Why is Abraham Lincoln so popular right now?

[LincolnMan]

Like has been said about Elvis- "Lincoln is everywhere." New movies, features on TV, books published constantly- Lincoln is "hot." Why now? What are some of the factors in this obvious elevation of interest in A. L.?

[Laurie Verge]

Some could be the Bicentennial of his birth just three years ago. Another factor is probably the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War and the upcoming anniversary of the assassination. I wonder, however, if some of it could be a socio-political statement.

By that I mean that (and this is my opinion strictly) many are confused, angry, and disappointed by the direction that our society and our government in general appear to be heading in. Maybe there is a desire to see someone of Lincoln's "moveable objectives and principles" take over and steer us through this dangerous course?? And yes, I'm a centrist who leans to the right!

[BettyO]

It could be that we, as a nation, during this "economic depression" we are hankering back to the "old days" for strong determined leadership? Who knows.... however, I think that with the sesquicentennial of the Civil War and in a couple of years the 150th anniversary of the assassination, that there is strong interest in the Civil War....

I too, like Laurie, am a "right leaner".... HA!

[Rob Wick]

I don't think Lincoln is really any "hotter" now then he's ever been. I think a couple of mass-appeal movies are tapping into something which is already there, and has been for generations. I would highly recommend reading Merrill D. Peterson's book Lincoln in American Memory for a scholarly yet accessible history of just how we have remembered Lincoln.

Best
Rob

[LincolnMan]

Laurie and Betty: I agree with what you both said-and would add another factor-Obama's stated admiration of Lincoln. I work with many African-Americans and noticed an increased interest in Lincoln from them after the election. Rob: I love that book! But you will remember that it talks about ho0w the generatio0ns over time have viewed Lincoln. It points out how Lincoln's image has declined in the last 50 years or so. I do believe that there has been a more favorable trend of thought about him in the last few years.

[LincolnMan]

A friend of mine loaned me the Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies DVD. I watched it over two sittings. Of course, it was just awful-full of historical inaccuracies-too many to list. The costume were rather deplorable. General Stonewall Jackson's confederate uniform looks like it came from a Halloween USA store. He is wearing a hat with the confederate battle flag glued to the front of it. Many of the men actors obviously have their facial hair glued on as well. Actually, the actor who portrayed Lincoln did a pretty good job. Too bad he had to be in such a movie. As others have said, the movie is for the "quick buck." I don't know if production costs have been recouped but they couldn't have spent much making this film. At any rate, I now have seen it and won't need to ever see it again. If someone asks me about it (and some have)-I can offer an opinion about it.
When we consider Lincoln's legacy, films like this are a part of it-good or bad.

[LincolnMan]

I'm glancing through a book I just got from Amazon.com entitled: Lincoln, Inc.- Selling the Sixteenth President in Contemporary America by Jackie Hogan. Right on the very first page, the author catches my attention with these words:

As a journalist noted shortly after Lincoln's assassination, one of the great tragedies of his untimely death was that it forevermore "made it impossible to speak the truth of Abraham Lincoln." In the years since that fateful night at Ford'stheatre, fact and legend have become so intertwined in the Lincoln story that it may now be impossible for us to know the man as he really was. Instead, we are largely limited to twenty-first-century interpretations of what twentieth-century historians wrote about nineteenth-century recollections of the man. We are reduced to standing in a historical hall of mirrors, trying to discern the original from its countless reflections. Lincoln has become what postmodern theorists call a simulacrum: a copy of a copy of a copy, so far removed from the original that the original is no longer knowable.

[LincolnMan]

An observation offerred fresh from the Springfield trip: Lincoln is still very popular. It was gratifying to see people of every age and ethnicity obviously enjoying and admiring Lincoln. Whether it was at the museum, the Lincoln tomb, or at the many points of interest in the Springfield area- the crowds were there. We saw bus loads of school kids going to the sights. At the Lincoln home- a group of school children sat down at the curb in front of the house- and listened as a teacher gave a Lincoln verbal presentation. This was done, in spite of, those children being unable to enter into the house itself. I listened as the teacher fielded questions from the kids. My heart was warmed. The students love Lincoln- there are is hope for our country. The kids were very well- behaved, by the way.

[Jim Garrett]

Everyone's post is right on the money. It is all that. The story of AL is America's Greek Tragedy. Humble beginnings, struggle, rise and being struck down at the apex. What's not to like. I think combine this with the fact that we now live in an age of instant self-generating media, the Lincoln story just feeds upon itself.

Plus Lincoln has a great agent.

[LincolnMan]

I've noticed that the Lincoln car company has featured an actor portraying Lincoln in some of its commercials on television. Surprisingly, some people don't realize that the Lincoln automobile gets it's name from Abraham Lincoln.

[LincolnToddFan]

The execrable (imo) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer series of books and movies has accomplished one good thing...it has made a new generation of American youth want to know more about the 16th president. I wish it was something other than as a ridiculous vampire hunter but that was/is a wildly popular franchise.

Whatever works.

I've been fascinated with him since I was a small child in Ohio, where Abraham Lincoln was taught like catechism in the public school system of the late 1960's. We were required to memorize the entire Gettysburg Address and parts of the Second Inaugural in the 4th grade and I can still recite huge portions of both by memory.

Along with Harriet Tubman and Pope St. John Paul II, Abraham Lincoln is one of the historical figures I really wish I had known.