The Patriot

The movie stars Mel Gibson as the central character and is set in South Carolina in the year1776. The Patriot depicts the “to-be” Americans struggle as they fight for their independence from Britain. The purpose of our paper is to outline the historical accuracy of the movie.

Summary of The Patriot

The Patriot, the movie, is set in America in 1776. It is the story of the courageous efforts by the British government to defeat a group of Colonial rebels located in South Carolina during the American Revolutionary war. Not long after the Continental Congress had ordered publication of its Declaration on Independence from the rule of King George, war is waging in the north. While a massive drive in the south is growing for volunteers to join the Continental Army, Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson, fearing for the safety of his family, publicly objects to the coming revolution. When one of Martin’s sons joins the Continental Army and the British Army burns his farm and arrest his son. Martin has a change of heart, leaves his children in the hands of his wife’s sister and accepts a command in the Army to fight the British and free his son.

Historical Accuracy and Significance

Some of the characters portrayed in The Patriot are real people, like Cornwallis, some are compilations of several real people. Some of events depicted are pure fiction, while others are based on actual happenings.

The role of the militia is highlighted in this film and they are shown to be effective. In reality, the militia was considered very important. No strategy used by the British was able to contain American resistance. The Reader’s Companion to American History states:

…in the final analysis it was the refusal of the civilian population to capitulate and the determination of the hundreds of ill-trained, poorly supplied militia companies

to harass the enemy that weighed most heavily in the defeat of the British forces in

America. (college.hmco.com).

This brings up the issue the indecisiveness of colonials regarding independence from England. The beginning of the film shows Benjamin Martin reluctant to fight the British even though he is against the taxation without representation and believes the colonies could govern themselves without British intervention. Only after one of his sons is unnecessarily killed by British Colonel Tavington does Martin decide to seek revenge, and gather a militia force together. The film shows scenes of violence and murder by British troops against townspeople and captured and wounded American soldiers. Colonel Tavington is based on the real Colonel Tarleton and there is no evidence that he perpetrated the atrocities shown in the film. There are many documented cases of extreme violence against colonials, such as the Hessian violence against New Jersey inhabitants, or the British looting and burning of homes in Pennsylvania and Maryland. These actions by British troops and their allies alienated many colonials who where loyal to the king or reluctant to take a stand. As a result, many of these people, appalled by these violent actions,