All in all, The Patriot deviates from history in several problematic ways. The film goes out of its way to make Mel Gibson’s Benjamin Martin a sympathetic character.
Category: Fact-Check
“The Last of the Mohicans” Fails at Historic Accuracy Without Really Trying
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Witch Hunt: A Cold War Allegory With Nominal Basis in True Events
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Myth Into Film
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1492: Conquest of Paradise Not Based in Truth
While the film does deserve some historical credit for dealing with the mistreatment of the natives at all, the film’s decision to portray Columbus as sympathetic and friendly to the Indians he brutalized and enslaved was both inaccurate and deeply irresponsible.