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Learning About American History Through Great Films the Crucible

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Learning About American History Through Great Films the Crucible Learning About American History Through Great Films The Crucible. A story based on the Salem witchcraft trials, capturing the sense of hysteria in the 1600’s but also the red scare (McCarthyism) of the 1950’s. 1776. A musical account of the events leading up to the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Roots. A video presentation of an award-winning family saga (six part series), starting with their arrival as slaves in America. The Patriot. True historical figures form the background for the major character in this film set during the Revolutionary War. Amistad The story of a slave revolt in 1839, it started a controversy that pitted the courts against the President. A milestone in the development of the abolitionist movement. Twelve Years a Slave. Winner of Academy Award for best picture of 2013, the movie is based on the book by Solomon Northrop, who was kidnapped from his New England home and forced into slavery in the South for 12 years. Lincoln. This movie focuses on the struggle to have the 13th amendment to abolish slavery enacted by congress. Daniel Day Lewis won best actor for his performance. Gettysburg. Classic Civil War movie detailing the most important battle of American history. Glory. Civil War movie chronicles the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts, an African American unit that fought bravely to win freedom for all slaves. Denzel Washington won an Oscar for his role. Dances with Wolves. A disillusioned soldier leaves the Civil War battlefield and strikes out on his own. He eventually learns to love and respect the land, when Sioux Indians welcome him into their tribe. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Fictional account of one of the last surviving slaves. High Noon. Classic Western. An outlaw released from jail is on his way back to the town he once terrorized. Barbary Coast. A glimpse of love, greed and frontier justice during the California Gold Rush, and a view of the Old West. The Ox-Bow Incident. A frontier town (Nevada, 1885) is rocked by news that a respected rancher has been murdered, and a posse is formed to find the killer while the sheriff is away. The Titanic. Based on the sinking of the “unsinkable” ship on its maiden voyage. Good insights into the early 20th century Gilded Age and class differences. All the King’s Men. Dirty politics in Louisiana, early 20th century, based on a classic novel. Inherit the Wind. Drama based on the true story of the Scopes “Monkey Trial” in 1925 (Darwin’s Theory of Evolution). To Kill a Mockingbird. Moral and historical lessons about racism. A white lawyer and single father is appointed to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman in rural South, 1930’s. Based on Harper Lee’s classic novel, read and loved by most high school students. The Great Debaters. Drama based on the true story of the Wiley College debating team, and how the coach gets the team on equal footing with white college debating teams, such as Harvard University. Stars Denzel Washingon as the team coach. The Grapes of Wrath. The story of Oklahoma farmers fleeing dust bowl in the 1930’s, confronting violence and prejudice in California. A film classic based on Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck’s novel. Saving Private Ryan. Accurate portrayal of the rigors of war (WWII). Chronicles the mission of Captain John Miller and his men to find Private Ryan during the invasion of Normandy. Patton. Classic portrayal of General Patton (WWII) by George C. Scott. Patton was very instrumental in the US victory. Sands of Iwo Jima. John Wayne WWII classic, shows the marines at their finest in the Pacific. Schindler’s List. Indirectly about American history, but a must-see nevertheless. The true story of a hero businessman who managed to save the lives of hundreds of Jews during WWII by outwitting the Nazis. Tora! Tora! Tora! Classic WWII movie focusing on war in the Pacific. Shows both Japanese and American perspectives. Mississippi Burning. Based on a true story of the murder of three young civil rights workers who were part of a voter registration drive in Mississippi in the 1950’s. Apollo 13. Gripping true story of a space mission gone awry in the 1960’s, and the heroic men who undertook the mission. Born on the Fourth of July. The story of a patriot who fights in Vietnam, suffers injury, and eventually becomes part of the antiwar movement. The Deer Hunter. Epic film about friendship depicts the lives of three steelworkers whose lives are changed by a tour of duty in Vietnam. All the President’s Men. True account of the Watergate scandal, based on the book by the two reporters who broke the story. The scandal eventually caused Pres. Nixon to resign – the only President who has ever done so. The Butler. This movie is a history of the Civil Rights movement told through the eyes of a long-time black White House butler and his son, a civil rights activist Black Hawk Down. True story of Army Rangers in action in Somalia, shows the courage of US forces and complexities of modern warfare. The Hurt Locker. Won Academy Award for Best Picture in 2009. The story centers around heroic U.S. military technicians of the bomb squad in the war in Iraq. .
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