Harold and all,
I realize this is a bit off topic for this list, but I think it is important
since many of you teach history.
I just get so dissappointed when documentaries scew history for the general
population. You know most viewers will never go any farther in researching
the subject and take the documentary as the way it actually was. Unless some
great high school or college history teacher uses it to elaborate in class.
I suppose they were trying to protect GW's reputation. Because they kept
saying, "You must remember George Washington was only 20 years old and
niave. He was eager to prove himself for a British command." But I didn't
want to see the story through GW's eyes. I wanted to see the story through
historians eyes. Oh well, so much for what I wanted, eh? (haha).
Thanks for your reply, Harold. Guess I'll just have to stick to my books for
my learning. The movies will never be good learning devices for history I
suppose. They are more like novels than factual history books. Too bad.
Because the students today like movies and multimedia. The people who
produce these types of movies should put more people on their staff who have
degrees and experience in educational technology, as well as degrees in
history and experience in teaching it at different levels, IMHO. Then maybe
they'd have a more usable product for the classrooms.
Lonny Watro
----- Original Message -----
From: "Debra Jackson/Harold Forsythe" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2006 10:01 AM
Subject: Re: The War that Made America
> Lonny and All,
>
> I don't presume any expertise on the 18th century but I just want to
> remind everyone that public TV is geared to reach a wide audience.
> Remember
> that Tolstoy in his novel War and Peace describes the Battle of Austerlitz
> through the eyes of Count Andre Bolkonsky and the occupation of Moscow
> through the eyes of Pierre Bezhukov (sp?)
> In The War that Made America, George Washington is constructed to be our
> focus and our guide into the French and Indian War. It is a narrative
> device necessary for all those who watch the series but who don't post on
> this listserve.
>
> Harold S. Forsythe
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lonny J. Watro" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2006 8:10 AM
> Subject: The War that Made America
>
>
>> Did anyone watch the War that Made America last night on PBS? I did and
>> was
>> surprised that they made Washington appear so important during Braddock's
>> defeat. As I understand it, Washington was stripped of his command for
>> surrenduring and admitting to murdering a French officer (although, he
>> didn't know French and signed a French document only to save his men).
>> None
>> the less, he was only a Provincial "volunteer" at Fort Cumberland and
>> asked
>> to be Aide de Camp to Braddock. But the movie shows him sitting side by
>> side
>> with Braddock reviewing the troups as if he were his equal. I doubt this
>> would have ever happened. From what I've read about Braddock, he didn't
>> think the Colonials were soldiers at all. Finally, at the end of this
>> part
>> of the movie it does say GW volunteered. But it gives the indication at
>> the
>> beginning that Braddock had selected him. And wasn't there a second Aide
>> de
>> Camp? One which was an elisted man and not a volunteer? Where was he in
>> the
>> movie? And where was Fry? Wasn't he there? It seemed like the only two
>> important characters where GW and Braddock. I was dissappointed. And they
>> are saying you can use this in the schools as a teaching
>> aid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>> What say ye, my wise, history instructors?
>>
>> Lonny Watro
>>
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