Glory

Glory, a 1989 movie, is directed by Edward Zwick, streaming on Netflix. It is a biography of Captain Robert Gould Shaw, starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Cary Elwes. This war drama was based on the 1973 novel Lay This Laurel by Lincoln Kirstein and the 1965 novel One Gallant Rush by Peter Burchard. Some of the scenes were also inspired by the personal letters of Robert Gould Shaw. During the American Civil War, Captain Robert Shaw, played by Matthew Broderick, accepts a promotion to commanding the 54th Massachusetts infantry regiment, which is one of the first all-black regiments in the Union Army. The situation changes when the Confederacy issues an order about all black soldiers to return to slavery and that no black soldier should be found in a union uniform, or they will be executed. In the end, after the battle, numerous black and white soldiers lay on the ground showing that the courage and glory demonstrated by the 54th results in the United States to accept thousands of black men for combat. Irrespective of the details portrayed in the movie, there were certain accuracies pointed out as well. For instance, the 54th regiment was shown as former slaves in the movie, but in reality, a majority of the 54th had been born free men in the North.