Steven Spielbergs Lincoln Essay - 840 Words

The movie illustrates the constant tension that exists among the core values of American democracy. In class we learned that the three core principles are majority rule, political freedom, and political equality. These American values often conflict with each other in practice. Although majority rule, political freedom, and political equality are often in conflict with one another none of these principles by itself is enough to make a government democratic. When these three principals are balanced democracy is created. The promise of democratic process is not efficiency, agreement, clarity, or speed. The fundamental promise of democracy as a process is that all citizens have the right to participate in the process of deciding who gets†¦show more content†¦Lincoln has to keep the news of peace a secret so that he can make sure that the bill passes. Another example is one time when one of the politicians is trying to postpone the voting by saying that a peace offer is being held hostage to its success, which is totally true. Lincoln reads the motion from the House and crafts a response. His advisor worries about the president making any false representations to Congress but Lincoln denies doing so and insists that they take his reply back to the Congress. The Democrats denounce this as a â€Å"lawyer’s dodge† but conservative Republicans accept the answer and the voting begins. In this scene it is obvious that the president is using him power to keep the peace offers a secret so that he can make sure that the amendment gets passed. In another scene when the Thirteenth Amendment has passed in the Senate but does not have sufficient backing in the House of Representatives Lincoln and his staff have to find the votes needed before it is too late. This requires the granting of many political favors to members of the Democratic Party. They hire three lobbyists to promote their cause by promising government jobs to Democratic members of the House who failed to win reelection. Here we learn about how influential lobbying can be because if they wouldn’t have done it then they would have never got enough votes to pass the amendment. Public opinion played an important role in the outcome of the passing of theShow MoreRelatedThe Views Of Abraham Lincoln1147 Words   |  5 PagesA more recent myth that has developed is the theory that Abraham Lincoln was homosexual. This myth came to light in 1999 when Larry Kramer, the founding member of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, made the statement that Lincoln was homosexual and backed up his statement with diary excerpts from Lincoln’s bunkmate’s Diary. The excerpts read: He often kisses me when I tease him, often to shut me up†¦ He would grab me in his long arms and hug and hug†¦ our Abe is like a school girl† (Steers 126). Kramer alsoRead MoreAnalysis Of Film The Filmmaking World1197 Words   |  5 Pagesjust by examining its cinematic language. For example, Steven Spielberg uses signature works in many of his films that allow viewers to categorize them as his own. Spielberg, a famous Hollywood style director, was born in Ohio. He kick ed off his Hollywood career after directing his low budget films Firelight and Amblin’. After he signed his contract with Universal Studios, the director went on to film record-breaking movies. A few of Spielberg’s movies include Jaws, Jurassic Park, and E.T. The ExtraRead MoreSteven Spielberg s Lincoln And The End Of The Civil War994 Words   |  4 PagesSteven Spielberg’s â€Å"Lincoln† (2012) The â€Å"Lincoln† started in January 1865. It was the second month since Abraham Lincoln’s reelection and the fourth year of the American Civil War. The â€Å"Lincoln† is a history of Abraham Lincoln’s legacy in dealing with the casualties in the Civil War battlefield and the debates over the passage of Thirteenth Amendment. In a nation divided by war and the eagerness of change, Lincoln strived for the end of the Civil War, the unity of the country and the abolishmentRead MoreMaking An Abraham Lincoln Movie901 Words   |  4 Pages Making an Abraham Lincoln movie can be very tricky and a difficult job. Everybody knows the story of Abraham Lincoln and knows the persona that President Lincoln can give out. Spielberg’s, Ford’s, and Griffith’s Lincoln all did very notable work. Griffith’s Lincoln in Birth of a Nation was a worthy performance by Henabery. Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln was known as one great over all film. The scenes in the film were spot on and the Lincoln played by young Mr. Henry Fonda was the best in the businessRead MoreEssay about Steven Spielbergs Life and Accomplishments1187 Words   |  5 Pageshis films are well known and popular to this very day. He has received many winning awards for his movies, and was also nominated for best director. This director started at a young age, and has become one of the most talented directors today. Steven Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 18, 1946. Spielberg lived in a family of six including him, and he was the eldest of his siblings. His sibling’s names are Anne, Sue, and Nancy. In his early years he was forced to do a lot of relocatingRead MoreA Brief Look at Steven Spielberg1726 Words   |  7 PagesSteven Allan Spielberg is known worldwide as a screenwriter, producer and one of Americas most successful filmmakers. His 20 highest-grossing films grossed 8.45 billion. He is a three-time winner of the Oscar Award, twice as the best director of the year. Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati (Ohio, USA), the son of a Jewish family engineer Arnold Spielberg and professional pianist Leah Adler (nee Posner).The mother had to give up the idea of her career for education of four childrenRead MoreWorld War II Essay1459 Words   |  6 Pagesworth more than their own? Amid the chaos and terror of those days in early June 1944, this remarkable story searches to find decency in the sheer madness of war. The release of Saving Private Ryan generated a massive hype due to Steven Spielberg having also directed that other Second World War opus, Schindlers List. Now that Hollywood has moved on and the fuss has subsided, its clear that an important movie remains. Much has been written and gasped about the openingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Lincoln 962 Words   |  4 Pages Actually, Steven Spielberg’s film named â€Å"Lincoln† starts during the time of the Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln was requiring this war’s end. From the initial scene the cruelty of the war is clearly shown, mostly against African American soldiers. In fact, racial discrimination was a significant problem at that time and that was one of the biggest struggles of Abraham Lincoln, as he attempted to maintain the whole nation as one union. The film describes the situation occurred in the 1860sRead MoreLincoln by Steven Spielberg892 Words   |  4 PagesThe movie Lincoln by famous producer, Steven Spielberg, is a newer film based upon the life of Abraham Lincoln and his endeavor to pass the 13th amendment giving the right to free all slaves in their entirety. (1. How does this film relate the material to this course?) As we are currently going over the 19th century discussing slavery and the civil war, the movie deals directly with president Abraham Lincoln and his attempt to abolish slavery indefinitely through the act of the 13th amendment leadingRead MoreAnalysis Of Steven Spielberg s Lincoln1788 Words   |  8 Pagesbetween the North and South, which eventually led to the civil war. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln takes place during the last four months of President Abraham Lincoln s life, which coincided with the end of the civil war, and, not coincidentally, the death of slavery in America. The chronology of events in Lincoln is accurate for the most part, but there are a few things that happened out of place. During a house debate Thaddeus Stevens is told by James Ashley to state that he does not believe in racial