Tuesday, 6 October 2015

Is there a particular reason for the current rise in movies about Abraham Lincoln?

Well, Abe Lincoln's war was the U.S. Civil War, and his greatest speech is undeniably the Gettysburg Address, about the most costly battle, in casualties, of that war. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is currently memorializing the battle, which occured June 30 - July 3, 1863, the 150th anniversary of the National Cemetary, and Lincoln's speech of November 19, 1863. If any treatment deserves to be made about Lincoln, it's got to be now - 2013. This includes books, movies, television, plays, virtually anything. I expect there to be other treatments right through 2015 - the 150th anniversary of his assassination.

UPDATE: This will flesh out this answer to provide a broader reason for Lincoln-mania in the current timeframe, to satisfy the vocal minority.

1. Lincoln's birth year was 1809, his 200th birthday would have been February 12, 2009. A new Lincoln Presidential Library was opened to commemorate in 2009.
2. Lincoln's first term as President started in 1861, its 150th anniversary of inauguration would have been March (inaugurations began in January much later), 2011.
3. The Confederacy of Southern States was formed, indicating their intention to secede from the United States, in 1861, between the time of Lincoln's election, but before his occupancy of the White House. This move was found to be illegal.
4. The Confederacy started the Civil War by attacking Fort Sumter in April 1861, and the war lasted throughout Lincoln's terms of office until his assassination, then through into the first month of Ulysses Grant's administration, to end in May 1865. The 150th anniversary of the war's battles encompass the years 2011 - 2015. Many current memorial events are happening throughout the battlefields in the United States.
5. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was declared on September 22, 1862, to free the slaves effective January 1, 1863. The 150th anniversary of its enactment just occured in January 2013.
6. The Battle of Gettysburg, PA, June 30 - July 3, 1863, the most deadly of the war, and the northernmost battle (occuring deep within Union territory).
7. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in November, 1863 to dedicate the new National Cemetery there, is considered one of the greatest political speeches.
8. Lincoln was re-elected in a landslide in 1864, and was inaugurated for his second term March, 1865.
9. In early April, 1865, Lincoln declares his intention to give voting rights to Negroes, inciting John Wilkes Booth to plan his assassination.
10. Lincoln's assassination occured one month after his second term commenced, the night of April 14, 1865, his death declared in the early morning hours of April 15th. The 150th anniversary of this event will occur in 2015.

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