The Civil War & Lincoln
I see about three movies in movie theaters per year. Yesterday marked 1/3 of my yearly quotient. I saw "The Lincoln Lawyer," and, ironically, the most memorable part of the experience was a pre-movie trailer for another film with a Lincoln theme: "The Conspirator."
The synopsis reads:
Mary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life.
Director Robert Redford seems to indicate that Surratt was innocent - whether for dramatic effect or historical revision remains to be seen. While I would reserve full judgment until opening night, expect cheap shots at military tribunals and indictments of American sexism. Nonetheless, anything which begins a conversation of Lincoln cannot be all bad.
Well, maybe a film needs to be made about all that Yankee inventiveness: Constitutional proscription where it didn't exist, total war against women and children, hanging women against all previous tradition.
Yea, yea, yea, I'm a neo-confederate scumbag. Sure, sure.
I really don't know how guilty Mrs. Surrat was (although one of her fellow conspirators claimed ON THE SCAFFOLD that she was innocent). You Lincoln-worshipers need to understand at least this much: Part of America died during that war, and it wasn't just the 'peculiar institution.' While some good did come from Lincoln's decisions, it is also true that a lot of what's wrong with America today was born in the crucible of that war. The Federal government developed a taste for pushing people around, and it's only gotten worse over the decades.
I saw that trailer this weekend too! Looks great and as a fellow Lincoln fan, I look forward to seeing what Redford does with the material.
After seeing the trailer, I found the movie company's website which lets you discuss the actual events with the historians who worked on the movie. Good place for Redwald to continue the debate against Lincoln and for fans like us to disagree! :)
https://theamericanfilmcompany.com/talk/
That is a pretty big slam on the "Lincoln Lawyer". You wasted one of your three movies and all you can remember was the trailer to another movie, might as well have watched "Limitless".
Redwald has made his point a thousand times, Lincoln fans have reciprocated, the only thing certain is that if God wills it to continue, until all the wealth piled by two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword...Stop it already.
What is wrong with america today has nothing to do with the civil war, Justice Cardozo made this clear in Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Co.
I'd have more confidence in the historical accuracy (or at least seriousness) of this film if its list of historical advisors included Ed Steers (author of "Blood on the Moon") and Michael Kaufman (author of "American Brutus"). That said, given my interest in the period and the events portrayed I'll surely see it.
I'd reply, John Lewis, but your post is so absurd there's no real need. If you don't think strong government centralization started during the Civil War, you are simply ignorant of the facts.
As for "stopping it already," as soon as NLT abandons this Lincoln-fetish then I'll stop as well. My posts are generally reacting to the school-girl enthusiasm some posters have for a remarkably ahistorical Lincoln.