Young Mr. Lincoln gives viewers a different version of Abraham Lincoln to focus on. This version of Lincoln focuses on the days when he practiced law in Springfield, Illinois. “Young Mr. Lincoln is, for better or worse, the definitive Lincoln film.” Historians who have analyzed the film agree that it is not the best film to portray Abraham Lincoln. Young Mr. Lincoln was loosely based on the William “Duff” Armstrong trial. In the trial Armstrong was accused of killing Mr. James Preston Mezker. Young Mr. Lincoln showed Abraham Lincoln as a lawyer who takes on a murder case. Lincoln is the lawyer for two brothers who are accused of murder by everyone in their community including their own mother too. With the help of the farmers almanac Abraham …show more content…
The film Lincoln is set during the Civil War. Throughout the film Abraham Lincoln is getting closer and closer to the end of the war. In the movie Abraham Lincoln is concerned for one main reason. He is worried that the courts might overturn his Emancipation Proclamation once the Civil War finishes. This leads him to believe that his 14th amendment might be defeated by some of the returning slave states. Lincoln is not frantically trying to find the crucial votes he needs to pass the 14th amendment. President Lincoln heavily relies on two individuals to help him. The first individual is Francis Preston Scott and the second individual is Secretary of State William Seward. Blair is one of the founders of the Republican party. President Lincoln needs Blair’s help to secure some votes for the 14th amendment n some of the Western and border Conservative states. On the other hand, President Lincoln is working with Secretary of State William Seward to get some of the necessary democratic votes. Securing democratic votes will be a challenge for them. This is why they are targeting democrats who are lame ducked. They believe they will vote for the amendment because they do not have to answer to any of their voters anymore. Their votes do not come cheap though. Their reward for backing the passage of the amendment is receiving federal jobs. Later on in the film, the amendment comes to a vote. Right before voting commences a rumor starts swirling around in the senate chambers indicating that the Confederates want to pursue peace talks. Lincoln denies that they are in Washington D.C. because he told them to stay out of the city during voting. Voting goes on and ends with the passage of the 14th amendment. A few days later the civil war draws to a close with the surrender of Robert E. Lee and his troops