[For each
of the last
few holiday seasons, I’ve made some
requests to the AmericanStudies
Elves. This year, I thought I’d highlight some amazing American stories that
are ripe for telling in historical fiction films, novels, TV shows, you name
it. Share the stories you’d like to see told, or any other wishes for the AS
Elves, ahead of a wish-full crowd-sourced weekend post!]
The 19th
century Renaissance American whose biography rivals any of our most amazing
fictions.
It’s true that Ely
Parker has technically been on screen already in recent years—but his
character in Steven
Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012) had no
speaking lines, and wouldn’t have been recognizable to anyone who didn’t
already know about his vital role
as General Grant’s aide. And as I traced at length in
this post, Parker’s life story is as full, diverse, and thoroughly
inspiring as any in American history. The fact that it ended in part in
controversy and tragedy, tied to his role
as the first Native Commissioner of Indian Affairs under none other than
President Grant, only makes this that much more complex and compelling of an
American story. Ain’t none of us clean, as Denzel’s character Tripp concisely
puts it in Glory—and that doesn’t mean
for a second that there aren’t stories and histories that can not only remind
us of the messier sides, but also inspire us with their successes and
achievements and legacies. I don’t know of any American story that would do all
those things more fully than Ely Parker’s, so c’mon, Elves, let’s make it
happen!
Next wishing
tomorrow,
Ben
PS. What do you
think? Other wishes you’d share?
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