The History of . . . the Dirty Face

Readers of this blog know that I enjoy history and therefore, will not be surprised to learn that I watched the first episode of the History Channel's The History of Us this past Sunday night.  It's no small feat, attempting to tell the history of the United States in a series of two-hour episodes.  The premiere installment, which covered the time from Jamestown through Yorktown, was generally well-done and the reenacted scenes were particularly colorful, and to my amateur eye, accurate.  The program brought out the importance of relatively little known figures such as Baron Von Steuben and Daniel Morgan, as well as that of relatively little known events, such as the American victory at Saratoga.  Especially well done was the discussion of natural rights as espoused by the Declaration of Independence.

An interesting array of commentators, many of whom are journalists or politicians, appear throughout the program.  One in particular stood out, however, a Marine sergeant.  He looked every bit a Marine, as though his visage had been chiseled from granite; his battle ribbons filled the entire left side of his chest and his uniform was so sharply creased that appeared as if it could slice an orange.  He spoke about Washington's leadership at Valley Forge, concluding with the (paraphrased) words, "I wish I could have been there to have seen it.  I wish I could have served under him."  This was the most inspiring statement in the entire two hours.

One noticeable error occurred during the recreation of Paul Revere's Ride, when the actor playing Revere uttered the famous and incorrect line, "The British are coming!"  What Revere actually said was "The Redcoats [or Regulars] are coming!"  This is because Revere and all the other "Americans" at that time were still British subjects and thought of themselves as such.  Indeed, Revere's ride took place almost 15 months before the Declaration of Independence.  For an excellent discussion of this fact and the entire history of the occasion, read Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer.

There was one element of the show, however, that went from noticeable to annoying to hilarious and, therefore, tended to distract from the information itself.  Every single reenactor was made up to have the dirtiest face possible.  Faces were smudged and streaked in ways that real dirt just does not smudge and streak.  It would be understandable for scenes of Valley Forge, but even scenes depicting the Continental Congress made it appear as if the delegates had chased each other through Independence Hall with their quill pens and ink pots, trying to draw whiskers on one another.

If you missed the first episode of The History of Us, the "us" apparently being the great unwashed, then it is being rebroadcast tomorrow night at 10:00.  It is worth your time if you want a refresher on American history, but it will want to make you take a bath by the time you finish viewing.

Comments

[Becky]

I noticed that Paul Revere error as well! I still need to watch the second hour because I went to bed early but I will need to notice the dirty faces. You made me laugh out loud at work:)

[Nursing pajamas]

cool! i enjoy reading your blog, it is very informative blogs. thanks for sharing this awesome article. For an excellent discussion of this fact and the entire history of the occasion, read Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer

[Austin]

Hey Nursing Pajamas! Thanks for the compliment and welcome to the blog. Please comment freely!

[Melissa Dodge]

Do you think the dirty face equation came into play at Bunker Hill prompting Col. Wm. Prescott to deliver the "whites of their eyes" order? Perhaps that was the only distinguishable feature amidst the mud-faced masses...

(The preceding is indeed a shameless attempt to twist the historical discussion so that I can insert a mention about my own famous relative--you may now snort derisively and go about your business...)

[Pay My Electric Bill]

Nice blog!...One thing that catches my attention to read it is the title,
"The History of . . . the Dirty Face". It's cool!

[Austin]

Thanks, " . . . Bill." Please come back and comment anytime!