Lincoln Assignment English 112

Jabari A. Stafford

English 112

Professor Brandon

4/15/13

                                “Lincoln” (the Movie)

In this Steven Spielberg film, it displayed Lincoln’s long journey to abolishing slavery as President. It showed many of Lincoln’s characteristics and events of his personal and political life. I discovered a great amount of new information while watching this film. The different things I saw in the movie surprised me. It is believed Lincoln used his power in good ways. Altogether, the movie had interesting facts relevant to history, although I had a difficult time staying focused. After watching “Lincoln” the third time, I understood much better than the first two times. This was a great way for classmates and I to learn more about one of the most important presidents in U.S. history.

                First of all, Lincoln was a republican in politics. He definitely was against slavery and wanted to end slavery. He was considered an abolitionist. Abe Lincoln respected African Americans, and valued their opinions. African-Americans were aware of his concern towards them and their freedom. He did not like the idea of any man being considered someone’s property. He felt like the fate of human dignity was in his hands. (Spielberg) He said “abolishing slavery by constitutional provision settles the fate for all coming time.”(Spielberg) The 13^th amendment was the cure to the Civil War. He felt the war was worthless after the 13^th amendment passed. In the movie, Lincoln said, “there is an invisible strength in the people’s union.” Simply meaning if all races are equal and become one, America will become a better country. Lincoln owned no slaves and neither did his parents. Abe had many accomplishments towards his freeing the slaves as the 16^th president of the United States. One of his accomplishments was passing the second confiscation act, which freed slaves of any one aiding the rebellion; also the “Emancipation Proclamation” and the 13^th amendment, which officially abolished slavery and also indirectly ended the Civil War. This was one of the main differences between Lincoln and Andrew Jackson. He made his profit from slavery, which is the main reason why he supported the idea of keeping slavery. Although he supported slavery, he knew when it was time for battle; all Americans have to work amongst one another. Jackson disliked blacks and Native Americans. His critics considered him a tyrant and say he utilized his powers in detrimental ways. Jackson did anything to win, such as threaten people about losing their jobs. They both differed in their utilization of presidency powers. During the Civil War every American on the Union worked with one another, as did the Confederation. Ulysses S. Grant was the Union General and Robert E. Lee was the Confederates General. There was no complete equality on either side and the races were still segregated. It seemed African-Americans were being paid less than white-Americans in the film. (Spielberg) People of America thought they were not ready for Emancipation. Some of the representatives did not like slavery, but opposed the amendment. The majority of representatives felt the amendment was by law, not about slavery. Lincoln and the republicans wanted the amendment to pass, so did not mention slavery or racial equality, but only equality under law. Everyone was concerned with ending the war rather than ending slavery. The only reason some citizens voted “yes” to pass the 13^th amendment, is because the reason for the war is to end slavery. This is the depiction of race during the civil war.

 For the assignment we were told to give a depiction of homosexuality and gender roles in Lincoln. The only example of homosexuality was when he visited John Hay’s bedroom in the midnight. He patted his thigh and rubbed his head before he left, which is unusual. Afterwards Hay asked Lincoln “did he need company?” Being that Lincoln told him he would rather be alone, I could not determine whether it showed homosexuality or not.

The women’s rights during the Civil War were extremely restricted. They were not able to do the many things men do. Women could not vote, go to war, or barely leave their homes. During the Civil War women were not considered equals at all. “Hundreds of women concealed their identities so they could battle alongside their Union and confederate counterparts.” (Smithsonian Magazine) There were also certain women who were soldiers, cooks, nurses, and also spies during the civil war. Different woman had different roles, but just could not be the same as men. (http://www.historynet.com/women-in-the-civil-war)

We were also told to give a depiction of the attitude towards the federal government. Abe Lincoln had a way with words and was able to persuade some of both parties to pass the 13^th amendment. He also told lots of stories to get his point across and lighten up the mood. Usually Lincoln, form what I saw on the film, used his power in positive ways. He was not perfect but he most certainly was not a bad individual. I respect Abraham Lincoln for his leadership during his time period in office.

In conclusion, all of Lincoln’s hard work and determination passed the 13^th amendment and changed many people’s lives in great ways. I believe although Lincoln made mistakes we should all admire him for his strong leading role in the United States of America. Him being a father, an abolitionist, a husband, and president all at the same time showed his courage and persistence. Lincoln has made a huge change for our generation and more generations to come in America. He will always be remembered in American history as one of the most prominent leaders ever.