Andersonville

Well, I know it wasn't the most pleasant movie to watch. I do hope that you found Andersonville interesting and informative.

The Andersonville National Historic site is just a few hours north of us in Georgia. It's hard to imagine that such horrific war crimes took place so close by. Some of the scenes in the movie reminded me of scenes from the concentration camps of the Holocaust - albeit on a smaller scale. But nearly 14,000 dead in one prison over the course of about two years is still a staggering figure.

The movie raised several important questions. Is it possible for humans, when put into those kind of circumstances, to maintain the basic laws of human decency (not to mention actual laws)? Is it understandable that some would go into a "survival of the fittest" mode, like the raiders in the movie? Is that behavior excusable, at least at some level?

On a more general note, do you think that the History Film Festival (our after school movies) has been worthwhile? Have you enjoyed the films? Understanding that we have to keep the films related to our class, what would you change about the Festival? Were the movies too graphic (violent, harsh language, etc.)?

My goal with the History Film Festival has been to show you movies that you might not go out and rent on your own. I hope that you've enjoyed it.

Andersonville Links:
Andersonville National Historic Site
Andersonville on Wikipedia
From the Civil War Home website

Make sure you comment by Wednesday, June 1 for extra credit.

The Story of the 54th Massachusetts

"Once you let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship."

Frederick Douglass

Thanks to everyone that came to the movie. I hope you all enjoyed it - and learned something. The story of the 54th Massachusetts is an important one, and just an example of the nearly 200,000 black troops that served in the Civil War. One interesting fact about the 54th is that they served at the Battle of Olustee, which took place near Lake City, FL (just about 1 1/2 hours from Tallahassee).

If you came to the movie and are interested in earning extra credit, complete the survey at the following link by clicking here.