Janick Serrallonga AMH3571-002F11 Glory Film

1. The relations between Black soldiers and the various groups of whites were generally characterized by the mistreatment of whites towards black people. It was a general belief within the white people that the idea of black troops integration into the regiment was a joke; literally, it was seen as a political propaganda. Fellow white soldiers would not show respect for black troops at all. 2. Intra-racial relations within the Black soldiers were very strong. They would treat each other as a unique family, fighting for the same cause: end of slavery. They were much tied religiously and, during breaks, they would have rituals and prays through songs. 3. Living conditions of Black soldiers during their service was very awful and inhuman; they were not treated like soldiers, they wouldnt even get the proper equipment as all the white soldiers did. For example: footwear, uniforms and rifles were initially denied for black troops, saving them for the white ones. It was a one-man project (Robert Shaw) what changed the view in which black troops were looked at. 4. At the beginning of the course of the war, white reactions to Black soldiers were mostly negative because of the lack of respect towards them. Once Black troops started to behave like soldiers and showed their bravery, passion and heart in the battlefield, more respect and admiration came along within white fellow troops, ending on being the first battalion to attack Fort Wagner. 5. Black soldiers were fighting for freedom among slaves and finally bringing slavery to an end. On the other hand, Northern whites motivation was to fight for the Union, using blacks as support to accomplish their project. 6. The role that Black soldiers played for the union cause was to enforce the Unions idea of ending slavery and equality among citizens, and to become a boost to turn the tide of the war. To succeed, Black soldiers had to face many challenges in order to prove that they were good, even better soldiers than whites. Challenges like the lack of fair payment, being forced to attack civilians, boot camp training under inhuman conditions, the success on the battlefield, etc. 7. The symbolic importance of Black soldiers was that they initiated the breaking of the barriers between black and white populations. Supporters, like the president Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, the Governor, Colonel Shaw and his father, saw this from the same point of view, as well as Black soldiers themselves. After the 54th regiment massacre, as word of their bravery spread, Congress at last authorized the raising of black troops throughout the Union. Over 180,000 volunteered.

8. What most surprised me in Glory was to witness the way in which Black soldiers were treated and how equality among white and black soldiers was never a reality. Since I started taking this AfricanAmerican History class, I have learned on the ways in which Black people are treated, but to see it closely and in detail was another experience. 9. I found very interesting in Glory that despite of the fact that Black soldiers were treated like animals, they never gave up in their intensions and wishes to become real soldiers because this shows the strength and character on a race living on the worst situations. 10. This story widens the horizons of my knowledge about the African-American culture in the history of the United States. Many of the issues addressed on this film I was already expecting but also complemented the concepts learned during this African-American course.