Lincoln: Movie critic series No. 2, Honest Abe !?

In order to better enjoy Shakespeare’s history plays, I read history of England focusing from Henry IV (1399-1413) to Henry VII (1485-1509); I call it “parallel reading”.  I came to appreciate how the Bard dramatized and yet faithfully followed the history (or at least to the material he used).  Movie with historical drama, such as Lincoln, like history play, is not history, but dramatizes it.

Spielberg’s Lincoln is all about the passing of the Amendment 13, an act for the constitutional amendment for the abolishment of slavery that was passed on January 31, 1865.  There are 6 volumes (2 for The Prairie Years, 4 for The War Years) in Carl Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln, the 4^th volume of The War Years begins with Chapter 61, “Forever Free — the Thirteenth Amendment”.  The story is only a fraction of the life of Lincoln, so to call it Lincoln may be a bit misleading.

The movie depicts Lincoln is willing to buy votes (we see the money falling off the folders in Congress).  Two votes were needed to make a two-thirds in the House.  Carl Sandburg wrote how this happened (according to Representative John B. Alley.)

“Two members of the House were sent for and Mr. Lincoln said that those two votes must be procured.  When asked, “How?” he remarked” “I am President of the United States, clothed with great power. The abolition of slavery by constitutional provision settles the fate, for all coming time, not only for the millions now in bondage, but of unborn millions to come . . . that I leave it to you to determine how it should be done; but remember that I am the President of the United States, clothed with immense power, and I expect you to procure those votes.”  It is safe to say that Lincoln wanted to get these two votes at all costs (不擇手段).  It was a high drama when Daniel Day-Lewis said these words in movie.

The movie is based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals; the same is also said in Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln lived a life of high morality and that leads people to say that this couldn’t have happened. But let’s not forget that Lincoln is also a shrewd political genius.  What he did is similar to that of lobbyists in our time.

I read the following in Carl Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln, showing how moral Lincoln was.

She [Mary Lincoln] spoke to Mrs. Keckley of an “unprincipled set” of politicians with whom she was having dealings in 1864 toward the reelection of the President in the coming campaign.  “Does Mr. Lincoln know what your purpose is?” asked Mrs. Keckley [An African American, an ex-slave, Mary’s dresser and confidant, who played a role in the movie.  This part deviates from history—another post.]

“God, no! he would never sanction such proceedings, so I keep him in the dark, and will tell him of it when it is all over.  He is too honest to take the proper care of his own interests, so I feel it my duty to electioneer for him.”