Sunday, November 25, 2012

Lincoln

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A week ago, I saw Lincoln. History is something I can get passionate about especially if the subject relates culturally.  Lincoln the current movie that is in theaters, not to be mistaken by the vampire slaying Lincoln released this past summer, is historically correct. If you wasted money on the axe-wheeling movie about Lincoln, that movie was not historically correct. In fact, it was trash and I refused to see it. Someone wanted to make quick money. The Lincoln I saw had the hands of Book Author Doris Kearns Goodwin in it. Lincoln is an adaptation of Kearns Goodwin’s book “Team of Rivals” which chronicles Lincoln’s time in office during the Civil War time period 1861 and 1865. Lincoln is simply excellent with a host of veteran actors Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn, and Gloria Reuben. Credit also goes to Director and Producer Steven Spielberg who worked on movies of similar tone, “The Color Purple” and “Amistad.” 

Lincoln, the movie, focused on the battle over the vote for the 13th Amendment. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery near the end of the Civil War. Before the 13th Amendment, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which only freed the slaves in warring territories to the Union (Confederate States which had seceded from the Union), basically a war strategy to help win the war. If African Americans were free in the Confederate States, emancipation would benefit the Union. The 13th Amendment would be another chance to free the slaves since the framers of the Declaration of Independence neglected to do so in 1776. Although the framers wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” the framers of the Declaration of Independence failed to resolve the issue of slavery. So steps in Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, who conspired and finagled to get the votes to pass the 13th Amendment. Lincoln believed, 89 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, that the “faith of human dignity” was theirs to rectify.  
A five star movie, Lincoln is a must see. Go see the fight for our freedom.


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