Glory (1989)

         Today in class we watched the movie Glory (1989).  The film is directed by Edward Zwick and features Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman.  The film is about the 54^th regiment, which was the first formal unit of the Union army during the Civil War that was made up entirely of African-American men.  The film explores in-depth detail and is extremely interesting.  Numerous African-American men gained respect for their bravery during battle.  This demonstrates a cultural shift and puts the African-American soldiers on the same level as white soldiers.  For the first time in American history, the color of their skin was overlooked and it became evident that the pigment of someone’s skin does not determine what kind of person he or she is.  The men in the Union recognized their significance and in result were not vain.  Many men were sacrificed and due to the regiments’ great efforts and therefore a significant amount of respect was gained by the Union.  The 54^th regiment demonstrated that black men were extremely capable and this changed the public mentality moving forward as black soldiers became accepted and equally viewed as their white companions.