Lake Zurich High School Student Media

Bear Facts

Lake Zurich High School Student Media

Bear Facts

Lake Zurich High School Student Media

Bear Facts

‘Honest Abe’ may not be as truthful as he seems

Abraham Lincoln’s quest to get the House of Representatives to approve the 13th amendment that abolished slavery is the focus of the new movie, Lincoln.  While this movie was touching and inspiring, a few historical details made the movie s

eem less realistic.

            The movie idea itself has some obstacles from the start. For example, the audience already knows that Lincoln is going to pass the amendment then get shot in the head in Ford’s Theater. Steven Spielberg, director of Jaws, Twilight Zone: The Movie, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, directs great movies, but he cannot change history. He made a movie based on an often told story, so keeping an audience’s attention during the story is difficult.

            Complicating the film’s draw may be the inaccuracies. Fortunately for Spielberg, his movie had minor factual issues. For example, in the opening scene, three union soldiers quote the Gettysburg Address. People did not start appreciating his speech until the 20th century. So the fact the Union soldiers could quote the entire speech is close to impossible.

 Another blooper moment is when a political man tells Lincoln that some people hate him so much they will not even use their fifty cent coin because it had Lincoln’s face on it. This may be funny, but it is inaccurate. Lincoln’s face did not start appearing on paper notes, until four years after his death and it never appeared on coins during this time.

Another slip up was Mary Lincoln’s appearance in the House Gallery during the final tally of the amendment. Michelle Obama may be able to sit in on the State of the Union address each year, but back in 1865 this would be unheard of.

One may think that the average American would never notice these mistakes, but since Spielberg is appealing to history buffs who love Abraham Lincoln, these missteps seemed blaringly obvious.

 Overall, the movie did show the audience how challenging Lincoln’s presidency was, but on a historical stand point,  Spielberg’s Honest Abe did not live up to his reputation.

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