Looking for Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1965) is, undoubtedly, considered to be one of the most revered, enigmatic, and respected of all the U.S. Presidents to date.

Hosted by Henry Gates Jr. - "Looking For Lincoln" is something of a "warts-and-all" bio-documentary that certainly offers the curios viewer a better understanding of who Lincoln actually was as a "real-life" person.

This 2-hour presentation delves into the controversies that often surrounded Lincoln when it came to his stance on such heated political issues as race, religion, and civil rights.

All-in-all - I'd say that (whether you are an American, or not) "Looking For Lincoln" was certainly worth a view.

This is truly an exemplary documentary where we try to distinguish myth and reality of our nation's 16th president.

We learn that Lincoln was far from perfect, but he earned the respect of black America for what he represented to them as well as the entire nation.

We learn that Lincoln may very well have been accused of being a white supremacist. He did not adhere to the belief of equality of the races. We must remember that The Emancipation Proclamation applied only to those slaves living in states that were in rebellion against the U.S. Note that border state slaves were not freed. Lincoln correctly felt that such an action there would encourage secession of such states.

Lincoln's presidency and times guided the actions he took. The man suffered from depression early due to the death of Ann Rutledge, his sweetheart in youth. This same depression may have made him a stalwart during the Civil War Years. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is as bright as ever, but has she aged! I remember her grading the Clinton acceptance speech of 1992 as A-. The woman in California who had so many Lincoln items in her home was nothing more than an exhibitionist. It was good to see the documentary end with the election of Barack Obama in 2008. Unfortunate events included Marion Anderson singing by the Lincoln Memorial due to the bigotry of The Daughters of the American Revolution. The documentary should have mentioned that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was instrumental in getting Anderson to sing where she did. That Illinois class showing a discussion of Lincoln was obviously a gifted class-yet some of their comments were ever so average. Despite the fact that Lincoln saw an inequality between the races, he has come to symbolize for African Americans and others, the hopes and aspirations for this country. For that reason alone, we must be forever grateful.

As a retired American history teacher, I was practically orgasmic as I watched this wonderful documentary from Henry Louis Gates. It's because the film was NOT yet another glossy documentary of Lincoln but a real examination of who Lincoln really was--the man behind the myth. I loved this film, as it sought many, many different sources and authorities to create a much more realistic portrait of the man---and it took a ton of work to complete this. Gone was the much bigger than life Lincoln--and that's a good thing, as no man is that wonderful and that pure. Instead, you see him warts and all--who he was and the context for this. And so, at times, they examine Lincoln in the context of both the 19th century and today. A few of the amazingly interesting things in the show include:

A wonderful quote from a Lincoln biographer--"It's not Lincoln's fault he was mythologized..." How he did NOT free the slaves--as his Emancipation Proclamation was largely symbolic.

It was pretty even-handed--and Gates interviews both George W. Bush and Clinton as well as historians who were NOT in agreement. Another great example was when Gates visited with descendents of Confederate veterans to hear what they thought of Lincoln as well as to show these folks were NOT a bunch of dumb rednecks (this portion was amazingly restrained, actually).

Overall, it's a brilliant piece of film work. Unlike anything I've seen before--and in a very good and original way.