The movie Lincoln is based on the end of Lincoln's life and takes place in the beginning of 1865. This movie is about Lincoln’s attempt to pass the Thirteenth Amendment to end slavery, to end the Confederacy, and finally Lincoln’s assassination. As background, the Thirteenth Amendment would abolish slavery completely, which takes it a step further than the previous Emancipation Proclamation which freed most slaves (but did not make it illegal). The movie correctly shows that the Civil War was in the final stages and would likely end soon, but Lincoln is in a hurry to pass the amendment by the end of January to avoid the possibility that previously freed slaves may become re-enslaved. There are several notable scenes in the movie. As …show more content…
The president decides to let his eldest son join the army over the objections of his wife. There is another scene in the movie where Mary tells her husband that she will “forgive” him for all of his irrational decisions if he can get the Thirteenth Amendment passed. This will end the war and prevent their son from being injured or killed in the fighting. I reacted to this scene in an emotional way and felt that the movie showed all of the many people willing to fight in this long …show more content…
The following scene shows Lincoln and his wife getting ready to go to the infamous theatre, where he is later shot and killed. The main issue raised in the film was the importance and depth of passing the Thirteenth Amendment. I never realized how deeply people cared about the Amendment on BOTH sides of the issue. There were also many more debates and “negotiations” in the film than I realized. The purpose of the film is to bring these issues to light and to show history and how many people were willing to fight (and die) to show their support. I believe it was a great movie but at times it was slow and hard to pay attention to (not enough action). I wish they would have shown more of the fighting action and less drama. I probably would not go to the movies and see this film on my own, although I understand its importance. I did like the realistic feel of the movie; the actors portrayed the characters in great detail, and it was portrayed in the era correctly from my viewpoint. I also believe that the character Mary (Lincoln’s wife) played a large role in getting Lincoln to hurry and pass the Amendment, mostly so that her son would not have to join the