History in Film

Cover of Northup's Book

Watching a movie in class can do more than fill time or be entertaining. If the right movie is selected, it can be very educational when analyzed in class. Two such movies with high educational value are Glory and 12 Years a Slave. The film Glory, as we learned in class, was created using letters from Colonel Shaw to his family while he was away at war. The film 12 Years a Slave was also created with a great primary source: the book written by Solomon Northup about his experience.

Cover of Glory

In the film Glory, you see Colonel Shaw's struggle to gain the trust of the all-black platoon he has come to lead. At the start of the movie, he is doubtful of his ability to gain their trust. The viewer sees that there is still tension between the black and white soldiers. One turning point in the film is right after the South announces that they will kill any black prisoners of war or and white soldiers working with them. Colonel Shaw is worried that the soldiers will take the opportunity they have been offered and leave the platoon, but they don’t. After this point, you begin to see the trust and respect forming between Colonel Shaw and his soldiers. From watching this film, you develop an understanding of the still-present tension between the black and white soldiers, despite the fact that they are fighting for the abolition of slavery. 

Pre-Battle Scene from Glory

Patsey, Epps, and Solomon (left to right)

In 12 Years a Slave, you not only get to see the events that took place in Northup’s life, but you also get a glimpse of several cultural “norms” surrounding slavery and how slaves were treated. One such norm was the treatment of slaves who were “favored” by the master of the plantation. Once Solomon arrives on the Epps’ farm, he befriends a slave girl called Patsey. Patsey is Mr. Epps’s favorite slave, and in turn receives harsh treatment from the jealous Mrs. Epps. In the pre-Civil War era, it was often true that female slaves were used as sex slaves for the master of the plantation, and if they refused they faced the consequence of severe beatings and other physical punishments.

Mrs. Epps scratching Patsey

The mistress of the house frequently became jealous of the “favored” slave and lashed out at her physically and/or mentally. This was possible because one of the main responsibilities of the mistress of the farm was caring for the needs of the slaves. If they were jealous of a particular slave they could make her miserable by denying her food or soap or even physically abusing her. This can be noticed in 12 Years a Slave between Mrs. Epps and Patsey. Mrs. Epps is cruel to the slave girl on several occasions: she threw a bottle at her head, scratched her head, and even denied her food at one point. In one of the more serious cases, she even pushes her husband to severely whip Patsey. This gives the viewer an idea of the kind of relationships there were between mistress, master, and favored slave.

Watching a film in class can be educational if the right movie is picked. In history class, we were able to get two very different perspectives from the pre-Civil War era. By watching these films, we did not just learn about the facts and events that took place, we also got to glimpse into the cultural norms of those living before and during the Civil War. 
Sources:

Slate - “How Accurate was 12 Years a Slave?”
I used this to find out what events in the 12 Years a Slave film were taken from the book and
which happenings were made up or added.

Bowdoin College - Master-Slave Relations
This gave me more detailed information on the relationships between the master of the
plantation and female slaves.

PBS - Letters to R.C. Ballard Regarding Slave Woman Abuse
These primary sources helped strengthen the argument about the abuse of female slaves.

SFGate - Her tale was brutal, sexual. No one believed a slave woman could be so

literate. But now Harriet Jacobs has reclaimed her name.
The story of this female slave was an example of the abuse of female slaves.

History News Network - The Frightening Parallels between 19th Century American

Slavery and 21st Century Sex Trafficking
This source gave information on the business of "renting" female slaves.

Wordpress: Women of the Old South - Scarlett Lashes Out: Violent Plantation

Mistresses
This blog gave general information on the topic of plantation mistresses and their roles on the
plantation.

Richmond University - The Varying Roles of Plantation Mistresses in the Antebellum South
I used this source to get a more detailed idea about plantation mistresses and why they might lash out
at slaves.

Armstrong University - Paternalism and the Southern Hierarchy: How Slavery Defined Antebellum
Southern Women
This source informed me of other reasons for plantation mistresses being violent towards their slaves.

Inquiries Journal - Sexual Relations Between Elite White Women and Enslaved Men in the Antebellum
South: A Socio-Historical Analysis
This article gave me information on the behavior of plantation mistresses other than being violent to
slaves.

Web Archaeology - Levi Jordan Plantation: Sallie McNeill’s Diary
This diary of a plantation girl was a great primary source for getting inside the head of a plantation
mistress and seeing how she feels towards her slaves.

History vs. Hollywood - 12 Years A Slave
This site confirmed that the events involving Patsey and Mrs. Epps were true.