Hollywood and documentary filmmakers have mined historical events for inspiration, developed deeper insight into those specific time periods, and examined the personal stories prevent in all historical causation. The goal of these assignments is to assess the historical accuracy of a Hollywood movie or a documentary, how those source compare with the primary source documents we examine in class, and the material presented in the textbook. Depending on the length of each unit, you will have to select two or three movies and post an initial 500 to 700 word online discussion post per movie. You are also required to reply to your fellow students with a 100-150 word post comparing and/or contrasting their interpretation with the movie you selected (only one student reply per hybrid movie assignment is necessary).

You MUST attach a selfie of you watching the movie or documentary to your initial post. Your assignment WILL NOT be graded unless the selfie is included (you may watch the movies as a group, but the group selfie must be attached to each group member’s individual initial post). I do not expect you to know all of the relevant historical nuances of a movie, therefore you will have to consult outside sources and resources in order to complete this assignment. You need to have at least three sources, not including the movie itself. Make sure you cite your sources properly, providing links to legitimate websites and bibliography information. Do not plagiarize from the internet! Initial posts without a works cited or bibliography WILL NOT be graded.

If you selected a Hollywood movie or television series, your initial post must contain the following analysis:

• • • A brief summation of the movie (no longer than one paragraph in length, approximately 150 words)
    • How historically accurate was the plot (did these events actually take place as presented in the movie)?
    • How historically accurate were the characters (were they based on real people, or were they composites of multiple individuals)?
    • How do the events found in the movie reinforce or disregard themes found in the textbook and the in-class primary source documents (point to specific examples to support your argument)?
    • How was the historical information presented (was it simply a backdrop for the story that the director wanted to tell, or was it essential)?

    These are the movies/shows we should pick 1 from:1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower (2006)Secrets of the Dead: Jamestown’s Dark Winter (2015)Last of the Mohicans (1920 or 1992)1776 (1972)Hamilton (2020) (If you pick it here, you can’t watch it again for Unit 2)The Patriot (2000)Revolutionary War: Rebels and Redcoats (1995)Sons of Liberty (2015) (Two out of three episodes)Turn (2014-) (Two episodes)

  These are the movies to pick from:Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower (2006)Secrets of the Dead: Jamestown’s Dark Winter (2015)Last of the Mohicans (1920 or 1992)Hamilton (2020) (If you pick it here, you can’t watch it again for Unit 2)The Patriot (2000)Revolutionary War: Rebels and Redcoats (1995)Turn (2014-) (Two episodes)1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)