The Patriot: Historical Inaccuracies

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The Patriot was a 2000’s historical film that depicted the American Revolution from the eyes of Benjamin Martin. While the movie won many different awards including Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography, as well as being nominated for 3 different Oscars and other awards, many historians criticized the film on the historical inaccuracies. The Patriot was a dramatized movie that twisted many truths and lies together to make an award winning fiction movie, not a historically correct movie.
The Patriot was set in 1776 in colonial South Carolina. Benjamin Martin was a peaceful southern plantation owner raising 7 children. Because of his background in the French/Indian war, he wants no part of a war with Great Britain, the most powerful nation in the world. Against his wishes, his eldest son Gabriel enlists in the newly formed "Continental Army" when South Carolina decides to join the rebellion against England. But when Colonel William Tavington, known for his ruthless tactics, comes and burns the Martin Plantation to the ground as well as killing one of Benjamin’s
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Benjamin Martin was a fictional character made up from real people from that time including Francis Marion. He was known as the "Swamp Fox" because he lead a militia that would emerge fro hiding places in swamps to strike swiftly, eliminating British in the south significantly. (Voiced of Freedom) Martin’s attacks were much like this in the movie. One of the most consistent truthful aspects of the film was that all the clothes and most of the props were accurate for the time period. The French helped the Continental Army throughout the war, and to end the war at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, which was represented at the end of the film. The battles shown in the film were real battles in the Revolution. For examples, the battles of Camden, Cow-pens and Yorktown were authentic in the