Journal #2 Revised (Lincoln)

“A Defining Moment in History”

By: Bridget Robinson

Photo Source Link:

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            In the film, "Lincoln", directed by Steven Spielberg, the great journey that President Lincoln went through to either abolish slavery through the thirteenth amendment or end the civil war was portrayed. This film depicts all the major conflicts he faced when trying to abolish slavery and showed the audience the course of events that occurred during his second term of presidency. One might think that beyond the major plot line this film is about dedication and standing your ground on what you think is right when the world around you seems to think differently. 

            I did not particularly care for this film because there was too much dialogue for my liking and the audio for speaking in the film was not very clear and concise. I did like how historically accurate the film was and how in the beginning of the film when President Lincoln was having a conference with major political leaders and military men, Spielberg emphasized the great passion everyone in the room held with the subject at hand - which was the passing of the thirteenth amendment. I greatly liked how they portrayed Lincoln to be an honorable man and kept his relationship with the people around him real - being he had problems with his wife and respected those around him. 

            Prior to this film, I had a great amount of knowledge about slavery but did not know much about the thirteenth amendment and the many difficulties and obstacles our former leaders had to overcome to get our nation to where it is today. I did not know that so many government officials were against passing the thirteenth amendment. I learned the different reasons people were opposed to this amendment, whether it be fear or the major loss in free labor, and that the Civil War was also going on at this time. It was interesting to watch the opening scene when all the soldiers were fighting on the battle field and yet once they were in the presence of President Lincoln, they showed great respect and even recited his most famous speech, the Inaugural Address.