Directions: Chose one of the questions below to research and address in a short (750-1000 words) paper. You should follow proper MLA formatting and include a bibliography and use parenthetical citation. This paper will be due Wednesday October 13.
1. The Patriot portrays the period of the American Revolutionary War that was fought in the South, specifically South Carolina, but this portrayal depends on previous battles (going back to the 1750s) and an overall “picture” of the course of the war and the strategies and successes of the Continental Army, the British, and the French. How accurate is this portrayal? (You should refer to specific battles mentioned or suggested in the film like Fort Abercrombie, Fort Wilderness, Hillsborough, Morristown, Charles Town, Elizabethtown, Fort Caroline, Cowpens, and Yorktown, as well as to strategies such as the British killing civilians and surrendered troops and burning homes and churches, the militia forces in South Carolina recruiting in taverns and fighting from the swamps and targeting officers, and the degree of French involvement).
2. Many of the characters in the film are actual Revolutionary figures or are clearly intended to be. To what degree are the characterizations of the following figures accurate?
Francis Marion (Benjamin Martin)
Lord Cornwallis
Tarleton (Tavington, the “Bad” guy)
The Marquis de Lafayette (Villeneuves)
3. This film created an outcry in England where critics and audiences blasted it as biased, historically inaccurate anti-British propaganda. What is the interpretation of the American Revolution presented in the film and how well does it correspond to those traditionally presented by historians? (Note: This is a more difficult question because it deals with historiography rather than specific historical data. If you chose to answer it you will need to find a good source of information on the historiography of the American Revolution.)
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