Lincoln: American Civil War and Amendment Essay

Submitted By JulioE1
Words: 661
Pages: 3

The movie takes place in January 1865, shortly after President Lincoln’s second term in office, when he prognosticated the North victory of the Civil War. The real battle for him now is the fight against slavery. Three commissioners from the Confederacy head up to Washington City, and Lincoln is confident that he could have their surrender within a couple of weeks. But before that can happen, he is driven to pass the 13th Amendment, which would abolish slavery. The Democrats hate the amendment, and even Lincoln's liberal Republican comrades want him to delay the vote. Only President Lincoln grasps the stakes that once the Civil War is over, the amendment won't pass, it will be blocked by the Southern states. Winning the war could prove an unaccented victory. The only way was to pass the amendment to make a great impact on the course of history past and future.

As the congressional fight rages on, Lincoln orchestrates it all. He seduces, persuades, and begs. He fought for the passing of the amendment, pulling all resources of his patron the Democratic congressmen who support slavery. He said and I quote “things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other”. The abolitionist who's so possessed by the cause that he might alienate any congressman who fought against his core beliefs “All men are created equal”. Through it all, President Lincoln must delay the war from ending without breaking the people's faith. The Lincoln portrayed in the movie is a man of great talent; some might say a master of passion for. President Lincoln is the first in his time to fight against the oppression of others, of whom he knows nothing about, but the fact that they’re human.

Lincoln brilliantly dramatizes the delicacy of politics, along with the raw brutality of it. All that's pushing the amendment forward is Abe Lincoln's will, his ability to do anything — even flirt with impeachable deceptions — to fulfill his vision of justice. And that's why he spends the movie alone in spirit. When he bangs his hand on the table, roaring at his lobbyists to procure him the votes he needs because he's ''clothed in immense power,'' we're seeing the birth of the presidency as we know it — a force that can shape the consciousness of the world. Lincoln is a stirring paradox, a dream of history as it might truly have happened.

The American government had set out to fight the slave states in 1861, not to end slavery, but to retain the enormous national territory and market and resources. The victory needed a movement, and the push