During the American Civil War, the Massachusetts army engages Confederate forces in a bloody battle. Captain Robert Shaw is injured in the battle and assumed lost, but is found alive by a gravedigger named John Rawlins and sent to a field hospital. Shaw visits his family, and is introduced to Frederick Douglass. Shaw is offered a promotion to the rank of Colonel, and command of the first all-black regiment the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer army. He accepts the responsibility, and asks his childhood friend, Major Cabot Forbes to serve as his second in command. Their first volunteer soldier is another one of Shaw's friends, a bookish freeman named Thomas. Others soon follow, including Rawlins and Trip, an escaped slave who is mistrustful of Shaw. The black soldiers undergo a training regimen under the harsh supervision of Sgt. Mulcahy. Forbes and Shaw argue over the training. When Trip goes out and is caught, Shaw orders him to be whipped in front of the troops. While talking to Rawlins, Shaw finds out that Trip had left merely to find shoes to replace his own worn ones. Shaw realizes that supplies are being denied to his soldiers because of their race. He confronts Kendric, and finds out that the shoes and socks were in stock but had not been given to them. Shaw continues to respect the blacks when a pay dispute which the Federal government decided to pay black soldiers less than white soldiers. Once the 54th completes its training they go on their way to join the war in South Carolina, the 54th is ordered to destroy a Georgia town and burn it by Harker's second-in-command, Colonel Montgomery. After refusing, he obeys the order and the town is destroyed. Shaw invests Rawlins as a Sergeant Major and Rawlins begins the difficult task of earning respect from both the white and black soldiers. Shaw confronts Harker and threatens to report the smuggling he has discovered unless Harker orders the 54th into combat. In their first battle on James Island, early…
Glory is defined as being highly renowned, magnificent, or honored by excellent achievements. By definition, the 54th regime exhibited glory more than the rest of the Union army. These men were paid less, threatened with their lives, wrongfully treated, neglected of proper gear, and not allowed to reach their highest military rank, yet they still rose to every occasion to fight for the Union, to win their true freedom, and reunite a country that had kept the African-American people in the shadows.…
given by Alfred M. Green inspired African Americans to strive to be enlisted to the ranks…
Glory was a movie that was filmed in 1989 where it written by Kevin Jarre and was based on the personal letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Glory was mainly about the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which was the first actual US Army that is compromised of only African American men. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw was the commanding officer during the American Civil War. He was also the son of an influential abolitionist. Also Glory portrayed many African American who had volunteered for the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.…
The 1989 movie Glory by Edward Zwick is about the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry army for the Union army during the civil war. The movie was about a federal army that was one of the first African American armies and the hardships the endured due to their race. Throughout the movie the soldiers are first given small manual tasks but then are finally able to fight in the war. The movie shows how the men were trained to fight in combat but how they were given little supplies and were not given the big tasks they were ready for and asked for. Glory shows how the men were punishable just as if they were still slaves and how most of the men were not given enough food and not supplied with adequate equipment because they…
The Tuskegee airmen were the first all-African American fighter pilot squadron. At that time the Army had already allowed black soldiers into their ranks. This would be another step forward to try to end segregation in the United States armed services. In closing this essay will show what the Tuskegee airmen did in World War II and how they help end segregation in the armed services.…
When the 55th Massachusetts was established by Fredrick Douglas and Governor John Andrew, even Colonel Robert Shaw was shocked. In the movie Glory, he excuses himself from the presence of Douglas and Andrew and walks outside to think. His friend Cabot Forbes does not think it is a good idea at first. When Col. Shaw tells Forbes he is going to lead the regiment, Forbes is inspired to assist him. When the white Union enlisted men first see the black Union soldiers, they are hateful. They are yelling things at them and calling them all sorts of names. The white Union soldiers at this time did not see the full potential of the black regiments. They had no idea they would make any impact on the war at all. The 54th Massachusetts was laughed at. Some white officers thought these were the best conditions any of the black soldiers had ever seen. Later on in the movie, as the regiment was being used for labor, some white soldiers are passing by. One white soldier starts talking badly about the 54th, and Trip, a soldier in the 54th, says the white soldiers should just go let them fight instead. The white soldier and Trip start to fight but it is broken up. This shows that the white Union soldiers did not have faith in the black troops at this time of the war.…
The only African-American pilots in combat within the Army Air Forces during World War II believed they had something to prove. They knew that if they performed well in battle, the decision to accept them in a role from which they had previously been excluded would be vindicated. Excellent combat performance would also contribute to expanding opportunities for African Americans, not only in the armed forces of the United States, but in American society as a whole.…
The movie “Glory” discloses the story and history behind the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. This infantry became the first black unit to fight in the Civil War for the North. The unit was formed up of black soldiers; some Northern freemen, and some were slaves that had escaped. The leader was General Robert Gould Shaw, the son of one of the top Boston abolitionists. The men of the 54th Regiment proved themselves worthy of the freedom for which they were fighting for and to gain the respect of their fellow white soldiers they fought with. Although the white soldiers fought along their fellow Black soldiers, there were often discrepancies in communication and treatment, that led to character development throughout the movie.…
A letter from an African-American soldier to President Roosevelt regarding racial inequality in the army…
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was one of the first official black units in the U.S. armed forces. Their courageous assault on Fort Wagner played a key role in bringing about an end to slavery. The 54th Massachusetts was a black regiment with white officers. For example, the 54th was led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the son of wealthy Boston abolitionists. On July 18,1863, Shaw led the 54th Massachusetts in an assault against Fort Wagner, which guarded Charleston harbor in South Carolina.…
In the 1861 essay by Wendell Phillips, the author uses poignt, relevant alusions coupled with powerful selection of detail to reassure Northern Americans reluctant to allowing African Americans to join the military that the African American community is more than competent to defend their own freedom and to demonstrate to the African Americans willing to join that they are to be seen as no less than a regulation soldier.…
African American and supporter of the Union, Alfred M. Green, delivered a speech to fellow African Americans during the first month of the Civil War in 1868 Philadelphia. Green’s purpose in this speech is to persuade and convince other African Americans with the same political beliefs as him to prepare to eventually join the Union forces. Green adopts a patriotic, religious and solemn but yet, sarcastic, tone in order to illustrate that while African Americans were not legally permitted to enlist in the army, they should still strive to prepare to enlist as soon as the legal right to fight for their country and against slavery was given to African American men, as well as to speak briefly about the injustice shown to African Americans before and during the Civil War.…
The film “Glory” shows the achievements towards equality that African Americans made during the Civil War. Hundreds of black men enlist to fight in the civil war for the pride and respect they felt they deserved. Glory is defined as “High renown honor won by notable achievements.” It is adoration, praise, and prosperity. Glory is perfect happiness. This film shows many examples of how the first army consisting of black men was able to experienced glory. The men in the 54th Regiment were not just fighting to win, what they were fighting for goes way beyond that. They were fighting for glory, to achieve dignity, they were fighting a war that had been burning inside of them their whole lives.…
The Civil rights movement ignited due to unjust treatment, as they did in the Civil War and the issues we face today. An interesting aspect, in Climbing Up to Glory (Jenkins, Wilbert L, 2002) is that the predominant thinking was that a Black man lacked the qualities of a good soldier, yet there are few cases of drunkenness, gambling, desertion, or mutiny among blacks (p. 44). In addition, the author indicates that in most cases, black soldiers refused to be openly critical of one another, fearing that doing so would reflect negativity (p. 46).…