Search found 1 match: Matthew McConaughey

(Includes spoilers) A powerful action-drama about a local Mississippi rebellion against the Confederate rebellion, brought about by Southern corruption, conscripting men, and confiscating supplies and livestock, without reimbursement, in order to support the army in its fight for the Southern plantation system. The last straw for the main character, Newton Knight, superbly played by Matthew McConaughey, was the passing of the 20 slave law that exempted 1 white man for every 20 slaves—in order to prevent a slave rebellion what with so many white males being off to war.
It’s a gritty depiction of the sordid underbelly of an already corrupt slave economy. It’s a reminder, as if we needed one, of the reprehensible conditions some of our ancestors (on both sides) imposed on their society; but neither justifies either hate or guilt this far removed from it or the Jim Crow laws. It also depicts the courageous good things that others got right. The end of the movie balances things with a political statement when it shows a mixed-race group, armed with guns I must add, marching into town on election day and demanding Republican ballots. That scene is probably behind many of the less than favorable reviews. It’s easy to forget that Lincoln and the Abolitionists were Republicans; while Klansmen (including “former” Klansmen) occupied some of our highest offices, and were allied with Democrats into the 21st Century. 9/10