# Heritage Through Media Part of the American Heritage Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/american-heritage/guide/index.md) > **5.** Do ONE of the following: **Choose ONE of the three options below.** Each one uses a different type of media — film, books, or music — as a lens for understanding American heritage. Pick the one that fits your interests. --- ## Option A: Historical Films > **5a.** Watch two motion pictures (with the approval and permission of your counselor and parent or guardian) that are set in some period of American history. Describe to your counselor how accurate each film is with regard to the historical events depicted and also with regard to the way the characters are portrayed. Movies bring history to life in vivid ways — but they also take creative liberties. Your job is to watch with a critical eye and separate the facts from the fiction. ### Choosing Your Films Get your counselor's and parent's or guardian's approval *before* watching. Good historical films are set in a specific period of American history and portray real events or realistic situations from that time. Consider films set during: - The American Revolution or founding era - The Civil War or Reconstruction - Westward expansion - World War I or World War II - The Civil Rights Movement - The space race - Other significant periods > **Tip** > > Choose films from two different periods of American history. This gives you more to compare and shows your counselor that you explored a range of the American experience. ### Evaluating Accuracy For each film, consider: **Historical events:** - Did the major events in the film actually happen? - Are the dates, locations, and outcomes accurate? - Did the filmmakers compress time or combine events for dramatic effect? - What important events were left out? **Character portrayal:** - Are the characters based on real people? If so, are they portrayed accurately? - Do the characters behave in ways that are realistic for their time period? - Are certain groups of people stereotyped or left out entirely? - Does the film show multiple perspectives, or only one side? > **Be Prepared! Sorting Fact from Fiction** > > After watching each film, use this process to evaluate it: > - **Step one:** Write down the major events and characters. > - **Step two:** Research the actual history — use books, encyclopedias, or reliable websites. > - **Step three:** Compare the film's version to the real story. Note what matched and what did not. > - **Step four:** Consider *why* the filmmakers might have changed things — entertainment, time limits, or a particular perspective. --- ## Option B: A Biography > **5b.** Read a biography (with your counselor's approval) of someone who has made a contribution to America's heritage. Tell some things you admire about this individual and some things you do not admire. Explain why you think this person has made a positive or a negative contribution to America's heritage. A biography takes you deep into one person's life — their struggles, decisions, and impact. This is your chance to understand a historical figure as a real human being, not just a name in a textbook. ### Choosing Your Biography Get your counselor's approval on your choice. Look for biographies of people who made a significant contribution — positive or negative — to America's heritage. This could be a president, an activist, a scientist, an artist, a military leader, or any person whose life intersected with American history in a meaningful way. [Library of Congress — Read.gov](https://read.gov/): Free access to classic American books, including biographies, through the Library of Congress. ### Thinking Critically The requirement specifically asks you to identify things you admire *and* things you do not admire. This is important — no historical figure is entirely good or entirely bad. Great leaders made mistakes. Flawed people sometimes did extraordinary things. Questions to guide your reading: - What challenges did this person face? - What decisions did they make that you respect? What decisions do you question? - How did this person's actions affect other people — both positively and negatively? - On balance, do you think this person made America better or worse? Why? > **Tip** > > Keep a reading journal as you go through the biography. Jot down quotes, events, and your reactions. This will make your counselor discussion much easier. --- ## Option C: Songs from American History > **5c.** Listen to recordings of popular songs from various periods of American history. Share five of these songs with your counselor, and describe how each song reflects the way people felt about the period in which it was popular. If a recording is not available, have a copy of the lyrics available. Music captures the mood of a moment in a way that speeches and documents cannot. Songs from different periods of American history tell you how people felt — their hopes, fears, anger, and joy. ### Finding Historical Songs Look for songs from at least three different periods. Here are some eras to explore: | Era | Themes | Examples of Song Types | |---|---|---| | Revolutionary War (1770s–1780s) | Liberty, defiance, patriotism | Ballads, marching songs | | Civil War (1860s) | Sacrifice, loss, unity, division | Camp songs, hymns, folk ballads | | Westward Expansion (1800s) | Adventure, hardship, new beginnings | Folk songs, cowboy songs | | World War I & II (1910s–1940s) | Patriotism, longing, sacrifice | Popular songs, big band, swing | | Civil Rights era (1950s–1960s) | Justice, hope, resistance | Gospel, folk, protest songs | | Vietnam War era (1960s–1970s) | Protest, questioning authority | Rock, folk, protest songs | [Smithsonian Folkways Recordings](https://folkways.si.edu/): The Smithsonian's collection of American folk music, spoken word, and sound recordings — a treasure trove of historical music. ### Analyzing the Songs For each of your five songs, be ready to tell your counselor: - **What period** of American history is it from? - **What is the song about?** Summarize the lyrics. - **How does it reflect the mood of its era?** What were people feeling — and how does the music and lyrics capture that? - **Why did you choose this song?** What makes it a good window into that time? > **Did You Know?** > > "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861, was set to the tune of "John Brown's Body," a marching song already popular with Union soldiers. Howe wrote her new lyrics after visiting an army camp near Washington, D.C. ![A Scout wearing headphones in a library, surrounded by books and a laptop, listening to historical music recordings and taking notes](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/american-heritage/guide/scout-listening-music?v=81349acc) --- You have explored American heritage through media. One more requirement to go — your future in heritage. --- - Previous: [Local History & Landmarks](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/american-heritage/guide/req4/index.md) - Next: [Heritage Careers](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/american-heritage/guide/req6/index.md)