Quentin Tarantino’s personal ode to the spaghetti western, Django Unchained,
has earned both fans and flack for its revisionist take on U.S. history. While much of the movie’s
events were fictionalized, the title character shares some striking similarities with real Black
heroes of the Wild West. Today on Nutty History, we’re covering the true story inspirations behind
Django. So saddle up those horses and buckle up your holsters, cause it’s time to capture
some baddies. Django Unchained follows the story of a former slave turned bounty hounter trying
to rescue his wife. While much of the Western genre has focused on White settlers and cowboys,
the fictional Django takes a lot of inspiration from real African-Americans who overcame slavery
to make a name for themselves in the pre-civil war U.S. But the man that stands out as the number
one influence has to be Bass Reeves, the first Black Deputy Marshal of the state of Mississippi.
Bass Reeves was born into slavery under the Reeves family in Arkansas during the 1830’s. Growing up,
Reeves learned to ride, shoot, and hunt under the tutelage of plantation owner George Reeves.
In the movie, Django is also proficient in all of these important wild west abilities when Dr.
Schultz encounters him. At some point during the Civil War, Bass Reeves managed to escape the bonds
of slavery to become a free man. Just like Django and his wife Broomhilda, Reeves, too, was pursued
by slave hunters. Django was caught and separated from his wife, giving the film its main plot line.
Reeves, on the other hand, successfully outran his chasers into the Native American territory.
This is where Reeves and Django’s paths diverge. Their bold gunslinging reputations, however, do
not. Dr. King Schultz takes Django under his wing and helps show him the ropes of bounty hunting.
But Bass Reeves actually joined the law of his own accord, becoming one of Oklahoma’s first deputies
after his time spent living with Native Americans. Reeves’s life has also taken on a mythical quality
akin to other wild west legends. He was known for his almost superhuman strength and the fact that
he was never shot in his entire 30 year career as a Lawman of Oklahoma and Mississippi. And there
were some frighteningly close calls, like the time a bullet hit his hat but missed his head.
Ah, so that’s why everyone was wearing hats. If you paid attention to the movie,
Django, too, never takes a bullet. And that’s no easy feat in a Tarantino film.
As U.S. Marshal, Bass Reeves was authorized to arrest both black and white outlaws, and his
reputation began to precede him. He had a knack for catching criminals that had always stayed one
step ahead of other deputies. Some of his most notorious arrests included outlaws Belle Starr,
the Brunther Brothers, and the Tom Story gang. In a way, Django shared this trait with Reeves.
While working as a Bounty Hunter, he helps Dr. Schultz to find the Brittle Brothers, among
other unnamed outlaws, who sound suspiciously similar to the real life Brunther Brothers.
Like Django, Reeves was illiterate, as most slaves of the Antebellum South were not allowed to
learn to read or write. But similar to his movie counterpart, Reeves made up for it with his wit,
charm, and clever presence of mind. Once, Reeves was ambushed by two murderous brothers
while he was hunting for them. The criminals knew about the legendary Black Marshall only by name
and thus asked Reeves to confirm if he was the one pursuing them. Reeves acted
shaken and denied this. Unconvinced, the murderers tied him to his horse
and rode til they could find someone to confirm his story. When they couldn’t find anyone, they
decided it was better to be safe than sorry...and they would go ahead and shoot him anyway. Reeves
made a final plea to the brothers to read his wife’s last letter to him before he died.
As the men became distracted reading the letter, Reeves snatched the gun from one and
shot them both. Tarantino used this story almost shot by shot in the sequence where Django
convinces a group of Australian slave transporters to help him right before the climax of the movie.
Though Bass Reeves seems the most likely inspiration behind Django, it’s entirely
possible that the character is an amalgamation of other rootin’ tootin’ cowboys of the era.
In the film, Django rides his horse through White villages and faces scowls and anger.
Of course, slavery, white supremacy, and racism were all deeply entrenched institutions of the
time. But the sight of a Black man riding a horse wouldn’t have been all that shocking - historians
estimate that about a third of all cowboys in the Old West were African American. Their stories are
just rarely told. Ned Huddleston was one of the most famous, or rather infamous, cowboys of the
deep south. Bill Pickett was another Texan cowboy, known for his unique panache while roping and
riding. He could have been the inspiration for the charismatic flair Jamie Foxx adopted while playing
Django. William Lee, Cherokee Bill, and Bose Ikard’s history also could have contributed to
the creation of the character. So, how does Django stack up to the real deals? Drop us a line in the
comments. And let us know what other historical characters you want to hear about - dead or alive!