Just War Theory and the Movie "Glory"

The movie “Glory” tells the history and the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. It became a black regiment fighting for the North in the Civil War. The Regiment was made up of black soldiers – most were Northern freemen; some were escaped slaves. The leader was General Robert Gould Shaw, the son of Boston abolitionists. The men of the 54th Regiment proved themselves worthy of the freedom for which they fought, and the respect of their fellow white soldiers.

Eventually, the treatment of African Americans that Harper so vehemently is against in her poem and Whitehead writes about in his novel sends the United States into a Civil War. Eleven southern states formed the Confederate States of America in which they fought a devastating four year war against the United States. The Civil War drastically changed the treatment of African Americans. The movie Glory is evidence of this. Glory is a civil war movie about the first African American regiment in the United States military. Their commander-Colonel Robert Gould Shaw- is white. The movie details the triumphs and hardships of the regiment, who at first seem to have trouble with one another and their commander, but grow to form a bond of camaraderie. The movie shows just how much hope the African American men have for their country because while they were in the army they were given no good reasons to feel as if they were Americans. They were mistreated by the white regiments and subject to worse conditions. The white men don't’ believe their capabilities, so they do not fight. Eventually their commander tells army officials , “ There's character. There's strength of heart. You should have seen us in action two days ago. We were a sight to see!” (Zwick). This leads the military to ask the regiment to lead a charge on Fort Wagner, a charge they know to be a death sentence. The most touching part of this scene is that these men are not one bit afraid to die for their country. Their

War, the Ultimate Proving Ground: The black troops persevered in the face of hardship, prejudice, and discrimination. They fought in spite of atrocious treatment and in the face of bitter challenges, believing they could make a difference.

Glory is a movie about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the first official all black units in the United States during the Civil War. It’s an inspirational story of how a young Union soldier, Robert Gould Shaw, is offered the chance to lead an army unit that will change not only his life, but the lives of many other Americans.

Union officer William Tecumseh Sherman observed to a Southern friend that, "In all history, no nation of mere agriculturists ever made successful war against a nation of mechanics. . . .You are bound to fail." While Sherman's statement proved to be correct, its flaw is in its assumption of a decided victory for the North and failure to account for the long years of difficult fighting it took the Union to secure victory. Unquestionably, the war was won and lost on the battlefield, but there were many factors that swayed the war effort in favor of the North and impeded the South's ability to stage a successful campaign.

"If wars are won by riches, there can be no question why the North eventually prevailed." The North was better equipped than the South, with the resources necessary to be successful in a long term war like the Civil War was, which was fought from 1861 – 1865. Prior, and during the Civil war, the North's economy was always stronger than the South's, boasting of resources that the Confederacy had no means of attaining. Compared to the South, The North had more factories available for production of war supplies and larger amounts of land for growing crops. Its population was several times of the South's, which was a potential source for military enlistees. Although the South had better naval leadership and commanders, such as Robert E. Lee

The Union military and naval effort to capture Charleston failed in 1863, So did the assault on Fort Wagner led by the 54th which most of them died in the attack. On may 1863 the 54 completed their training and marched through boston to embark for the front. The 54th was not the first black regiment organized or the first to see combat. The War Department quietly allowed the Union commanders occupy portions of the lower Mississippi valley and other places to begin organizing black regiments in the fall of 1862. Four of the regiments fought in battle with the vicksburg campaign during May and June 1863, but these events had received a little publicity in the Northern press. The White officers of the 54th represented of New Charges gland society like shaw were the combat veterans of white regiments during the first two years of the war. Glory does not go into detail about the impact the battle of Fort Wagner had on the Northern like it does not mention the draft

For one, the North wasn’t as united as the South. While the Confederacy fought for their way of life, the North fought for politicians (Confederate States). They were also fighting in unknown territory. In order to win, they would have to seize control over a large area of land (Davidson and Stoff pg 488). Finally, the North couldn’t find a good military leader for most of the war. Most of the military colleges were in the South, so the North was at a huge disadvantage in leadership and skill (Confederate States).

these also played a big role in winning the civil war. The rail roads allowed fast transportation of goods. And in the time of the war the rail roads also served as transportation for soldiers. As the north had the power of the navy they were able to block all the trade from Europe to the South. The South okayed the blockage, as they thought that Europe would get involved and help the Confederate Army, because of the lack of cotton supply. Nonetheless, Europe had enough cotton and could easily replace the cotton from America with cotton from India. The North could stop all import and export to and from the Southern states. Lincoln said that he could starve the Southerners into

The available resources of The North and South determined the outcome of The Civil War. The North’s superior industry and manpower paved the way for modernization and the ultimate victory. The South was destined for defeat due to insufficient resources to compete with the North. Once The North decided to fully utilize their industrial advantage, The South was doomed.

Glory is the story of Civil War Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who leads the war's first all-black volunteer regiment the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry into battles and discovers along the way he has to confront the moral question of racial prejudice inside and outside of his regimen. Colonel Shaw was the commander of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, also known as the Massachusetts “Fighting” Fifty-fourth, which was a position he has been thrown into and felt that he may not be fit for the job. At first Shaw was a little cowardly, during the battle, bomb fragments almost hit him and he passed out. He later seems guilty and not very motivated, but with the help of his friend Forbes and some time, Shaw turns himself into the leader that his men need. At the end Colonel Shaw’s courage shows when he volunteers to be the leading regiment in the assault on Fort Wagner and then during battle he forges on when the battle seems to a lost cause.

The Civil War, a period of four years in the United States filled with bloody combat, thousands of casualties, and the destruction of much of Southern infrastructure. Although the Civil War had various causes (economy, politics, etc.), it mainly originated from the pressing issue of slavery at the time, mainly its expansion into the Western territories. As we all know, slavery was one of the most horrific times in our nation’s history, yet it was a typical and normal thing for the people of the 19th century. The film, Glory (1989), directed by Edward Zwick, doesn’t necessarily depict the horrors of slavery, however it does show 19th century America’s attitude toward African Americans, as well as the average African American’s hunger for

The film Glory by Edward Zwick is one of the most well-known films of all time. The film itself is solely based upon the first formal unit of the Union Army during the American Civil War which consist of all African American men. They were essentially the very first unit of United States Colored Troops. They were formally known for their courageous attempts to and actions at Fort Wagner in 1863. The film is set in many different locations such as New York, Maryland, South Carolina and Massachusetts. In each of these different locations events took place that shaped our history. For example on November twenty seventh of 1862 Robert Shaw started to train soldiers. July eighteenth 1863 the Colonel Shaw and his troops attempted to take Fort Wagner, which didn’t succeed.

The war ended before the recruitment of black soldiers actually began. But the Confederate army did employ numerous blacks, nearly all of them slaves, as laborers. This later led to some confusion over whether blacks actually fought for the Confederacy—apart from a handful who “passed” for white, none in fact did. But the South’s decision to raise black troops illustrates how the war undermined not only slavery but also the proslavery ideology. Declared Howell Cobb, a Georgia planter and politician, “If slaves make good soldiers, our whole theory of slavery is wrong.”

The film Glory created in 1989 and directed by Edward Zwick was originally appreciated for it’s violent portrayal of the Civil War. Audiences were in awe as special effects revealed just how gruesome war could be. However, when Glory is viewed today, it is not the effects that earn it acclaim, but instead it is the commentary it provides about racism during the Civil War. Glory follows the story of Robert Shaw, the Colonel of the 54th Massachusetts. The 54th Massachusetts was one of the first black regiments to join the Union after the Emancipation Proclamation was passed. Shaw, his officers, and his troops all had to deal with unfamiliar situations of adversity as they prepared for war. Training for Union soldiers was vigorous and even more so for the 54th. Although the North was considered to be “anti-slavery” there were still racist ideals present in some places. The 54th had a hard time getting necessary supplies and was often looked down upon by other regiments. Some thought the black soldiers needed to be harshly disciplined in order