS. Once we were doing a new entrance near Putman Ave in Cambridge ( between Harvard Squ and Central Squ) of an older Black guy. I was in the basement tying in circuits. His basement was full of Civil War memorabilia. Some I saw from the 54th Mass. Sadly I did not know the history. It was an archive for sure!
Great Reaction to this classic based on True Events...... Denzel and Morgan played their parts excellently..... The issue with the pay difference is documented, and there is documented proof that the 54th received no pay for over a year until they were paid the same as other soldiers..... The Confederates buried Col Shaw in a mass grave with his troops considering a dishonor, Col Shaw's family was asked if they wanted his body exhumed and reburied at home in Mass, the Family stated it was an honor for him to be buried with his men.....
You really should watch Ken Burns "Civil War" on PBS. That series is one of the greatest visual works that takes the viewer through the ins and outs of the war not only military wise but in the retrospect of the slaves, the southerners, and the struggles of the two nations and the leadership of the United and Confederate States. It really grips you with first hand accounts and leading historians of the time of filming. I truely hope you'll watch them for a greater appreciation for history of the Civil War.
My great great great grandfather was in the Civil War for the United States. He lived in Massachusetts as do I. With all the crazy world today I am so proud my family was on the right side of history. We are all crested equal and no one can take away our rights.
My ancestors fought on both side though the ones who fought for the South were from Tennessee and had freed their slaves long before the Civil War. They were against slavery though they fought for the South. The other side were fighting Quakers from Pennsylvania and were also related to the Hoovers.
In the 54th's first engagement, that opening cavalry charge wasn't a decoy. It was intended to break up their formation and leave them in disarray, to soften them up for the infantry. It's just that the charge failed.
This is one of my favorite movies. I saw it when it first came out about 35 years ago. Many poignant moments in the movie. One that grabs me is when they are marching down to the ships, in Boston, it was less the gaze of Shaw's mother but rather that of the black families watching and filled with pride at watching these troops marching off. They were going to fight for what they longed for: freedom. Did they realize how few would return.
❤️BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY❤️
REVELATION 5:5 NIV
5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
The supply officer about the shoes was a LT. not a Mj.. Col. Shaw is 4 ranks higher.
Soon...amen!
🇮🇱 Yeshua, King of Kings 🇮🇱
1 Corinthians 15:54-57
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen my sister in Christ. Keep up the good work!
blacks still smell.
When asked if he wanted his son's body disinterred to be brought back home to Boston for burial, Frank Shaw replied "We would not have his body removed from where it lies surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers. ... We can imagine no holier place than that in which he lies, among his brave and devoted followers, nor wish for him better company. - what a body-guard he has!"
my favorite part of that story is that the confederates threw him in with the regiment as a demeaning gesture, which his father then turns into that, one of the best stories of our history
They also never accepted his back pay and from what I understand it was give to the regiment
@@shaneparsg1681 shaw, and his whole regiment, were so underrated in American history. What a haunting beautiful fucking story. We must never let their memories fade.
"We fight for men and women whose poetry has not yet been written" such powerful words, and so prophetic.
"Let him grow up some more."
*Tough. Love.* The drill sergeant was getting them ready for the worst.
Absolutely!
This quote from Shaws Father was beautiful
“We would not have his body removed from where it lies surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers… what a body-guard he has!”
In that grave there are no blacks or whites, just the bones and memories of American soldiers.
@matthiasneidenberger9471 💯. Beautiful, yet sad, way to look at it.
This was the battle where Sgt William Carney earned his Medal Of Honor.When the 54th was ordered to retreat,In that moment of danger Carney remembered the flag that represented all he held dear and was fighting to protect that day. Rather than dropping the flag and fleeing for his life, he wrapped the flag around the staff to protect it and ran down an embankment. Stumbling through a ditch, chest-deep in water, he held his flag high. Another bullet struck him in the chest, another in the right arm, then another in his right leg. Carney struggled on alone, determined not to let his flag fall to the enemy.With indomitable courage Sergeant Carney replied, “No one but a member of the 54th should carry the colors.” Despite the sounds of rifle and cannon fire that followed him, Carney struggled on. Another enemy bullet found its mark, grazing his head, but Carney wouldn’t quit.Amid the cheers of his battered comrades Sergeant Carney finally reached safety. Before collapsing among them from his many wounds his only words were, “Boys, I only did my duty. The flag never touched the ground.”Every flag bearer in the US Army will always be reminded to carry the flag just like Sgt Carney did,It's been over 40 years isnce the first time I heard those words back in Fort Jackson,SC.
Sergeant Carney earned a Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism at Battery Wagner. There is a monument to him in Norfolk, Virginia, completed in 1920. It is one of the very few monuments to United States Colored Troops erected in the Jim Crow south.
Those same regimental colors are in the rotunda of the State House (The Hall of Flags) and right across the street is the bronze relief honoring the soldiers of the 54th shown at the end of the film
This should be remembered when people kneel or put their hand on their heart during the National Anthem.
@@soupsoup1031 For me as a young man,I will never forget in 1976 that Rick Monday of the Dodgers saved Old Glory from two protesters trying to burn it,that's the moment I said to myself that when I'm old enough I will serve under that flag and all it stands for.
As a black man and veteran who served 24 years in the military this is one of my favorite movies. I think sometimes people watch this movie with a 21st century mindset but dont realize the 19th century mindset is on display. All these years later and the struggle still remains.
Same struggle because blacks ain't united. Slavery to freedom, freedom but segregated, segregation to equal rights(this is where Americans have up hold their responsibilities, the next part, no one else to blame but yourselves), equal rights to self segregation, self segregation to tribalism, tribalism with media culture to this day.
Things are made fun like crazy, the blacks have huge shafts, with laughter and pride, proceed to screw everything with most confident, other's girlfriends, fiances, wives, drunks, cheaters and even gold diggers, no bars held back.
Make tons of money from sport and music, proceeds to destroys their bank account as well.
And then wonder why black women in US are in current state. You spoiled them, you neglected them, and now they want more, hungrier to be spoiled and expecting to be neglected. And then you just watch an entire generation of women put their faith on the wrong matriarch, Oprah and what they learned from older generation. And then the feminist movement got them, and you are more than screwed. Because women ARE the backbone of a society and culture.
All the more reason to hold to each other and struggle together. ❤
There is debate over if or not Broderick (who often played himself) was a good actor or not and my dad would always fire back "Watch that Civil War movie." (and Ladyhawk)
what struggle? black men can write their own ticket. exactly what else do you want?
@@savinghistory642 they destroyed their society and culture.
I am a combat vet and what you have just seen is how the brotherhood developers in soldiers . Sometimes even closer than our own families . Thank you for this and God bless you
Shaw was actually being merciful with a flogging. The punishment for desertion in the civil war was death by hanging. However, a commanding officer could flog instead but had to file a report to the War Department justifying the lessor punishment
Flogging was a common punishment then, even White soldiers would get flogged.
Flogging was outlawed in the Union army at the start of the war. So almost no one was flogged on the Union side. The Confederacy outlawed flogging in 1862. There are instances of men being flogged in the Union army after the law was passed, but those officers who ordered it were almost always court-martialled. It’s more likely that a deserter would be branded with a “D” for desertion. Usually on the cheek, hand, or hip. Sometimes the brand was done with a tattoo. Only 147 deserters were executed by the Union over the entire Civil war.
@@bobsylvester88 Flogging did take place but not like that. On the Union side if you deserted and were caught you were just put back. If you did it a 2nd time you would be put in a military prison usually for a year and be forced to do hard labor. Whipping or beating the crap out of a prisoner in the military prisons was fairly common and not punished.
@@thomasolson1154 OK military prisoners who broke rules. It’s possible. But Denzel’s character wasn’t in military prison. So…
@@bobsylvester88 These were Massachusetts state troops, and Mass. still had the flogging regulation in place.
From an old white guy.. who happens to be a Civil War buff and amateur military historian, you impress me as a very insightful, intelligent and beautiful young lady. Your reaction truly warms my heart and gives me hope for the younger generations of all Americans. Thank you for making my day! God Bless. 😎❤️
I grew up hearing of Shaw long before the movie, because my mother went to Robert Gould Shaw Elementary School in Boston.
The tall white soldier who fought Denzel and later yelled "Give em hell" was Kevin Jarre, the screenwriter. He also wrote Tombstone.
Check out the wiki for Col. Shaw. Broderick looks just like him!
Indeed. There is another tender coincidence: the real-life Shaw attended Fordham University. Over one hundred years later, Denzel Washington graduated with honours from an exceptionally well-regarded acting program --in the same-said Fordham University.
The American Civil War was well-known for ridiculously fast promotions of officers, often to the detriment of their troops. the fact that he has been given such a high rank so quickly and feels ill-prepared for it was part of Shaw's character throughout the movie. Love the scene where he gives Freeman's character the rank of Sargent Major and share's his trepidation at being "kicked upstairs."
Yes, they did a good job in casting. Matthew looks just like the real Shaw.
Can you believe their monument was vandalized! Give em hell 54! ❤
That's horrible to hear. They should only ever be honored
@@MrLovegrove absolutely!!
No!
Yeah sad to say it was BLM protesters that vandalized it. And sadly, it also shows how ignorant some of them were.
That whipping scene alone gave Denzel, Washington annOscar nomination that year.
win.. not nomination, win.
@@this.is.a.username both
I saw that scene way before the movie! Denzel is epic!
I understand that flogging/ whipping was a standard punishment practice, regardless of race. In my reaction, I also iterated what whipping meant for black people during this time. For slaves, this was not a standard punishment practice coming from the military. For even the smallest infractions, slaves faced brutal whippings at the hands of their masters. For black individuals who were beaten by their masters, "whipping" has a distinct significance. This is the point I was trying to articulate. When the col. whips Trip it can evoke a sense of bondage and submission to another person.
I appreciate the respectful discord within the comments section 😊
I think that the scene was the first time Robert realized that the action had totally different meanings because of the historical context. For a white soldier, it is painful and humiliating, but doesn't have the added association with the slavery. For Robert, he was originally thinking of it as "everyone gets the same treatment," while in the end, he realized that it absolutely wasn't the same treatment. ETA: Thank goodness, the entire practice of whipping in the military became moot as the practice was prohibited for everyone.
I found your observations pretty valid and I think the movie itself indicates there's a context that makes this rather awkward.
Soldiering is hard. That is why few are fit for it.
Agreed. It’s the meaning behind Forbes pleading with Shaw by his emphasizing “not to THEM.”
Whipping a former slave, in front of former slaves, sends a very different message than the flogging would have to a northern white soldier. It’s a different kind of cruelty, with a net-negative effect. The commenters who say that it was a mercy are not only betraying their own callousness, but missing the point that the movie is very clearly trying to make.
If they’re going to lean that hard into historical accuracy, and Trip get a death sentence, then he’d just be thrown into a cell, and that’s probably the last we would’ve seen of him for the movie. They wouldn’t have on-the-spot put him in front of a wall during basic training. There’s a not so insignificant chance that Lincoln would have pardoned him, as he was well known to do for deserters who awaited execution.
There’s plenty about this movie that’s not historically accurate, as is the case with EVERY historical film. It’s important to pay attention to the story being told.
Just so you know that scene would never happen at that time of the war. Both the Union and Confederates had outlawed flogging in the army. The standard punishment was usually public humiliation for desertion of rank or if done multiple times death. However the vast majority, especially in the Union, were appealed. Lincoln was known to pardon many soldiers personally. Though punishment at times in the Confederate States varied they basically did the same because some Confederate soldiers who grew up in rural areas would dessert and go back home to help out then return back to the army. Once again by the time of the 54th flogging was banned. it was put in the movie for most likely dramatic reasons.
Denzel's performance was so captivating that he became my favorite actor when this movie came out.
A male movie star should had charisma, and Denzel has tons of it.
He also seems to be a good guy in his real life.
Yeah. A few of his fellow actors in the Academy kinda agreed.
One of my favourite films. When I was a child this story taught me something about where honour and respect start from.
That was a beautiful reaction, one of the best I've seen for _Glory_ Thank for sharing your experience with us. ❤
Between this film, Blood Diamond, Courage Under Fire and The Last Samurai, director Edward Zwick has made some seriously good under the radar movies.
Did not know it was same director. Some of them are the most emotionally engaging films I've ever seen. I haven't see Courage.
@@phila3884 It's fantastic. Denzel, Matt Damon, Lou Diamond Philips and Meg Ryan. Great story that keeps you guessing.
Your tears and reaction broke my heart. This was a great movie. Thanks for watching with us.
Unfortunately flogging was the standard punishment for desertion at the time. Shaw was simply doing what was done at the time to keep order within the regiment.
WRONG Flogging was outlawed in the union army. It became illegal on august 5th 1861. Stop spreading bullshit.
I absolutely love this movie. It's so moving. The part where he greets the soldiers and then they march to the beach at the end fills me with so many emotions.
It was a joy watching your reaction to this great movie. I could feel both your pain and pride for these heroic men. I was never taught the story of Robert Shaw and the 54th as it was never mentioned in my high school history book. I first learned of the 54th watching Glory. It's a shame, as in my eyes, these are the heroes that America should be proud of. Their story must be told and passed on from generation to generation.
The 54th, officers and men, fought for 18 months without pay to protest the pay inequity. Congress rectified this on September 28, 1864.
My Civil War reenacting club took part along with several others doing the combat scenes and training the actors and many extras for this film. It was an experience I can tell you. Most of the extras were right off the street and didn't have a clue about the civil war or Black Soldiers in it. It came out well though. We also did the combat scenes for Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Dances with Wolves and numerous History Channels episodes.
T. Boyte,
Capt. Norfolk Light Artillery, CSA
National Civil War Assn.
This time was the beginning of one of the realization of one of the founding principles of our country ..that all men are created equal endowed by GOD ALMIGHTY with rights… I’m still praying everyday that the completion will happen in my lifetime.. one of my heroes dr. Martin Luther King Jr had a dream people judge by content of character not by skin color… it will happen when both black and white except the truth… that we are ALL GODS CHILDREN ❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
In real life Colonel Shaw never had a soldier flogged. If he did, Shaw would have been in huge trouble since flogging was outlawed in 1861.
Pretty sure that's only 1/2 factually correct. Because Shaw was put in charge of colored troops he was probably given the implicit or even explicit right to "preserve order and maintain discipline any way he saw fit." That definitely happened among military commanders during the American Civil War with their troops. Probably, the vast majority of incidents like this were simply never reported. Shaw probably could have shot any one of those colored troops on the spot for any number of deemed "acts of disobedience" and gotten away with it. So much of warfare in the past is unrecorded history.
@@davestang5454
Speculation is all we're left with.
I'm so glad to see so many reactors watch this wonderful and excellent film from 35 years ago. Give them hell, 54th!
I saw this movie in school and it was one of the first movies to really impact me for longer than it’s ending credits. Really an excellent film.
Denzel won his first Oscar for this!
Great actor.
Think about this, how would the other enlisted men feel about Thomas and treat him if he had special privileges from Col. Shaw? Col. Shaw needed to be fair and impartial
Flogging was a common punishment back then. Denzel’s character is lucky though because the alternative would’ve been being shot. The fact he was a slave is just a coincidence. The army didn’t care if you were white or black, slave or free, or rich or poor. If you committed a crime, you’d be punished.
WWII the last US Shot for desertion PVT. SLOVIK
Correction. Flogging was abolished in the US Army on 5 August 1861. This would be illegal.
Not really flogging was stopped before the war so it likely never happened considering shaw was a by the book officer
Unfortunately the 54th monument was vandalized during the summer of 2020
Yeah, by blm and antifa. Guess their lives didn't matter that much.
Oh no, she watching Glory, no wonder she crying
Can you imagine being a slave and seeing people who had run away coming back as part of the northern army? It would give you hope where you never had it before. I can’t even imagine.
75% of the 54th Massachusetts were Free men. They came from all over, wealthy Americans like Douglas's 2 sons, from Canada, the West Indies, the American frontier, farms....from everywhere. Only 250 of the 1000 that made up the 54th were ex-slaves.
The ten dollars vs 13 dollars was because they weren't expected to fight.
The fact that Robert addressed him as "Mr. Douglas." 🥲
mr douglas married the white daughter of abolitionists who disowned her immediately. so much for the strength of their convictions. some things never change. as soon as he can every black man gets a white woman. look at the nba wives, oj, kjp
"Him riding in on a high horse." That is a damn good interruption. I never even thought of that.
While there were some differences between the actual history and the movie--this movie did an excellent job of showing the struggles of black soldiers in the Civil War. The 54th assault on Ft. Wagner is every bit as significant as the Battle of Bunker Hill. Look into the actual history of these extraordinary men--it's worth knowing
One of my hobbies is painting miniatures--doing the 54th with a complete diorama is one of my ambitions.
This movie did James Montgomery dirty.
His raid on Combahee Ferry freed 800 slaves, and he had been fighting pro-slavery forces in Kansas and Missouri before the civil war even started.
I remember seeing this on the big screen when it first came out. Amazing. It still holds up extremely well - even period pieces tend to reflect the era they were produced. Very enjoyable reaction!
Watching historical stories does force you to distance the now, from then. People grow up, and get their values from society. As society evolves, attitudes change. We're all products of our societies. I'd like to think that if I were alive in this time, I'd be fighting side by side with everyone else putting their lives on the line on the side of the Republic.
Also understand that most of the white population of the American South never owned any slaves. The average Southern white soldier came from families that were little better off than slaves themselves. They were doing the bidding of the rich, as is often the case in war. The image of the Antebellum South in "Gone With The Wind" represented only a small fraction of Southern whites. In addition, a large number of Southern whites were loyal to the Union while a large number of people in the North were actually pro-Confederacy.
This movie changed my 15 year old life when I first saw this. I'm an atheist but I still always get into their spiritual rally the night before the big battle. I remember sitting in the theater and at the end when the Confederates raised their flag, the audience gasped in disappoinment. We got so invested into these characters that the sadness I felt when they all died was gut wrenching.
I see that this movie touched you emotionally, I regret to inform you that the monument to those men was vandalized by BLM and ANTIFA "activists" because they thought it was offensive that the figure of Colonel Shaw was on horseback while his men were walking, they did not care that the officers always went on horseback in all companies regardless of their color.
that's right johnny REB..them there black folks be uppity to the authority.....spiteful little curb ,arent you...
Nah, they didn't care about that. They just like to destroy things.
@@docsavage8640 good point
Only white officers, so it has to do with color after all!
@@VictorGiler-or1mr First of all, white soldiers also walked when officers rode horses, and secondly, the US was the third country to try to abolish slavery after the UK and France. We are talking about the 19th century, in the previous ten thousand years of human history slavery was seen as normal and there was no precedent for what to do in such a situation, it was improvised as they went along. Judging the actions of that time with the logic of today makes no sense.
But if it makes you feel better you should know how white slaves who were captured by Muslims from the Turkish and Ottoman empires as well as the countries of North Africa were forced to walk while their masters rode horses.
Because in case you don't know, between the 9th and 14th centuries, the countries mentioned above made raids on European countries to capture the inhabitants of coastal villages and sell them as slaves, it is estimated that the number of white slaves captured in those centuries was between 6 to 8 million, many of them from Eastern Europe, from the Slav region, considering that the majority of the white slaves captured came from that region, that was what gave rise to the word slave.
I just discovered your channel just now, and I am giving you a subscribe. I am saying good evening to you from my home of NYC. Also I still have the original VHS tape of Glory from my childhood.
Your simple "we're living in the benefits of what they fought for" puts to shame a great deal of recent academic thought. Stay strong in the truth!
This is one of my favorite Glory reactions. 😄
1:15 well, you may know that Gettysburg was the Bloodiest battle in American history but that was over three days. The battle being depicted is Antietam, which is the bloodiest single day.
True! Then there was also the Battle of Westport, Missouri, in present-day Kansas City in i think October of '64, which took place over basically two days and, while having fewer losses than those other two, is known as The Gettysburg of the West, partly because it was the Confederate high-water mark in the West, but mainly because it was, and remains to this day, by a wide margin the largest-ever cavalry battle in the Americas, and the most deadly confrontation west of the Mississippi.
Unlike Gettysburg, it didn't decide the fate of the Union. However, uniquely amongst Civil War battles, it sealed the fact that the Confederate army west of the Mississippi would never again be able to operate north of Texas and Arkansas. 👍🏼
@@no_rubbernecking Yeah it's another very famous battle, but the reason it's not as widely known is because the confederates had almost as many casualties at Gettysburg than the combined number of Union and Confederate soldiers merely present at Westport.
Nearly 29,000 confederate casualties, and another 23,000 Union casualties at Gettysburg, and around 30,000 total participants at Westport, with only around 3,000 total casualties. So it's just scale really.
The battle of Westport was a more decisive victory than Gettysburg in the sense that Lee's army of Virginia was able to recover after Gettysburg and remain a serious threat for another two years, but after Westport the Confederate army of Missouri never recovered.
@@adamwee382 That's right!
Fun Fact: Drill Sergeants treat EVERYONE like that
Thanks G.! You are very knowledgeable about this period of American history!
You complained no one told you the film would be so good. I would not have even known how to convey the greatness of this film to you without overly spoiling it.
I will tell you that the film Gettysburg (1993), produced by Ted Turner, is about equally as good, though told mostly from a White perspective. To me, these two films go hand in hand and no Civil War study is complete without both of them.
The majority feeling on UA-cam seems to slightly favor Gettysburg for its extreme dedication to accuracy, realism, scale, and preserving memory of the politics and economics of the war. However, for treatment of the Northern Black experience, Glory is without peer and IMO probably shall always be. 💙
So many stars in one movie
Thank you for sharing this very heartfelt and emotional reaction with us.
The Mass. 54th spent time in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. The ill-fated naked frontal assault of Fort Wagner really happened. Several scenes were filmed on the Georgia coastal islands. One of my friends was a "rebel" extra in Fort Wagner. Blooper alert! When one of the "liberated slaves" raises his hand to cheer on the troops, you can see that he is wearing a DIGITAL WRISTWATCH.
Your reaction and thoughts about Glory was very touching. It's been a rough road into building a nation based on "all men are created equal." But we are all Americans in the same boat now. I had an ancestor killed in this same battle at Fort Wagner, July 18th, 1863. First Sergeant Aaron McNaughton, 62nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. When I first saw this movie in the theater in 1989, at the end, the theater was so quiet and everyone so deep in thought, you could hear a pin drop.
7:30 "not the water works" girl you came to the wrong movie lol
This film has legs. It's one of the best ever to come out of Hollywood.
While the story is anchored in a couple of key historical events, the details are all fiction.
Even so, historians love this movie for accurately depicting the period - the North isn’t whitewashed as “the good guys.”
The soundtrack to this movie is one of my favorites of all time - the Harlam Boys Choir singing O'Fortuna during the storing of Fort Wagner gave me chills when I saw this movie in the theatre as a kid.
Interesting historical fact - Frederick Douglass's sons fought with the 54th.
Shaw was right about fraternization, but I feel like, before Thomas enlisted, he should have explained the idea to him, so he wouldn't feel personally rejected.
💯
The white union soldier that was an ass, and then said "Give them Hell , 54" is part of the crew .
He's a major writer on the movie and wanted to show his feelings towards the end of the movie on how he felt.
The primary reason the Union was hesitant to use their all black regiments on the battlefield is the concern of what would happen to them if they had to surrender. They would most likely suffer very harsh care by the Confederacy. At worst, killed on the spot. At best, sent down South to serve as slaves. Either way, all that time and money invested in training them would be lost.
Another was the political fallout. Soon after the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln declared this a fight to abolish slavery. When he said that, upwards of 15% of Union forces deserted their posts; refusing to continue if this was a war over slavery. The deserting Union troops felt betrayed by their commanders, who assured them at the beginning of the war that this was a fight to maintain US unity alone. Hundreds of these deserters wrote letters to the editors that their local newspapers published, proclaiming they only ever enlisted to preserve the union. Never to insert themselves into some 'moral crusade' telling other people how to run their societies.
Funny how that sentiment has changed over the centuries, huh? (looking at you Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan)
There had also been experiments earlier in the Civil War in naval campaigns along the Mississippi River using integrated black regiments to assist in Union raids on Southern forts. They didn't turn out so well. Those groups did have to surrender, and it's unknown what their fate became in Southern hands, but it was most likely a bad one because there was never another trace of them ever again after falling into Southern hands.
Main reason, they didn't want black people killing white people.
That and the North was often just as racist as the South, they just didn’t want slavery.
Many Black men served in WW1 and WW2 with the hope of demonstrating that they were in every way the equal of their white brothers in arms.
1:34 I just spoke with the actor playing the medic in this scene (Ethan Philips). He said that during the first take, he accidentally said "Nixon is going to free the slaves."
A lot of folks give Colonel Shaw a lot of grief over some of the scenes during the basic training with Thomas. Yes they were childhood friends but they are in the military now and he has the commanding officer so he has to follow the regulations as does Thomas. Colonel Shaw cannot treat Thomas any differently than any of his other soldiers. There cannot be even the appearance of favoritism.
Ms CaliforniaBlend (if that’s what I may call you) never be afraid to let the tears flow. The emotions are what we are here for regardless of what emotion it may be. Yell when you’re angry and also laugh as loud as you like. It all makes for a great reaction. Also I want to congratulate you on 40K followers. That number will only grow. Maybe closing in on 50K by the end of the year.
Ok, so i did literally LOL when you said "As you wish".
You damn right, you had to say it. I'm with you on that one :)
Oh and the military structure is that for a very good reason. It seems heartless, but war is heartless.
The first rule of war...young men (and women) die.
The second rule is that doctors cannot change rule number one.
Also....biscuits and gravy sound damn good. :)
Huge shout out to Its Mr. Video for his reaction video where he, at times, sounded like he was one of the troops.
I knew the movie would get you like that at the end, it gets me every time.
Saw the movie in1989 in a Baltimore theater with my future wife. Driving by the theater a couple days later I asked her if we could go see it again. So, we saw it twice.
So happy you finally saw this fine film, which is often overlooked. Thanks for your emotional response.
There were two authorized punishments for desertion: execution by firing squad and flogging. Shaw was actually as lenient as he could be.
Shaw’s cousin, Major Forbes survived the assault in Ft. Wagoner, and went on to Command what was left of the 54th.
I love this film, but it's a emotional breaker, and I don't wish to rewatch it on a Friday night. If anyone familiar that had earned my trust could tempt me, I think some Cali-blend would be very close to the top. But I'm in a different frame of mind tonight. I think I'll save this one for this coming Sunday afternoon. I have to mow the lawn, so that will be a great wat to set the mood, haha. Respect for choosing this title. ❤
People try to apply a 2024 mindset about race to an 1860s mindset about race.
In the 1860s Black people were considered 2/3 of a human, even in the Union/Northern states.
Even after the Civil War Black people were counted as 2/3 human in the US Census.
That did not change for a number of years after the Civil War.
The prevalent mindset throughout the continent was Black people were inferior to White people and less than human.
Black people were not the only people who were prejudiced against.
Almost all races other than White people were prejudiced against including Irish people despite Irish being White.
In some ways Irish were hated more because it was not immediately apparent they were Irish until they spoke or gave their name.
I've seen this movie many times, and cry every time.
Great story, wonderful characters. Lovely reaction.
This is probably my all time favorite film. Thanks for reacting to it!
The image underlying the closing credits is a bas-relief sculpture on Boston Common, across from and facing the Massachusetts State House; of the 54th on the march. The colors of the 54th, the flags they carried in battle, are on display in the Rotunda of the State House. Quite a good movie. Also as 'accurate' as Hollywood ever gets with history.
One of the best movies ever made with one of the best acting performances ever. Just to say a movie about the Civil War won 3 Oscars (back when they mattered) is an achievement on its own. After Braveheart this is my go to movie when it comes to history movies.
My history teacher in 10th grade showed us this movie, with parental permission of course. It's my favorite war movie.living in where I am I am 30 miles or so from Antietam and Gettysburg so I had a young understanding of the civil war. And the music composer went on to do the soundtrack to many movies I loved. Including the best movie ever Braveheart.
26:28 It's so hard to read how Col. Shaw is feeling because he is a seasoned veteran officer who knows that he must keep the hard military discipline in order for the battalion to survive and do the job.
I was born in 85, I was so young when this film came out and I loved it back then even before I understood what exactly was going on sometimes. Still one of my favorite films even today. I could say I grew up on this film. Lest you know I was grossly disappointed when I got old enough to realize modern militaries didn't still wear blue suits with brass buttons.
That being said, it still blows me away how much they condensed into this film. Heck even Robert Shaw the main character gets PTSD from the opening battle, and it pops up a few times in the film. I can not recall an American Civil War film that even addressed the concept of PTSD. This film addresses a lot of things that are often devoid in most films on this war, and I think it's why it's considered by many including myself to be war film based on the American Civil War. It doesn't shy away from racism, heck even Denzel's character is quite racist, both toward white and black people, seeing Denzel's character evolve through the film and how he portrayed him won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Let alone the way many white soldiers and officers treat the soldiers of the 54th.
The film isn't trying to make anyone out to be a goody tooshoo. Even Robert Shaw as a character in the film is heavily flawed, during the training period of the film he was literally acting a facade trying to show himself as a strong experienced officer so much so even his best friend couldn't stand his behavior and confronts him about it. He seems to snap out of that high horse mode after he realized he had a man whipped for trying to find shoes... instead of deserting.
When you compare it a grossly sterilized film like Gettysburg, which tries too hard not to offend anyone, or Gods and Generals which is basically Neo Confederate ... umm can not say that 'word' that refers to red district films. Glory doesn't avoid throw punches, even the language used in the film. It's not afraid to offend. Which makes the environment that much more believable.
Mr. Douglass has a role that’s actually downplayed in the movie - two of his sons served in the 54th.
Lewis served at the battle at Fort Wagner depicted in the movie, he was wounded but survived.
Not finding much on Charles.
Interesting Fact: The town that Montgomery ordered to be looted and burned was Darien Georgia. Colonel Shaw wrote about it in his journal and basically said that Montgomery was a P.O.S. and that Shaw had to go along. After the war Colonel Shaw's family donated money to help pay for rebuilding the town, because Shaw had written to his father saying he was ashamed to have been involved in destroying the town.
Glory is the best Civil War movie, if you ask me. Many Civil War movies made around the same time fell into the trap of being glorified reenactments and losing the forest for the trees. Movies like Gettysburg and Gods and Generals are good, and they were meticulous in their attention to detail and recounting of facts, but they either went halfway or completely refused to zoom in on the lives of those who fought. Ordinary guys living in extraordinary times. Guys like Trip, Sharps, Thomas, and Rawlins. Glory stands out from the crowd because it went all-in and told the story of a regiment and the men who formed it, as opposed to telling the story of a battle or a series of battles, like so many other Civil War movies tend to do. By the time you hear "Give 'em Hell, 54th!" you're so attached and fired up, you feel like grabbing a rifle and donning the blue suit and joining in on their doomed attack.
Fire.. Denzel w the single tear? 😢
President Lincoln knew he didn't have the authority to free the slaves, so he decided as Commander In Chief that he would make the Emancipation Proclamation which said that from now on any escaped slaves would not be returned to the Confederacy but be considered freed men. They were not granted citizenship but they would be allowed to join the Union Army. The slave States in the Union, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia would be allowed to keep their slaves. Until December 1965 when Congress passed the 13th amendment.😊😊
Maryland was a Southern stare. Those other states actually had very few slaves by the 1860s, with the possible exception of Kentucky, and even their numbers were pretty small. Vest Virgina nearly BORDERS CANADA which made it doomed to failure as a slave-holding region. The percentage of white in the South who held slaves was actually very low. most whites could not afford slaves and were little better off themselves than slaves. The plantation owners made up a very small number in the South
and even less in the North.
@@davestang5454 Maryland was in the Union not the Confederacy! And the point is slavery was still legal in the Union no matter how many slaves were there. And where are you from? You are Geographically challenged. West Virginia is not even close to Canada. It wasn't even a State before the war. It was part of Virginia, but the people in the west of Virginia didn't want to succeed so they broke away from Virginia and joined the Union.
Great reaction!!! Glory is my favorite war movie. The regiment went 18 months refusing their pay. A bill was passed in congress for them to receive equal pay and retroactively pay them from their date of enlistment.
I remember watching this movie in middle school back in the day and trust me, your reactions are the same as mine were 💯... Definitely a classic!!
This was the first movie I went to see a second time. I then went out and bought the book that the movies is based on and read it cover
to cover in one day. One of my all time favorite movies.
When I was a little girl in the early seventies Morgan Freeman was on a children's educational show called Electric Company. He wore purple and red and had an afro. He helped me learn how to read.☮️😉👍
Flogging was common amongst most of the worlds military forces for a long period of time. A soldier or sailor could be flogged for various reasons, but for desertion or cowardice it was usually a death sentence. Flogging was considered a minor punishment, more severe punishments were usually carried out for more major crimes or infractions.
The use of flogging in a military context, is actually how it became used for slavery. A slave owner wouldn't want to permanently harm a slave, since their use for manual labor could be reduced. So flogging was adopted as a way to control people without permanent damage. It is a very shocking and brutal thing though, but it was used for a fairly long time, up until human rights started to be taken more seriously.
Usually a person is unable to walk after being flogged and has to have a few days to recover. The scars are a reminder and is apart of the punishment, since it's a reminder to the person flogged but also a symbol for others to not step out of line. The earliest attempt to end corporal punishment in the military was in the 1820's but was unsuccessful. It wouldn't be until the 1880's that flogging was ended in the US Navy. There are still some nation's military forces that use corporal punishment.
Great film and great reaction. Your sincere, perceptive, and heartfelt reactions are the best. Your observations make films even better. Thank you.
I grew up in Cambridge Mass. My Dad was an electrician. I used to work with him on weekends when I was in HS. Once we were doing a new entrance near Putman Ave in Cambridge ( between Harvard Squ and Central Squ) of an older Black guy. I was in the basement tying in circuits. His basement was full of Civil War memorabilia. Some I saw from the 54th Mass. Sadly I did not know the history. It was an archive for sure!
Great Reaction to this classic based on True Events......
Denzel and Morgan played their parts excellently.....
The issue with the pay difference is documented, and there is documented proof that the 54th received no pay for over a year until they were paid the same as other soldiers.....
The Confederates buried Col Shaw in a mass grave with his troops considering a dishonor, Col Shaw's family was asked if they wanted his body exhumed and reburied at home in Mass, the Family stated it was an honor for him to be buried with his men.....
I remember screening this movie just before it came out in the cinema. Great film and great reaction. ❤️
You really should watch Ken Burns "Civil War" on PBS. That series is one of the greatest visual works that takes the viewer through the ins and outs of the war not only military wise but in the retrospect of the slaves, the southerners, and the struggles of the two nations and the leadership of the United and Confederate States. It really grips you with first hand accounts and leading historians of the time of filming. I truely hope you'll watch them for a greater appreciation for history of the Civil War.
My great great great grandfather was in the Civil War for the United States. He lived in Massachusetts as do I. With all the crazy world today I am so proud my family was on the right side of history. We are all crested equal and no one can take away our rights.
My ancestors fought on both side though the ones who fought for the South were from Tennessee and had freed their slaves long before the Civil War. They were against slavery though they fought for the South. The other side were fighting Quakers from Pennsylvania and were also related to the Hoovers.
@@arakuss1 It was illegal to free slaves in the south but cool story bro.
The year this came out my Social Studies class took a trip to the theater to see this.
In the 54th's first engagement, that opening cavalry charge wasn't a decoy. It was intended to break up their formation and leave them in disarray, to soften them up for the infantry. It's just that the charge failed.
This is one of my favorite movies. I saw it when it first came out about 35 years ago. Many poignant moments in the movie. One that grabs me is when they are marching down to the ships, in Boston, it was less the gaze of Shaw's mother but rather that of the black families watching and filled with pride at watching these troops marching off. They were going to fight for what they longed for: freedom. Did they realize how few would return.
She’s So Beautiful ❤❤❤❤
This was a great reaction ✌🏽💪🏽💯👍 I love this movie my school actually played this movie in class during history