Free State of Jones. Essay on Movie

This movie was released on June 24, 2016, and was written and directed by Gary Ross. The main film star in this film is Newt. He is best known for saving others and making a change. No more slavery, no more niggers, a free state. Newt saved his own life a couple of times and in one situation made him fall in love. He has been trapped, bitten by a hulking dog, almost lost a kid, and been through a swamp trying to escape. At the beginning of the movie, Newt Knight seemed to have himself settled until he had to experience his nephew dies in the battle. Newt always looked out after others during this battle than fought for himself. In his mindset, he always knew what he was getting himself into so he always had a plan, a smart one for survival. 

During the first scene of the movie, the battle begins in October 1862 with left, left, left, right, left. People getting shot and having to see that happen but continue. This was a matter of time recovery by the supervision. If you were an officer you’d get checked first. Newton Knight said, “It ain’t just for us. Black, white, rich, poor, it’s for everybody” (Newton Knight). If you have 20 negroes, you get to go home. Newt always repeated that we are god’s not anyone else. The main purpose was fighting for cotton, which Newt didn’t seem to like. Once Daniel appeared behind the tree branches and explained he has been drafted, Newt felt so anxious for this poor kid. So he had him come along with this battle. After the second hiding spot, Daniel didn’t make it. Newt had no other option but to carry him on his back and take him back home on a horse. Once he made a destination with his mom, Annie, he was not blamed for anything instead was told he didn’t start this war. In real-time history, this process happened the same with death, say goodbye and onto the next one. 

As the film continues, he meets a house negro, which then he falls in love with. To appreciate the survival of his boy, he hands over gold instead of money. A comparison between this film and history is that there was no gold in the time period. This is wrong. In real life, the civil war was all about racism between blacks and whites just like the Free State of Jones. In the civil war, the free state of Jones was called Jones County. “Upon learning what the army was doing, Newton Knight decided he’d had enough. Along with several soldiers from Jones County, he deserted the Confederacy, returning to his hometown to form his own rebellion army” (https://allthatsinteresting.com/newton-knight). 

After Newton meets up in the swamp, they had no other valuable things but fish, corn, and cotton. Just like in real history. For transportation, it was horses during the civil war and like this movie. I believe this film raised for me is to value everything. If all we have is a taco of beans I will always take it for granted. The way I saw the characters eat the fish and the hog, it was so open eyeing. For example, Moses hadn’t seen his wife and son from Texas in so many years, I sometimes choose to stay away from my family. This is not the way I thought before watching this movie. Newton loved and cared throughout the film, from beginning to end where he chooses to go with Moses for home. He sees all of his close ones fail the battles, get hung, die. Newton Knight is one strong man with lots of emotions but he wanted no more slavery. He fought and fought till the end, not just for him but for everyone to have a right. Years and years later, Newton Knights passed away on February 16, 1992, at the age of 92. 

The main character I had more questions that needed to be answered was about Newt’s first wife and kid. What happened to them? Did he simply move on and leave them behind? How did this work back in time? Divorce? Separation process? To what actually happened in history, Newton Knight was Matthew McConaughey, “a Mississippi farmer who enlisted a group of renegade slaves” (https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Movies/2016/0624/Free-State-of-Jones-is-powerful-but-lacks-nuance). This film was so helpful because I got to experience with my eyes the life back in 1863. The way they suffered to get satisfied for hunger, leaving family behind, having to escape, and hide to continue life. I will now appreciate my surroundings, materials, and family. Thank you, Free State of Jones. . 

Works Cited

“Free State of Jones.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt1124037/characters/nm0000190. 

Serena, Katie. “Meet Newton Knight -The Southerner Who Terrorized The Confederacy.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 30 Nov. 2018, allthatsinteresting.com/newton-knight.