![]() American colonists grew more and more tired of increasingly high tax payments from the British (known as redcoats) and their cruel punishments when those taxes couldn’t be paid. The historical context: While the US began as 13 British colonies, that was put to an end with the Revolutionary War with the birth of a new nation known as the United States of America. After British soldiers burn his house down, he becomes motivated to join the rebellion against England and unfortunately loses his son in the process. The main character, Benjamin Martin, a former war hero, has ignored the growing tensions between the colonial US and Great Britain until it shows up on the doorstep of his plantation. Leading actors Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger star in the Patriot, a story set in colonial South Carolina in 1776 amidst the Revolutionary War. ![]() This led to the outbreak of the Civil War that lasted from 1861 to 1863. Growing abolitionist sentiment hit its peak with the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and within a mere three months, 7 Southern states had succeeded from the US. The US was split between the North (anti-slavery) and South (pro-slavery), of which these black and white views are clearly portrayed in 12 Years a Slave. The years leading up to the Civil War were some of the most tumultuous times in the history of the country. By 1761, slavery had hit an all time high. The historical context: The US had a history of slavery dating back 400 years, even before it was established as an independent country. He spent 12 years working on plantations until he met a Canadian abolitionist and was able to find freedom and reconvene with his family. Later on, he was abducted and forced into slavery in 1841 in Louisiana. Prior to enslavement, he was living freely in New York with his beloved wife and children. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Michael Fassbender, this movie follows the true story of the main character, Solomon Northrup, an enslaved Black man in the pre-Civil War US.
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