January 31 - Lincoln

Today’s historical drama movie has a scene that happens on January 31^st. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

LINCOLN                      

At the start of 1865 the First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln is beginning her slide towards insanity, when President Abraham Lincoln is told that if the 13^th Amendment abolishing slavery comes up for a vote in the House of Representatives, it will lose by twenty votes. Lincoln suggests offering jobs to the 64 Democrats who lost their seats in the last election, but remain in office until March in return for their vote. Lincoln asks Preston Blair, leader of the conservative wing of the Republican Party for help in ensuring that all his supporters will support the amendment. Blair agrees if Lincoln will let him go to Richmond to start negotiations with the Confederacy to end the war. Lincoln agrees and Blair heads to Richmond.  Lincoln is afraid that after the war the courts will declare the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation unconstitutional. The abolitionist Republicans think Lincoln wants the 13^th to pass to force an immediate Confederate surrender, then when the southern states are readmitted they will refuse to ratify the amendment, insuring it is not ratified. As debate begins in the House on the Amendment, the President’s agents start to pick up Democratic votes in favor of the Amendment. Lincoln agrees to meet with the delegates sent by the Confederate government. Thaddeus Stevens tempers his rhetoric about his post war proposed policy plans, thus keeping those who want to end slavery, but not grant civil rights to African-Americans in favor of the amendment. Lincoln agrees to make his son Robert an adjutant to General Grant, arousing the ire of his wife. Lincoln makes an in person effort to win over some Democrats. On January 31, 1865 [1:46:31 to 2:05:00] the amendment comes up for a vote. The Democrats say there are Confederate delegates with a peace offer thus there is no need to take this vote. The conservative Republicans agree, until Lincoln sends a letter that there are no peace delegates in Washington. (This is technically true, as he has kept them at Hampton Roads, Virginia)  With this the conservatives consent to a vote. By two votes the amendment passes. Lincoln meets with the Confederates and offers nothing, so the war continues. Lee later surrenders and Lincoln is assassinated.

An interesting film. Shows that Lincoln was a consummate politician, if nothing else.      

A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White, Jr. (Random House, New York, 2009) at page 654 and the film at 1:46:38 give the date the House passed the 13^th Amendment.

Producers -Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy

Director - Steven Spielberg

Awards – This movie won the Best Actor (Day-Lewis) and Best Production Design Oscars. It was also nominated for the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Jones), Best Supporting Actress (Field), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Film Editing at the 85^th Academy Awards. 

Screenplay - Tony Kushner

Runtime – 2 hours 30 minutes

Released – October 8, 2012

Starring –

Daniel Day-Lewis as President Abraham Lincoln

Sally Field as First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln

Gloria Reuben as Elizabeth Keckley

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Todd Lincoln

Gulliver McGrath as Tad Lincoln

Stephen Henderson as Lincoln's valet, William Slade

Elizabeth Marvel as Mrs. Jolly

David Strathairn as Secretary of State William H. Seward

Bruce McGill as Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton

Joseph Cross as Major John Hay, Lincoln's military secretary

Jeremy Strong as John George Nicolay, Lincoln's Secretary

Grainger Hines as Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles

Richard Topol as Attorney General James Speed

Dakin Matthews as Secretary of the Interior John Palmer Usher

Walt Smith as Secretary of the Treasury William P. Fessenden

James Ike Eichling as Postmaster General William Dennison, Jr.

Tommy Lee Jones as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens

Lee Pace as Congressman Fernando Wood

Peter McRobbie as Congressman George H. Pendleton

Bill Raymond as Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax

David Costabile as Congressman James Mitchell Ashley

Stephen Spinella as Congressman Asa Vintner Litton

Michael Stuhlbarg as Congressman George Yeaman

Boris McGiver as Congressman Alexander Coffroth

Walton Goggins a Congressman Clay Hawkins of Ohio

Hal Holbrook as Francis Preston Blair

James Spader as Republican Party operative William N. Bilbo

Tim Blake Nelson as lobbyist Richard Schell

John Hawkes as Republican operative

Byron Jennings as Montgomery Blair

Julie White as Elizabeth Blair Lee

S. Epatha Merkerson as Lydia Smith

Wayne Duvall as Senator Benjamin Wade

John Hutton as Senator Charles Sumner

Jackie Earle Haley as Confederate States Vice President Alexander H. Stephens

Gregory Itzin as John Archibald Campbell

Michael Shiflett as Senate President Robert M. T. Hunter

Jared Harris as Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant/>

Colman Domingo as Private Harold Green

David Oyelowo as Corporal Ira Clark