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Sunday, November 18, 2012

The Movie Lincoln


My dad always loved and admired Abraham Lincoln.He felt that Lincoln was the personification of the great promise of the American system. A man or a woman could come from humble circumstances and rise to great office and success.He also kept the paper back three volume Carl Sandburg’s Lincoln right on his dresser. It now sits on the fireplace in our bedroom. I went to see the movie Lincoln yesterday. It’s a brilliant master piece without equal. It’s worth the price of a theater ticket and the hassles of going to the movies.
The movie shows that Lincoln was both a brilliant politician and a wonderful human being with great depth. His intelligence and political instincts kept the border states with the Union when the American Civil War broke out in 1861. By 1865 many of the politicians in the Union knew the civil war was won. They also were tired of the massive blood shed. They were prepared to offer the Confederates a deal where they could keep slavery if they surrendered and came back into the Union.
Abraham Lincoln used all of his intellect and considerable political skills to get the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution passed by a slim 2 vote margin. This amendment abolished slavery for all time. It was later ratified by some southern states after the civil war ended.
When Lincoln is called one of our greatest presidents, he earned the accolade. His brilliant intellect, political skills, and compassion held this country together.

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