GDG- New museum

[128thpa at comcast.net]

 <<That came about because the director asked a historical consultant 
if there would have been any free men in SC during this time.  The 
answer was a very few, but overwhelmingly slavery was the rule.

The director seized on the very few to make the exception seem the rule.>>


I grant you that the use of free blacks as workers in the Patriot was to make Mel Gibson (aka Benjamin Martin) as the good guy.  That is just plain Hollywood.  But I don't believe that the movie shows the exception as the rule at all.  They also show African Americans being gathered up by the British and giving them their freedom(presuming that they did this for all slaves) if they fight for Britain making the them look altruistic, when in fact, the British didn't really treat slaves or former slaves much better.  I show this film to my 8th grade students who are all African American.  They understand the difference - we discuss this in class and they are pretty insightful into the differences and the condition of most African Americans at the time.

Paula