Historical Accuracy Of Lincoln The Movie By Steven Spielberg

When thinking of the most important men in US history, Abraham Lincoln is someone who will always be brought up. Lincoln is most known for saving the Union and writing the Emancipation Proclamation. Because of this, he is remembered as a hero and one of the most respected presidents in the United States’ history. Often times when looking back on respected historical figures, there can be a tendency to misremember things or omit details to cement the figure into the legacy we want to remember. Hollywood is especially notorious for creating films “based on a true story,” but are heavily altered for the sake of the film’s plot. This leads to the question, is Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” a historically accurate representation of Lincoln, or is it Hollywood misremembering details, or adding their own plot lines?
The easy answer to this question is yes, “Lincoln” is accurate in portraying Lincoln as a man, and summarizing the events that transpired during his election. From Lincoln’s personal relationships with his wife, Marry, his sons, and close advisors to civil war and the 13th amendment, the movie goes into detail and accurately portrays what Lincoln did, how he did it, and the effects of what he did. Spielberg’s “Lincoln” is a movie and not a documentary, so some things are

dramatized and not everything is exactly accurate. Despite this, Lincoln’s characteristics, relationships, and battles with south and 13th amendment are, for the most part, accurate representations.
The movie “Lincoln” captures Lincoln’s, played by Daniel-Day Lewis, reserved and mysterious spirit in the scene where his son, Robert, aggressively pleads with his father to enlist in the war.

Lincoln sits calmly and listens while waxing his shoes, but never directly acknowledging his sons request. The National Portrait Gallery explains that “…mysteriousness is the key to his character and personality. Lincoln, with a supreme confidence of himself and an almost providential sense of his personal mission, was incredibly adroit in his ability to adapt to circumstances and shape events,” (Mask of Lincoln, n.d.). This confidence and mysteriousness is accurately portrayed throughout the

movie.
Not only does Daniel-Day Lewis accurately replicate Lincoln’s described personality, Lincoln’s physical characteristics are replicated just as well. The physical characteristics of Lincoln in the film are portrayed as a tall, skinny, bearded man with a surprisingly soft and high-pitched voice. According to the National Portrait Gallery’s “One Life: The Mask of Lincoln,” Lincoln personal appearance was “gawky and awkward,” as well as a “country bumpkin” (Mask of Lincoln, n.d.). The portraits provided by the NPG very closely resemble Daniel-Day Lewis’s version of the President.
The Civil War and Lincoln are two things heavily associated together. The film starts at the beginning of Lincoln’s second term and entering the 4th year of the Civil War. Lincoln is in the midst of trying to pass the 13th amendment, which will effectively end slavery and, potentially, the war itself. In the movie Lincoln works together with most notably his secretary of state, William Seward, to gain enough democratic votes for the amendment to pass in the House. However, even though Lincoln made an effort to use the war as means to free slaves, the movie shows that Lincoln would withdraw the amendment if peace were to break out without the implementation of the 13th amendment, for fear of losing support of certain states and the effect of freed slaves on the economy. This shows that though Lincoln was for abolishing slavery, many of the reasonings for doing so were motivated by political reasoning. The textbook supports this with this passage “But while appealing to free labor values, Lincoln initially insisted that slavery was irrelevant to the conflict. In the war’s first year, his paramount concerns were to keep the border slave states—Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri—in the Union and to build the broadest base of support in the North for the war effort,” (Foner, 529). This confirms that the movie was accurate when portraying Lincoln’s both political and ethical motives for the 13th amendment.
Throughout the movie, Lincoln is struck by political opposition on the 13th amendment almost constantly. Lincoln eventually gains the support of conservative leader Preston Blair and his son, Montgomery Blaire, as well as radical leader and abolitionist, Thaddeus Stevens. Lincoln displays his innate political capabilities by gaining support for his amendment by playing different angles for different people. Lincoln gets Preston Blair’s vote by appealing to their eagerness to end the ongoing war, and Lincoln attracts Thaddeus Stevens’s vote because he also wishes to abolish slavery. Lincoln is able to frame this amendment as a means to end the war to those who are more concerned with that, and he also can frame it as a means to end slavery to appeal to those who people as well. Lincoln knew that he could boil the argument down to one thing, liberty. Everyone wanted liberty, whether it be liberty for the enslaved or liberty from the brutal war. Lincoln writes in his address at Sanitary Fair, “We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing,” (VOF, 298).
The brutality of the war ends up being a motivator for the support of 13th amendment, because the abolition of slavery would ensure foreign support from countries who had already rid of slavery, “the calculation that making slavery a target of the war effort would counteract sentiment in Britain for recognition of the Confederacy” (Foner, 531). Lincoln notes how brutual the war, specifically Gettysburg, was in his Gettysburg address. He spoke on how the men fought and gave their life were ones who deserved remembrance, and in deed would not be forgotten (VOF, 291). The brutal battleground that Lincoln spoke on was a reason for some to ratify the 13th amendment to end the war.
One thing that Lincoln is criticized for today is not being as radical as he should have been in regards to the freedom of slavery. Origins: Current events in Historical Perspective states how “many have found fault with the proclamation for not being radical enough,” (Zevorich, 2013). Thaddeus Steven’s, however, is very radical in the film and wishes for complete interracial equality, which is not something Lincoln ends up addressing.
Lincoln’s ability to outwit his political peers is noted by the National Portrait Gallery, “The northern political establishment, including his own cabinet, was continually astonished that this seeming country bumpkin was able to outwit them politically and outthink them intellectually,” (Mask of Lincoln, n.d.).
The film’s capture of Lincoln perfectly balancing the demands, views, and perspectives of his political peers while still being able to fight for social justice and unity is a very accurate representation of Lincoln’s remarkable tact. Lincoln is eventually able sway enough voters to get the 13th amendment to pass by two votes.
Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” is a very accurate representation of Lincoln and the historical moments surrounding him. Some debate scenes on amendment and Civil War likely have an added sense of drama for the sake of the entertainment, but all of these things were historical events. The movie accurately depicts his awkward outward appearance, while portraying his calm, mystic, and interminable wit and determination towards unity.
It captures the chaotic state of the country and accurately displays the birth, progression, and ratification of the 13th amendment.