For my research paper I chose the civil war movie glory. This is a movie that describes the formation of one of the first all black American military units in history the 54th regiment. I think the film is important to American History because it shows the contributions made by free black men in the war effort to free their enslaved brethren. Their contributions were also voluntary, they were not forced by the government to join, they all willfully and with pride accepted the responsibility.
The story starts with a twenty three-year old union captain named Robert Gould Shaw. Shaw was a member of a wealthy and influential family in Boston. His family was well known to the Governor of Massachusetts and Frederick Douglas a well-known speaker and abolitionist. Shaw had been hardened by the horrors of war he experienced in the south's first major incursion into the north at the battle of Antietam. His unit is almost decimated by confederate forces. He is wounded and taken to a federal hospital. After returning home on medical leave Shaw learns that there is to be a new regiment comprised of black volunteers. Upon being offered command of the regiment Shaw accepts and is promoted to Colonel Robert Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts regiment.
The 54th regiment was the subject of great interest and curiosity, and it's performance would be considered an important indication of the possibilities regarding the use of black soldiers in combat situations. The unit comprised everything from run away slaves to highly educated free black men all volunteering for same purpose of ending slavery.
The movie depicts the unit's training period as hard and unforgiving to military rule. Colonel Shaw was portrayed to be a reasonable man but also a stern disciplinarian who quickly punished anyone stepping out of line. At one point Shaw has a black man named Trip flogged in front of the entire regiment because he thinks Trip had tried to desert when he had actually gone looking for shoes.