The "Lincoln" film

[L Verge]

I have wondered much the same thing this year when the media has announced the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The September 1862 date was a preliminary presentation, and the January 1, 1863, rendering it in effect truly did not mean the immediate emancipation of slaves. We tend to take shortcuts around the true hurdles that have to be overcome in order to get things working in history. We settle for symbolic meaning instead of wanting to know the machinations behind making significant advances.