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Summary Of The Movie Glory

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The 54th Massachusetts was the first all black infantry regiment in the United States. It consisted of African American volunteers. They were guaranteed freedom after serving. The 54th was put under the command of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Shaw was to make sure that his troops were battle ready. The 54th was subject to intense scrutiny from the day of formation. Many people believed that African Americans were unable to fight, and that many would desert come the first sign of danger. The movie Glory is as accurate a depiction of the 54th and their colonel as ever. It is based on letters hand written by Colonel Shaw himself as well as other creditable accounts. The 54th proved throughout the theatre of war that they were definitely able and willing to fight and die for their country and their freedom. As stated, upon formation the 54th came under heavy and constant scrutiny from not only civilians and southerners, but also there own brothers in arms. White soldiers were not happy about the circumstances. They now had to rely on Negroes to fight either with them or fight ahead of them, as seen …show more content…

The white soldiers were tended to, and quartermasters supplied whatever was needed. However, the men of the 54th did not receive even the slightest of luxuries. These men did not receive shoes, uniforms, or even weapons for a time. One of the men of the 54th was whipped for deserting, but he only deserted to find some shoes. When Colonel Shaw heard about this he felt great remorse for having ordered the whipping and immediately forced the quartermaster to supply his troops with whatever was needed. Another example of the inequalities is the fact that the men of the 54th were paid three dollars less per month than the white soldiers. This stirred uproar within the regiment. They believed that they were risking their lives just as much as the white soldiers and they deserved the same

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