Lincoln Movie - Your Reviews

[Thomas Thorne]

Excellent film was much better than I was led to believe. Too many historical political films have the characters merely become vehicles for the speeches and are not complete characters in their own right. I always thought Chaplin's closing speech at the end of "The Great Dictator" detracted from the film because it was the speech of Chaplin the filmmaker and not the barber he played in the film. The "Lincoln" characters particularly Daniel Day Lewis became their characters. DDL was so extraordinary that I found myself looking at his second inaugural address as much as I listened to it. Having succeeded in the high risk task of the second inaugural address, any other ending would have been inferior as the speech reinforced the idea that Lincoln has never left us.

The film could have been called "Lincoln and the Thirteenth Amendment." The ignorant might have supposed this title was about Lincoln and the masons.

I wonder-and I confess ignorance on the subject-whether House passage of the 13th amendment was quite the epic Hollywood struggle depicted in the movie. We know that Maryland voters abolished slavery in 1864. Does anyone know what the vote was? Lincoln won 55% of the Maryland vote in 1864. This was much higher than the Lincoln vote in other middle atlantic states and must reflect the effects of both loyalty oaths and the unwillingness of some Confederate sympathizers to participate in the Yankee political process. Our old friend Democratic Senator Reverdy Johnson supported abolition in 1864.

One ace in the hole Lincoln had was the knowledge that the new 39th Congress that would come into being in Dec 1865 unless convened earlier-perhaps as early as March 1865 would have 145 Republicans and only 46 Democrats in the House. Everyone knew that this Congress would pass the 13th Amendment. Is it possible that the real Lincoln made deals with certain Democrats who actually or would have voted against the 13th Amendment on 1/31/65 but only switched sides when told their votes were critical. Perhaps there were other Democrats who voted no who would changed their votes to yes if needed. Last minute changes in voting after the vote is made but before the vote is final are a common parliamentary tool.
Tom