Shaw, the main character faces many problems. Forbes and Thomas do not see him as their military commander because they have known him all their lives. Forbes doesn't see the point of training the men for combat because he believes blacks will never see battle anyway. He accuses Sha

The film begins in 1862 during the Civil War. Officers ride horses. The men use weapons that must be loaded by hand. Medicine is in a very primitive state. Despite the fact that the Union Army is fighting to eliminate slavery (at least, that is one reason, besides succession) there is still a great deal of racism. It is vividly portrayed throughout the film. One officer, for instance, tells Shaw the "coloreds" are like little children, not to be trusted, not worth anything. The government sends a message they will only pay $10 a month for black soldier's service, whereas they pay $13 to whites. They are freely referred to as niggers, little jungle monkeys, and other similar disrespectful names. One of the most moving moments in the film is when they finally receive their uniforms. The uniform allows them some measure of dignity.

w of acting high and mighty. Shaw doesn't understand black culture. His soldiers don't get supplies like shoes and socks for winter, and the government doesn't want to pay them the same as white soldiers. He is basically thoughtful and modest, and people think they can walk all over him. Like Shaw, Rollins isn't sure he wants to be a non-commissioned o

Some common words found in the essay are:
Shaw Rollins, Union Army, Forbes Thomas, Civil War, Ft Wagner, Denzel Washington, Matthew Broderick, Cory Elwes, Morgan Freeman, War Officers, civil war, forbes doesn't, union army,
Approximate Word count = 808
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)