Glory

I enjoyed the movie Glory. I thought the movie showed not only the gruesomeness of war, but more importantly the unfair treatment of the black men of the 54th regiment and how they were not treated as all the other men were. I really liked Shaw's character and how he fought endlessly for the blacks to be treated fairly. I also liked when the men were so excited to fight for equal rights and be treated fairly, that  it didn't matter if they lost their lives because of it.  One scene that bothered me was when Shaw gave permission to the officer to whip the soldier, however I understand that he needed to do it to show his authority and gain the men's respect.  I felt like the movie was really inspiring to fight for what you feel is right and what you really want.  Shaw's character was extremely interesting to me because he was questioning even taking control of the 54th, but he did it anyways and he put everything he had into it.  I would recommend this movie to people, whether they are interested in war movies or not.  This movie is much more than a war movie and instead shows how the 54th was treated and what heroes they ended up being.

Many people go to war and end up losing their  lives while fighting.  I think people are willing to die for their county because they believe it is the way to get their country's freedoms. I also think many people do it because they believe they need to do something good for their country and if it helps others, they don't mind being a sacrifice. I believe that all men and women who fight in the wars are heroes, but the men of the 54th Massachusetts regiment are without a doubt heroes.  The men were fighting for their own freedom and were willing to do anything to get there.  All these men wanted was equality and to be treated like the white soldiers, so while many people would hope they wouldn't be put on the front lines, these men were eager to get there.  I have so much respect for these heroes and how brave they were to go into some of the deadliest battles and not look back.  Shaw is also a hero without question.  Shaw was the first man to lead a black regiment, which was unheard of.  However, more importantly, Shaw stood up for these men and fought just as hard to give them their equality in war and our country would not be the same without him.  When the men were just left to do  the hard labor, Shaw fought for them to be able to go to the front lines.  Shaw also volunteered his men to go into Fort Wagner first, knowing that almost all of the men would die, and he didn't hide in the back, instead died fighting at the front of the regiment, helping these men achieve their goal of being treated like real soldiers.

This specific story of the 54th regiment is extremely important because it changed our history.  For the first time the black men were able to fight the front lines of a war which had always been only white men.  The men were heroes who entered Fort Wagner first without looking back, and although the Fort was never taken, the 54th leading the troops was so important. These men were fearless and wanted to make sure the  generations after them were able to have equality that they were not able to have.  The story in Glory and of the 54th regiment is one that I will always remember because of these heroes that set the path of our country.