History Film / Lincoln

* {{Leitmotif}}: A lively bluegrass theme appears whenever Bilbo and his cohorts are onscreen.

** When going over the naval strategy, he paraphrases the "Never shake thy gory locks at me" line from ''{{Macbeth}}'':

-->'''Lincoln''': Euclid's first common notion is this: Things which are equal to the same things are equal to each other. That's a rule of mathematical reasoning and its true because it works - has done and always will do. In his book Euclid says this is self evident. You see there it is even in that 2000 year old book of mechanical law it is the self evident truth that things which are equal to the same things are equal to each other.

--> '''Lincoln''': We have heard the chimes at midnight.

* AnachronismStew: This film [[https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/did-anyone-say-racial-equality-in-1865-the-language-of-i-lincoln-i/266990/ uses phrases that didn't exist pack then]], [[TropesAreTools Justified because]] [[CulturalTranslation modern audiences wouldn't understand 18th century]] UsefulNotes/AmericanEnglish

* ArmorPiercingResponse: Secretary Seward initially urges Lincoln to hold off on calling for a vote on the 13th Amendment until the seating of 1864, upon which the House of Representatives will have a Republican majority. Lincoln, however, insists it must be done before then because the war will be over soon and many Republicans will see no reason to vote for the 13th if the South is already defeated. To test this Seward asks a visiting couple who claim to support the amendment if they would still vote for it if the war were already won, to which they admit they wouldn't, they only care about winning the war sooner.

* AnachronismStew: This film [[https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/did-anyone-say-racial-equality-in-1865-the-language-of-i-lincoln-i/266990/ uses phrases that didn't exist pack then]], [[TropesAreTools Justified because]] [[CulturalTranslation modern audiences wouldn't understand 18th century]] AmericanEnglish

* ArmorPiercingAnswer: Secretary Seward initially urges Lincoln to hold off on calling for a vote on the 13th Amendment until the seating of 1864, upon which the House of Representatives will have a Republican majority. Lincoln, however, insists it must be done before then because the war will be over soon and many Republicans will see no reason to vote for the 13th if the South is already defeated. To test this Seward asks a visiting couple who claim to support the amendment if they would still vote for it if the war were already won, to which they admit they wouldn't, they only care about winning the war sooner.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Inverted. Secretary Seward initially urges Lincoln to hold off on calling for a vote on the 13th Amendment until the seating of 1864, upon which the House of Representatives will have a Republican majority. Lincoln, however, insists it must be done before then because the war will be over soon and many Republicans will see no reason to vote for the 13th if the South is already defeated. To test this Seward asks a visiting couple who claim to support the amendment if they would still vote for it if the war were already won, to which they admit they wouldn't, they only care about winning the war sooner.

[[quoteright:304:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lincoln-first-poster_6519.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:304:Shall we stop this bleeding?]]

->''"Do we choose to be born? Or are we fitted to the times we’re born into?"''
-->-- '''UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln'''

''Lincoln'' is a historical retelling of the [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln 16th President of the United States]]'s attempts to get the Thirteenth Amendment passed, directed by Creator/StevenSpielberg and written by [[Theatre/AngelsInAmerica Tony Kushner]], based on the acclaimed biography ''Team of Rivals'' by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It stars Creator/DanielDayLewis as Lincoln, Creator/SallyField as Mary Todd Lincoln, Creator/JosephGordonLevitt as their son Robert and has a supporting cast that includes Creator/TommyLeeJones, David Strathairn, Jared Harris and Creator/JackieEarleHaley.

Set during the last four months of President Abraham Lincoln's life, the film's main focus is on his guiding of the political forces in America to end the [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar Civil War]] and pass the 13th Amendment, thereby abolishing slavery. This is much harder than it sounds, due to the many political divisions not just in the North (to say nothing of the country) at the time, but also in Lincoln's own party. The Radical Republicans led by Representative Thaddeus Stevens demand a strong bill to be passed at all costs, while the more conservative party members led by the Blair family want to hold off until they can try one more chance at negotiating peace with the rebellious South. Throwing complete support behind either side risks the Amendment not getting passed at all, and even with the support of his own party, Lincoln still needs some Democratic support to pass the amendment as well. This sets the stage for a series of behind the scenes maneuvers to sway certain Congressmen to break from their party and vote for the Amendment.

Meanwhile, Lincoln also has to deal with his family issues, particularly his son Robert's demands to enlist over his wife Mary's vehement objections.

The film was given a limited release on November 9, 2012 before opening wide on the 16th and becoming a robust box office hit for a historical political drama. The trailer can be viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiSAbAuLhqs here]].

!!This work provides examples of:

* ActionPrologue: The film opens violently with the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry.
* {{Adorkable}}: Representative Ashley gives off this vibe in some scenes. The round face and curly hair help.
* AgeLift: Sally Field is 9 years older than Day-Lewis, the reverse of Lincoln's difference to Mary. Thankfully the make-up makes him look older than her.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Inverted. Secretary Seward initially urges Lincoln to hold off on calling for a vote on the 13th Amendment until the seating of 1864, upon which the House of Representatives will have a Republican majority. Lincoln, however, insists it must be done before then because the war will be over soon and many Republicans will see no reason to vote for the 13th if the South is already defeated. To test this Seward asks a visiting couple who claim to support the amendment if they would still vote for it if the war were already won, to which they admit they wouldn't, they only care about winning the war sooner.
* AnswerCut: Lincoln goes to negotiate with the rebel commissioners after some persuasion by General Grant. At the end he asks the commissioners directly, "Shall we stop this bleeding?" The scene fades out and is replaced by one of the Fall of Richmond.
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: As Spielberg put it on the 149th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address: "It’s not the job, and in fact it’s a betrayal of the job, of a historian to promise perfect and complete recall of the past, to promise memory that abolishes loss. One of the jobs of art is to go to the impossible places that other disciplines, like history, must avoid.” [[MST3KMantra With that in mind]]...
** Lincoln was not clothed upon his death (so the doctors could check for other wounds) and was laid diagonally, since the bed he was put in was too small for him.
** The possibility that any Union soldier, black or white, would have committed the Gettysburg Address to memory in 1863 is remote, since the speech did not enter the national vocabulary until the early 20th century. Two of the soldiers at least have the excuse that they were at Gettysburg when he made the speech.
** UsefulNotes/WilliamHenryHarrison's portrait was never hung in Lincoln's office.
** First Lady Mary Lincoln did not attend the final tally on the amendment and it would have been scorned then for a woman to sit in the House Gallery.
** The flag raised near the beginning of the film is raised with a crank instead of a system of ropes.
** Votes then were taken in order of representatives' last names in alphabetical order, not by state, and all of the Connecticut House members voted for the amendment, not just one. Screenwriter Tony Kushner later released [[http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/mr-spielberg-connecticut-objects/?_r=0 a statement clarifying this was intentional]]; they wanted to make the progression of the vote more obvious (hence the vote by state) and for it to have early opposition to represent the obstacles it faced. Connecticut so happened to be right at the start of the list with the Northern states listed alphabetically.
** Bilbo jokes that Seward went so far as to forbid the Gang of Three from using the coins that bear Lincoln's visage to avoid any connection between them and the president. While there was money with Lincoln's image at the time, it was on the ten dollar bill, not on coins.
** Alexander Gardner would not have sent fragile one-of-a-kind plates to Tad Lincoln, especially since the boy had once ruined several images by locking their developer in a closet.
** Tad Lincoln is shown as a normal eleven year-old boy in the film. In real life Tad Lincoln had a very serious speech impediment, to the point that only his closest family and teachers could understand him. (He later had speech therapy to overcome this.) Based on photographic evidence, he most likely had a cleft lip or cleft palate.
** Rep. Josiah "Beanpole" Burton and Dem. Clay Hawkins are entirely fictional Congressman.
* AssholeVictim: One of Lincoln's stories from his lawyer days. An abusive husband was killed by his wife in the middle of a fight and his reputation was so bad that no one was eager to convict her. Lincoln was assigned as her lawyer, he subtly hinted she flee, and she did. Most everyone's response after that was just to drop the case.
* AsYouKnow: Lots of exposition early in the film regarding the political situation and the mechanics of getting an amendment passed, including Seward explicating things like the 2/3 majority requirement that Lincoln would obviously already know.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: At the very end, during the carriage ride. [[TearJerker It breaks your heart]].
* BadassBoast: "I am the President of the United States of America, clothed in immense power!" Yes, that is an actual Lincoln quote.
* {{Bathos}}: In one hilarious scene one of the lobbyists tries to bribe a vote out of a Democrat only for the man to whip out a gun and try ''to shoot him''. The lobbyist manages to grab his hand and make the first shot miss, then scrambles to collect his papers while the Congressman hurries to reload. The lobbyist kicks dirt into his face to delay him, then runs like heck to escape the Congressman.
* BedmateReveal: An inversion. [[spoiler:We're shown that Lydia Smith, who viewers would assume to be Thaddeus Stevens' maid, is actually his live-in mistress when he gets into bed and the camera pans across to reveal Lydia in bed next to him.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[ForegoneConclusion As dictated by history]], the Amendment passes and the Civil War comes to an end in short order. And Lincoln is assassinated not long afterward.
* BigYes: When it is [[spoiler:George Yeaman]]'s turn to vote on the 13th Amendment, he initially responds by mumbling something inaudible. When asked to speak up, he stands and shouts as loud and long as his lungs will let him.
-->'''[[spoiler:Yeaman]]:'''"I said aye, Mr. [=McPherson=]! AAAAAAAAAAYE!"
* BrickJoke:
** "Beanpole" Burton is referred to in one of the first scenes when a few of his constituents petition Lincoln. He reappears in the voting scene.
** Stevens mentions a wig in one of his early scenes. In his final appearance, we see his magnificent BaldOfAwesome.
* BrokenBird: Mary, who has suffered the loss of two children, worries about her husband's safety, and fears (sadly, quite correctly) that history will remember her as a crazy woman who ruined Lincoln's happiness.
* CallForward: Abe and Mary have a heated argument in which they speak of her possibly being thrown into the madhouse because of her grieving processes. She even specifically states that if her son Robert were killed in the war, Lincoln should go ahead and put her in the madhouse. Ten years later, she ''was'' put in the madhouse, by Robert himself (though quickly released).
* CaptainObvious: Lincoln's flag-raising speech. It's no Gettysburg Address.
-->'''Lincoln''': The part assigned to me is to raise the flag, which, if there be no fault in the machinery, I will do, and when up, it will be for the people to keep it up. [''Pause''] That's my speech.
* ChekhovsGun:
** During the first vote-canvassing montage, one Congressman slams his door in the lobbyist's face and a picture of a soldier falls off of a mourning wreath. [[spoiler:The picture was of the Congressman's brother, and the Congressman now opposes the 13th Amendment because he blames black people for his brother's death in the war.]]
** Lincoln's telegraph to Ulysses S. Grant. He initially pushes for the decision to discuss the terms for peace with the South in Washington, only to change his mind and have them sent to another city. [[spoiler:On the day of the vote, word reaches Congress of the South attempting to make peace overtures, causing both parties to attempt to delay the vote...until Lincoln uses ExactWords to deny knowledge of any Southern delegates in Washington.]]
* CigaretteOfAnxiety: After seeing the amputated limbs at the military hospital, Robert goes for a smoke to calm his nerves. He can't even manage to roll one up before tossing it away in frustration.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Robert sees one of Lincoln's young secretaries in uniform for the shindig, he complains that he'll be the only man over fifteen and under sixty-five not in uniform. His uniformed little brother corrects him:
--> '''Tad:''' I'm under fifteen.
* TheComicallySerious:
** Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who fusses over the burnt edge of a military map and positively storms out of the room when Lincoln starts to tell another of his stories.
** UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, or rather a painting of him-cut to his morose expression during the perfect Lincoln anecdote about him.
* ComicallySmallBribe: Democrat Clay Hawkins is bribed by Bilbo to vote yes for the amendment in exchange for... becoming the postmaster of Millersburg, Ohio. He initially asks to be the taxman of the Western Reserve, but Bilbo negotiates him down to postmaster. When his fellows Democrats find out, though, they're both amused and disgusted, and Hawkins chickens out of the bribe. [[spoiler:In the end, though, he chooses to vote yes on the amendment anyway regardless of the bribe or his fellows Dems.]]
* CorpseLand: Lincoln passes through the killing grounds of the Battle of Petersburg and goes by countless dead bodies of Union and Confederate soldiers alike. He takes his hat off in respect and the last thing seen is a dead rebel soldier staring lifelessly into the sky.
* CrowdSong: When the 13th Amendment is passed, the Representatives break into a rousing rendition of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v582kPp43Mg The Battle-Cry of Freedom]]".
-->''The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!''\\
''Down with the traitors, up with the stars;''\\
''While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again,''\\
''Shouting the battle cry of freedom!''
* DeadpanSnarker: Thaddeus Stevens, big time. Lincoln himself also indulges in this from time to time.
* DeathGlare:
** The Confederate envoys are brought to the North by an entire regiment of black Union soldiers, all of whom are giving them scarily angry glares.
** Democrats who vote for the amendment get some of these from their fellow Democrats, if not worse.
* DecidedByOneVote: The amendment just barely averts this. It passes with just two votes over the required 2/3rds majority, though one of them [[spoiler:is by the Speaker of the House, who is not required by law to vote.]]
* DeliberateValuesDissonance:
** Many of the characters display the usual racial prejudices of the time, and Thaddeus Stevens' belief in racial equality is frighteningly radical to his peers. It's especially hammered when Representative George Yeaman says he cannot endorse the 13th Amendment [[SlipperySlopeFallacy because it might lead to further reform.]] Even the Republicans balk alongside their Democratic counterparts as Yeaman floats the idea of woman's suffrage.
-->'''Yeaman''': What shall follow upon that? Universal enfranchisement? Votes for ''women''?
** Also, the shameless use of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoils_system Spoils System]] in order to secure the necessary votes. Short of actual bribery, the promising of patronage positions was legal, if not necessarily well-regarded, which is why Lincoln did not want to be identified with it. These tactics are now illegal and would be seen as blatant corruption in the modern day. Arguably, it was the assassination of [[UsefulNotes/JamesGarfield another President]] by a disgruntled office-seeker that was largely responsible for the change, a change implemented in large part (appropriately enough) by George Pendleton, ''Lincoln'''s BigBad.
** An anecdote is mentioned of a woman due to be convicted for murder even though the jury was reluctant to convict her, knowing she acted in self-defense. Since the law didn't make that allowance for women then, she's allowed to flee while everyone's back is turned and no one bothers to search for her.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Stevens and his wish to turn the South into a land "with free men and free women and free children and freedom!"
* {{Determinator}}: Lincoln ''will'' get the 13th Amendment passed, come hell or high water.
* DodgyToupee: Stevens didn't really care about his appearance that much; he had more important things to worry about.
* EmpathicEnvironment: The Lincolns have a raging fight during a big thunderstorm. Another invocation of reality: They are partly fighting about Mary's reaction to Willie's death. The real Willie's funeral took place during a violent thunderstorm, and people writing at the time cited it as an EmpathicEnvironment.
* EnemyMine: The amendment requires anywhere from 16 to 20 Democrats voting yes to pass. This is harder than it sounds because a major amount of Lincoln's support comes from Radical Republicans, who are heavily opposed to working with Democrats. Lincoln eventually convinces Rep. Stevens to cooperate for the greater good, and in a memorable scene Stevens verbally intimidates the feeble Democrat Coffroth into ''not'' switching parties because they need to show other Dems that the 13th has bipartisan support.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
** Fernando Wood's first scene is him [[LargeHam loudly giving a fiery speech]] about [[SmugSnake the superiority of white men]] and Lincoln's supposed tyranny, even calling him "King Abrahamus Africanus The First" (which is a HistoricalInJoke referring to a pamphlet released by Pro-Confederate "Copperheads" like Wood, which accused Lincoln of becoming a dictator.)
** Ulysses S. Grant's first scene shows well why his nickname was "Unconditional Surrender Grant", as he bluntly tells the Confederate delegates that their terms of truce are unreasonable and that neither he nor Lincoln consider the South a sovereign nation, just armed rebels.
* ExactWords: Lincoln pulls this when the Republicans and Democrats [[spoiler: jointly delay voting on the amendment after they hear the rumors about the South's peace overtures. When they ask him if there are Confederate delegates in Washington, Lincoln writes back to them that there are not (since he had ordered them to meet in ''another'' city). The Democrats immediately recognize this "lawyer's dodge" but the vote resumes regardless]].
* AFatherToHisMen: While Congress may have a cold attitude towards him, it's clear Lincoln loves and is loved by his soldiers.
* {{Foreshadowing}} and ForegoneConclusion:
** Lincoln's love of theater is shown midway through the film. [[spoiler: The second and final theater scene throws a twist by showing a ''different'' show than Lincoln's final one, which is canceled to announce the President's assassination]].
** Also, the 13th Amendment passed.
** In an early congressional debate as to whether or not slavery is "natural law", George Pendleton taunts the pro-abolition and pro-equality Thaddeus Stevens by asking if slavery ''isn't'' natural law, what is? Stevens is finally provoked to respond when Pendleton disparagingly mentions [[spoiler: interracial marriage]].
* ForgetsToEat: Both Robert and Abe, according to Mary.
* TheGoodChancellor: Secretary of State William Seward frequently and vocally disagrees with how Lincoln does things, but throws himself into fulfilling the president's wishes by any means necessary.
* GoodIsNotNice: Thaddeus Stevens is a stubborn obstinate jerk who doesn't give a damn bout what "the people" want. He is also a merciless fighter for freedom and justice for all people.
* GoodParents: Lincoln is very involved with Tad. At the most crucial point in the film, Lincoln is absorbed in reading with him and watching him make a fort out of books for his toy soldiers. He loves Robert too, contrary to what Mary thinks, and begs him not to join the army.
* GovernmentProcedural: Really more of this than a {{Biopic}}, as the film covers January-April 1865 and the passage of the 13th Amendment.
* GuileHero: Abe, of course.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: As was apparently true to life, Confederate Vice-President Alexander Stephens is respectful to the black Union soldiers he meets, in contrast to his fellow Confederate escort. In real life, Stephens was a white supremacist and avid supporter of slavery, but he campaigned for better treatment of slaves and apparently treated his slaves well enough that many stayed with him as paid servants after the war, and one even served as a pallbearer. Lincoln and Stephens were also friends before the war, as hinted at when Lincoln addresses him as "Alex."
* HistoricalInJoke: General Daniel Sickles' leg, which he donated to a museum after it was amputated at the Battle of Gettysburg, appears on display in the foreground of one of the early vote-purchasing scenes.
* HonorBeforeReason: Discussed in a private meeting between Lincoln and Thaddeus Stevens. Stevens has revolutionary ideas about making all African-Americans equal and overturning Southern society to make it a haven for citizens of all colors. Lincoln agrees with him in principle, but he cautions Stevens to not make his goals so clear, for fear of scaring off his more reluctant supporters, and start with the small step of abolition first.
-->'''Lincoln''': A compass, I learned when I was surveying, it'll point you True North from where you're standing, but it's got no advice about the swamps and deserts and chasms that you'll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead, heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp... What's the use of knowing True North?
* HopeSpot:
** When Representative Hutton is called to cast his vote for the amendment he is silently praying. The natural assumption that doing so would have moved him to vote to free the slaves turns out to be incorrect and he votes against the Thirteenth Amendment. [[spoiler:This makes Yeaman's "Yes" vote right after all the sweeter.]]
** [[spoiler:When you see a theater performance near the end of the film, you will momentarily relax seeing that it is obviously not ''Our American Cousin'', the play that Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated, but then the manager comes out to announce the assassination to the audience, which includes Tad Lincoln.]]
* IDidWhatIHadToDo:
** Stevens goes against his principles to claim that he only wants equality before the law, not total racial equality, in order to get the 13th Amendment passed. When brought to task for his statement, an unrepentant Stevens asserts that he'd do just about anything to end slavery.
** Many Republicans, especially Preston Blair's faction, are voting for the amendment only because they hope it will end the war sooner, even if they personally find the idea of black equality objectionable.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Lincoln believes that he has to get the 13th Amendment passed before ending the war, because he freely admits (to his cabinet, at least,) that the entire justification for the Emancipation Proclamation is legally incoherent, and it would never stand up to judicial review once he could no longer back it up with the excuse of "war powers".
** The Confederate delegation is concerned about how their 'rights' will be infringed upon if they surrender, but the irony that more or less their entire government framework is built with defending literal ''slavery'' in mind is entirely lost on them.
* InsultBackfire: The Ethan Allen anecdote during the Revolutionary War about an American invited to a British home, the latter hanging a portrait of UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington in his restroom. The American considers it a compliment because, [[BringMyBrownPants well]]...
-->[The portrait] will do good service. The whole world knows nothing will make an Englishman shit quicker than the sight of George Washington.
* {{Irony}}: Near the film's end, Grant tells Lincoln "We've won the war. Now you have to lead us out of it." [[ForegoneConclusion Unfortunately, Lincoln is never able to do so.]]
* IShallTauntYou: Representative Wood (D) ''excels'' at this. At a crucial moment in the Amendment debate, he tries to goad Stevens into stating, on the Floor, his [[DeliberateValuesDissonance radical opinion]] that black people are not inherently inferior to whites. [[spoiler:He fails, as Stevens truthfully avows that he cannot claim all men are equal [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech when he's confronting men as slimy and inferior as]] ''[[FloweryInsult the Democrats he's opposing]]''.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Thaddeus Stevens. Half of what he says is devoted to insulting whoever he is addressing. This has a lot to do with the fact that he is decades ahead of his time (even among many of his fellow abolitionists) in thinking that black people deserve complete equality with whites and [[spoiler:considers himself married by common law to his "housekeeper," even though common law itself would not]]. His insults are directed towards opponents of abolition and people who he does not think are committed enough to abolition.
* LargeAndInCharge: The 6'4" Lincoln towers over everyone else. Day-Lewis' height (6'1") is exaggerated somewhat by the camera angles.
* LargeHam: Wood, Stanton, "Beanpole" Burton. Bilbo has his moments too.
* LargeHamTitle: Sort of. Lincoln tells Secretary Stanton to start talking with "Thunder forth, god of war!" Truth in Television, as Lincoln did refer to Stanton as his "Mars."
* {{Leitmotif}}: A lively bluegrass theme appears whenever Bilbo and his cohorts are onscreen.
* LetMeTellYouAStory: A signature behavior of Lincoln, present in many of the conversations he has throughout the film. They don't always have a relevant moral, though. The first time, with the parrot story, it's completely unrelated. The second time with the Ethan Allen story, it's just to get everyone to lighten up a bit. {{Lampshaded}} hilariously by Stanton who at one point interrupts Lincoln, shouting "I am ''not'' going to sit through another one of your stories!"
* LightningFireJuxtaposition: There is a scene where Lincoln is arguing with his wife on the morality of going to war. There is lighting flashing through the dark window on Lincoln's side, while there is fire burning in a fire place next to the wife. Lincoln is arguing going to war to stop slavery and stop an insurrection. Meanwhile, his wife is arguing that the lives of young soldiers and consequently their families are at stake. It seems that the use of lightning and fire shows that both are serious arguments-but both have different connotations. Lincoln's lightning might represent both the "divine" justice needed to be done and Lincoln's strong ideological stance. His wife's stance is depicted as a fire-place, usually a symbol of home, and fire as a symbol of truth, indicating there would be a high cost to pay for the war. Also, male vs. female. Ideals vs. truths?
* MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext: Lincoln's story about the doomsayer parrot. Once it's finished, everyone who heard it is staring confusedly wondering what on earth that was all about.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: [[spoiler: Thaddeus Stevens's mistress (or common-law wife in his eyes-played by [[Series/LawAndOrder S. Epatha Merkerson]])]] is black and pretends to be his housekeeper to prevent rumors.
* ManlyTears: Many of the Republican Congressman after [[spoiler:securing the passage of the 13th Amendment.]]
** When the black people enter the gallery to hear the vote on the amendment, Rep. Litton's voice goes rough and cracks as he greets them.
--> '''Litton.''' We welcome you, ladies and gentlemen, first in the history of this people's chamber... ''to your House!''
** Rep. James Ashley has an InelegantBlubbering moment after [[spoiler: the amendment passes]].
* MatchCut: An audio Match Cut from one of Seward's operatives whacking a crab with a mallet to a gavel banging the House of Representatives into session.
* MeaninglessMeaningfulWords: After discovering Lincoln sent Preston Blair as a peace feeler to the rebels, Seward rages about how it could jeopardize all their work to pass the 13th Amendment. Lincoln says some reassuring words which the spent Seward reluctantly agrees with. Then he takes a moment to think and realizes Lincoln probably just said some nonsensical platitude.
-->'''Lincoln''': Time is a great thickener of things, William.
-->'''Seward''': Yes, I suppose it is...
--> -{{Beat}}-
-->'''Seward''': [[LampshadeHanging Actually, I have no idea what you mean by that.]]
* MononymousBiopicTitle
* MoodWhiplash: Often occurs thanks to ongoing war. For example, Lincoln once tells a hilarious anecdote to lighten the mood of telegraphers, then listens urgently with them as they report the outcome of the Battle of Fort Fisher... and the casualties.
* NiceHat: Abe and his stovepipe hat, in which he sometimes stores speeches.
* NobleDemon: Vice-President of the Confederacy Alexander Stephens is a reprehensible white supremacist, [[NiceToTheWaiter but he doesn't view this as good reason to treat blacks poorly.]]
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Tommy Lee Jones plays Thaddeus Stevens with his normal Texas accent, though Stevens was from Pennsylvania, and it would have been very ironic to have such a fiery abolitionist from the deep South.
* NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering: The original book was called ''Team of Rivals'' for a reason. Lincoln's powerhouse cabinet spends much of their time together yelling at each other instead of getting policies carried out. At least until Lincoln brings down the thunder. And they're just a few men; Congress is even worse. The Congressional scenes come off like a cross between C*Span's coverage of today's Congress and Prime Minister's Question Time. Several reviews point out, positively, that the entire picture is "two and a half hours of historical C*Span".
* PeaceConference: As promised to his conservative allies, [[spoiler:and after delaying long enough to get the 13th Amendment passed]], Lincoln meets with Confederate peace feelers at Hampton Roads. The talks go nowhere despite Lincoln's plea to "Stop this bleeding."
* PercussivePickpocket: Inverted. Lincoln's lobbyists deliberately crash into a Democrat they hope to bribe a vote from, apologize, and help him recollect his papers. It takes a second or two for the Congressman to realize that ''they're piling money into his folder''.
* PlaceWorseThanDeath: Washington, D.C. in general and the White House in particular, according to Mrs. Lincoln.
* PlausibleDeniability: Lincoln's handling of the Confederate peace delegation. He uses Francis Blair as envoy, allowing him to claim that Blair is acting as a private citizen without binding Lincoln to any actions or promises. Then he retains them at Hampton Roads rather than allowing them to Washington. It nearly unravels when Seward and then several Congressmen discover their presence, but Lincoln saves the day with [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial a carefully-worded denial]].
* PrecisionFStrike:
** When Bilbo realizes that his guest is none other than President Lincoln, he blurts out, "Well I'll be fucked!" as he stumbles to get to his feet. Lincoln replies, deadpan, "I wouldn't bet against it."
** When a Democratic Congressman attempts to shoot Bilbo with a single-shot pistol for offering him a bribe, struggles to collect his dropped folder, kicks dirt on the Congressman to delay him as he reloads, and yells, "Fuck you, you son of a bitch!"
** The punchline of the Ethan Allan story could also count, as it uses many euphemisms for using the toilet until the exact perfect moment.
* ProtagonistTitle
* RamblingOldManMonologue: Lincoln has a habit of breaking into anecdotes that sometimes don't have any relevance to the topic at hand. Other times they're quite calculated to produce an effect.
* RealityIsUnrealistic:
** Lincoln impressions almost invariably use a deep, sonorous tone (this started with molasses-voiced Raymond Massey in his [[Theatre/AbeLincolnInIllinois 1940 performance]]), when in reality Lincoln had a high and nasal voice. Many viewers were confused to first hear Lewis's performance, which has been praised by Lincoln scholars for being very realistic. It didn't help that Day-Lewis's voice was at its highest and most nasal when he was shouting or speaking loudly in excitement, and the movie trailers contain a disproportionate (to the movie) number of those moments.\\
\\
But even so, ''despite'' said voice, Lincoln was known as an immensely charismatic man who held gravitas in his stance, which Day-Lewis captures ''perfectly.'' His voice actually gave him a political advantage at the time. This predated microphones and in order to be heard in a crowd one would have to speak in a loud booming voice, like the members of congress. Lincoln's voice was soft, but was very clear and projected well (as demonstrated by the speech at the end). This meant he came across as very affable to the people.
** Some viewers may find it strange that Representative Fernando Wood sounds British even though he's an American, perhaps thinking the film is invoking the EvilBrit trope. In actuality, Wood, as depicted by Creator/LeePace, sounds that way because he is using [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elocution elocution]], the art of formal speech. Wood may have learned this "classical" sound in school, or picked it up by listening to actors (perhaps the extremely popular Booths) and others trained in public speaking. Bill Raymond as Schuyler Colfax, saying "The House recognizes Fernando Wood," is also using it. Elocution kind of evolved into the "Mid-Atlantic" sound, used by many American film actors[[note]]Creator/KatharineHepburn, Mia Farrow, Creator/VincentPrice[[/note]] which is why they seemed to sound British, up until the 1970s, when this style was largely dropped in favor of "naturalistic" speech.
* {{Realpolitik}}: Lincoln proves to be a master of this. He's perfectly willing to make deals, offer favors, and straight-up bribe people in order to get the 13th Amendment passed.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
** Thaddeus Stevens gets off a good one at the expense of pro-slavery Congressman George Pendleton. Which oddly enough, is worded to say, "You suck, but you deserve equality!"
--> '''Stevens:''' How can I hold that all men are created equal, when here before me stands, ''stinking'' ... the moral carcass of the gentleman from Ohio? ''Proof'' that some men ''are'' inferior! Endowed by their maker with dim wits! Impermeable to reason! With cold, pallid ''slime'' in their veins instead of ''hot red blood!'' ''You'' are more ''reptile'' than man, George! So low and flat, that the foot of man is ''incapable'' of crushing you!
--> '''Pendleton:''' How ... dare ... you ... !
--> '''Stevens:''' Yet even you, Pendleton, who should have been gibbeted for treason long before today, even worthless unworthy you ought to be treated equally before the law!
** Stevens himself receives one at the hands of Mary Todd Lincoln, reminding Stevens that he lacks the love of the people, something her husband has and they both need to keep support for the amendment alive.
* RedHerring: One of the final scenes is at a theater... [[spoiler:but the Grover's, where Tad is watching ''Literature/{{Aladdin}}''. Then the manager enters to announce that Lincoln had been shot at Ford's.]]
* TheReliableOne:
** Lincoln's secretaries, John Hay and John Nicolay are in the background of many scenes, quietly taking notes or working away.
** Seward, who also works quietly to acquire votes while Lincoln and Congress argue very publicly.
** Secretary of the Navy [[FatherNeptune Gideon Welles]], who keeps things going when Stanton has a temper tantrum.
* RedOniBlueOni:
** Thaddeus Stevens and Francis Preston Blair and their affiliated factions respectively. Stevens and the Radical Republicans want the amendment to pass in order to abolish slavery and help bring about more racial equality, while Blair and the conservative Republicans are only interested in passing it as a pragmatic means to end the war.
** The two black soldiers who talk to Lincoln at the beginning of the movie. Corporal Clark takes the opportunity to criticize the government's poor treatment of black soldiers, while Private Green is more conciliatory towards the president and just wants to hear some news.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent
-->'''Thaddeus Stevens''': You are more ''reptile'' than man, George!
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Stevens wants to treat the South as a conquered nation. In contrast Lincoln wants to welcome them back into the Union with open arms and be forgiving as possible. Of course, given what happened in Reconstruction, history is very much on Stevens' side on this issue.
* RomanAClef: The names of the Representatives who voted against the 13th Amendment were changed for the film. Creator/StevenSpielberg said this was done out of respect for the families (however, this was not done for opposition ringleaders George Pendleton and Fernando Wood, since they play such major roles in the film).
* RunningGag: Lincoln keeps trying to get rid of his dress gloves, complaining they never fit right. His butler is always there to make him put or keep them on.
* SadisticChoice:
** Lincoln is faced with the decision to either do what he can to end the war as soon as possible, or to continue trying to pass the amendment at the risk of prolonging it just a little longer.
** When the Democrats force Stevens to declare his beliefs on racial equality, he either has to express more moderate views, which would be anathema to the Radical Republicans and those who support abolition, or be completely honest about them and seriously jeopardize the passing of the 13th amendment. He manages to TakeAThirdOption, sort of.
* SelfDeprecation:
** Lincoln makes a joke about his unruly hair rather than respond directly to a black soldier's complaint about unequal treatment.
** Thaddeus Stevens states that his haggard appearance is the result of his tireless efforts for racial equality, capping it off by saying that he looks even worse without his wig.
* ShoutOutToShakespeare:
** Lincoln, who in RealLife was in fact a big Creator/WilliamShakespeare fan, quotes from ''Theatre/HenryIVPart2'':
--> '''Lincoln''': We have heard the chimes at midnight.
** Early in the movie, while recounting his dream to Mary, Lincoln quotes {{Hamlet}}'s speech about being "a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams."
* ShownTheirWork:
** Those unfamiliar with Lincoln family history may do a double take to see that Robert Todd Lincoln (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is present at the surrender at Appomattox Court House. Robert was in fact actually there and not a ThrowItIn by the filmmakers.
** Rather than go for depicting a famous battle like Gettysburg in the opening scene, ''Lincoln'' opens with the lesser known Battle of Jenkins' Ferry.
** During the assassination of Lincoln, [[spoiler:it is not shown from Lincoln's point-of-view but rather Tad's, who was watching a different play, ''Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp'' at the Grover Theater, before it is stopped to inform everyone that his father has been shot]].
** Spielberg's sound design team went to the White House to record the sounds of the clocks and doors inside. They even got ''the sound of Lincoln's watch'' recorded from where it is held in the Kentucky Historical Society. It was the first time the watch had been wound up in a century and a half, and the filmmakers were amazed that it still worked.
** Daniel Day-Lewis performing Lincoln's actual voice, as well as many of his recorded quotes. He also portrayed Lincoln as a storyteller and sometimes jokester, which Lincoln was indeed recorded as being.
** James Spader's appearance as William Bilbo had to be guessed from various sources because there are no photos of the real Bilbo. One habit of his that Spader found was that the real Bilbo was into wood carving, which he incorporated by showing him frequently carving a wooden duck.
** The voting scene records two unusual occurrences during the House's decision on the amendment: 1. several black families sat in the House Gallery to watch, with Rep Litton welcoming them, and 2. [[spoiler:the Speaker of the House, Schuyler Colfax, asked to vote even though the Speaker is a ceremonial role and thus technically not required to. He voted yes.]]
** During a carriage ride in April Lincoln talks about visiting the Holy Land, telling Mary: "There is no place I so much desire to see as Jerusalem." This is a direct quote of what he actually said to her in the carriage that day, hours before he was shot.
* SleazyPolitician: Seward is not sleazy in character, but he still maintains his contacts with political operatives who ''are'', whom he sets to rounding up lame-duck Democrats that can be persuaded to vote aye.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: This film is about Honest Abe, but he is the one who orders his Secretary of State to get professional lobbyists to wheel and deal with patronage appointments as much as they can to secure the votes necessary to get the 13th Amendment passed. In Stevens's words concerning himself: "The greatest measure of the nineteenth century was passed by corruption, aided and abetted by the purest man in America."
* SimpleCountryLawyer: Despite being the President, Lincoln still projects this vibe, and often tells stories from his lawyer days.
-->'''Roger Ebert''': I've rarely been more aware than during Steven Spielberg's ''Lincoln'' that Abraham Lincoln was a plain-spoken, practical, down-to-earth man from the farmlands of Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.
** Tony Kushner noted that this was inspired by Creator/JohnFord's ''Film/YoungMrLincoln'' which showed Lincoln's early days as a lawyer.
%%* SmugSnake: Representative Fernando Wood, the Democrats' chief orator, fills this role.
* SoHappyTogether: After the 13th Amendment is passed, Abraham and Mrs. Lincoln reconcile and are shown happy together, musing on going on vacation and seeing Jerusalem. It doesn't happen.
* SoreLoser: The Confederate Peace Commission. They ''know'' they're about lose the war, but stubbornly refuse to give up their slaves, somehow thinking they can keep the old South intact.
* TheStoryteller: Lincoln, much to the exasperation of his Cabinet and his staff. [[TruthInTelevision The real-life Lincoln]] was known for telling stories at every occasion... [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome sometimes with a subtle message]], ofttimes [[CrowningMomentOfFunny to tell a joke]] during a tense moment and break the mood.
* SuddenPrincipledStand: [[spoiler:Clay Hawkins]], despite being threatened with violence from his own constituency, votes for the amendment, vigorously defying his own party to "shoot me dead!" This act of courage prompts a moral tug-of-war in the next Democrat who can't decide whether to stand by party or principles.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial:
** "So far as I know there is no Confederate delegation in Washington." [[spoiler:They're in a steamboat docked on the Potomac]].
** When Seward first tells Lincoln that congressmen came to him asking if there was a peace delegation, he told them there wasn't because if there were Lincoln would have discussed it with him first. As he's saying this, though, he's giving Lincoln a DeathGlare that screams: "I know it's true and why didn't you tell me?"
* TakeAThirdOption: Southern congressmen who support the amendment on moral grounds but will not defy their party completely can choose to abstain rather than vote either way. This didn't necessarily help their political careers any more than just voting for the amendment, however.
--> [[spoiler:Edwin F. [=LeClerk=]]]: No! Oh, to hell with it, shoot me dead too. Yes! I mean, abstention! Abstention.
** Thaddeus Stevens gets one, kind of, when pressed by his Democrat enemies to either admit that he believes blacks should be completely equal to whites in all things, or to take a more moderate, watered down approach -- either would jeopardize support for the amendment from some quarters. [[spoiler: He gets around it by admitting that he doesn't believe all men are equal... [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech because the men he's currently arguing with are loathsome, slimy idiots closer to reptiles than men]].]]
* TearsOfJoy: The passing of the amendment and the final abolition of slavery results in many Republicans, Ashley and Litton among them, to break down sobbing after seeing their greatest dream made a reality.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Despite being an anti-slavery party, the House Republicans are not totally behind the amendment. The conservative faction has to be persuaded by the Blair family to support it.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Stanton and Welles describe the amphibious attack on Fort Fisher as beginning with a "steady barrage" from the largest fleet the navy had ever assembled. When another cabinet member wants clarification Stanton elaborates that it means 100 shells every minute until the rebels surrender. For context, in the last war America fought 180 shells an ''hour'' was the rate of fire during the siege of an entire city.
-->'''William Fessden (stunned)''': Dear God!
* TitleIn: A frequent sight throughout the film, e.g., [[AC:JANUARY, 1865 / TWO MONTHS HAVE PASSED SINCE ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S RE-ELECTION / THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR IS NOW IN ITS FOURTH YEAR]].
* ToiletHumor: Lincoln's story of Ethan Allen, concluding with the claim that [[spoiler:"nothing makes an Englishman shit faster than the sight of George Washington!"]]
* TokenEnemyMinority: Bilbo, one of Seward's lobbyists, is a southern Unionist who was driven out of Tennessee after siding with the Republicans.
* {{Troll}}: There are hints that Lincoln tells his stories to exasperate his advisers as much as to make them think.
* TheUnfavorite: Mrs. Lincoln thinks Abe sees Robert as this, while Abe suggests that Mrs. Lincoln sees Tad as this (the film depicts their true feelings towards their sons as much more complex).
* VillainousBSOD: The last we see of George Pendleton, oldest opponent of abolition, is him silently walking through the celebrating House chamber with an expression of despair that the 13th Amendment passed.
* WarIsHell:
** The opening scene is very violent, brutal, and nasty, with soldiers fighting in hand-to-hand combat and stamping their enemies' heads into the waterlogged battlefield to drown them. It then cuts to an African-American soldier who says that, given that Confederate soldiers didn't take black prisoners at a previous battle, the black Union soldiers at Jenkin's Ferry decided they weren't going to take prisoners either.
** Abraham Lincoln takes his oldest son to a veteran's hospital to try to talk him out of enlisting. The young man nearly cracks when he sees some orderlies pushing a wheelbarrow dripping blood to a hole where they're dumping amputated human limbs by the dozens. Everyone in the hospital itself is missing one or both their legs.
** After the Confederate negotiations go nowhere, there's a poignant scene of Lincoln and his men riding their horses through a field of bodies, all piled high from the siege of Petersburg.
* WhatTheHellHero:
** Thaddeus Stevens gets one from one of his colleagues in the film, after making a statement to Congress that he is only interested in blacks being equal before the law, not equal in all things, which clashes with Stevens' positions on racial equality. Stevens responds that [[IDidWhatIHadToDo he will say anything, if it means that slavery will be eliminated.]]
** Lincoln himself gets one from Seward after the latter finds out that a Confederate peace envoy had been invited to Washington without his approving it.
* WhenHeSmiles: Stevens wears a perpetual frown through ninety-nine percent of the whole damn movie. Except at the end, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming and for a very good reason]].
* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: Lincoln slaps Robert after Robert accuses him of barring him from service for fear of Mary more than Robert's death. The blow is not physically hard and Lincoln tries to embrace his son right afterwards, but it has a very bad effect on both men.
* WindbagPolitician: On the day of the vote, the speaker tells the audience they will now ''briefly'' recap the proposed amendment. Everyone bursts out laughing on "briefly".
* WorthyOpponent: Ulysses S. Grant, Robert Lincoln and the other Union soldiers solemnly doff their hats to Robert E. Lee after he surrenders at Appomattox (this actually happened, of course).
** Also displayed between Lincoln and Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens. They knew each other from their time in Congress. During their brief parley for peace at the movie's end they are amicable where Stephens' fellow Confederates are rude and dismissive.

** Some viewers may find it strange that Representative Fernando Wood sounds British even though he's an American, perhaps thinking the film is invoking the EvilBrit trope. In actuality, Wood, as depicted by Creator/LeePace, sounds that way because he is using [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elocution elocution]], the art of formal speech. Wood may have learned this "classical" sound in school, or picked it up by listening to actors (perhaps the extremely popular Booths) and others trained in public speaking. Bill Raymond as Schuyler Colfax, saying "The House recognizes Fernando Wood," is also using it. Some film actors still practiced elocution in the 1960s.

[[caption-width-right:269:Shall we stop this bleeding?]]

* AffablyEvil / TokenGoodTeammate: As was apparently true to life, Confederate Vice-President Alexander Stephens is respectful to the black Union soldiers he meets, in contrast to his fellow Confederate escort. In real life, Stephens was a white supremacist and avid supporter of slavery, but he campaigned for better treatment of slaves and apparently treated his slaves well enough that many stayed with him as paid servants after the war, and one even served as a pallbearer. Lincoln and Stephens were also friends before the war, as hinted at when Lincoln addresses him as "Alex."

* CaliforniaDoubling: More like Virginia Doubling - the House Chamber was shot in the chamber of the Virginia House of Delegates in Richmond. The theater which Tad Lincoln was watching his play in can be found in Fredericksburg.

* HonorBeforeReason / GoodIsDumb: Discussed in a private meeting between Lincoln and Thaddeus Stevens. Stevens has revolutionary ideas about making all African-Americans equal and overturning Southern society to make it a haven for citizens of all colors. Lincoln agrees with him in principle, but he cautions Stevens to not make his goals so clear, for fear of scaring off his more reluctant supporters, and start with the small step of abolition first.

* ManlyTears[=/=]TearsOfJoy: Many of the Republican Congressman after [[spoiler:securing the passage of the 13th Amendment.]]

-->'''Lincoln''': The part assigned to me is to raise the flag, which, if there be no fault in the machinery, I will do, and when up, it will be for the people to keep it up. ...that's my speech.

* EnemyMine: The amendment requires anywhere from 16 to 20 Democrats voting yes to pass. This is harder than it sounds because a major amount of Lincoln's support comes from Radical Republicans, who are heavily opposed to working with Democrats. Lincoln eventually convinces Rep. Stevens to cooperate for the greater good, and in a memorable scene he verbally intimidates the feeble Democrat Coffroth into ''not'' switching parties because they need to show other Dems that the 13th has bipartisan support.

''Film/{{Lincoln}}'' is a historical retelling of the [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln 16th President of the United States]]'s attempts to get the Thirteenth Amendment passed, directed by Creator/StevenSpielberg and written by [[Theatre/AngelsInAmerica Tony Kushner]], based on the acclaimed biography ''Team of Rivals'' by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It stars Creator/DanielDayLewis as Lincoln, Creator/SallyField as Mary Todd Lincoln, Creator/JosephGordonLevitt as their son Robert and has a supporting cast that includes Creator/TommyLeeJones, David Strathairn, Jared Harris and Creator/JackieEarleHaley.

* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar: Is in its fourth and final year. The struggle to pass the Thirteenth Amendment is to secure what was won and to ultimately ensure that once the scourge of war had passed away that the nation would have a new birth of freedom.

*** Plus the speech was printed in national newspapers. People could have read and passed it on, copied it in letters or diaries, etc.

** When Representative [[spoiler:Hutton]] is called to cast his vote for the amendment he is silently praying. The natural assumption that doing so would have moved him to vote to free the slaves turns out to be incorrect and he votes against the Thirteenth Amendment. [[spoiler:This makes Yeaman's "Yes" vote right after all the sweeter.]]

** Lincoln impressions almost invariably use a deep, sonorous tone (this started with molasses-voiced Raymond Massey in his 1940 performance), when in reality Lincoln had a high and nasal voice. Many viewers were confused to first hear Lewis's performance, which has been praised by Lincoln scholars for being very realistic. It didn't help that Day-Lewis's voice was at its highest and most nasal when he was shouting or speaking loudly in excitement, and the movie trailers contain a disproportionate (to the movie) number of those moments.\\

%%* {{Realpolitik}}: Lincoln proves to be a master of this.

** Thaddeus Stevens gets off a good one [[spoiler:at the expense of pro-slavery Congressman George Pendleton. Which oddly enough, is worded to say, "You suck, but you deserve equality!"]]
--> '''Stevens:''' How can I hold that all men are created equal, [[spoiler:when here before me stands, ''stinking'' ... the moral carcass of the gentleman from Ohio? ''Proof'' that some men ''are'' inferior! Endowed by their maker with dim wits! Impermeable to reason! With cold, pallid ''slime'' in their veins instead of ''hot red blood!'' ''You'' are more ''reptile'' than man, George! So low and flat, that the foot of man is ''incapable'' of crushing you!]]

--> '''Stevens:''' [[spoiler:Yet even you, Pendleton, who should have been gibbeted for treason long before today, even worthless unworthy you ought to be treated equally before the law!]]

** During a carriage ride in April Lincoln talks about visiting the Holy Land, telling Mary: "There is no place I so much desire to see as Jerusalem." This is a direct quote of what is claimed to be his last words to her at Ford's Theater.

* SoHappyTogether: After the 13th Amendment is passed, Abraham and Mrs. Lincoln reconcile and are shown happy together, musing on going on vacation and seeing Jerusalem. [[spoiler:It doesn't happen.]]

** Abraham Lincoln takes his oldest son to a veteran's hospital to try to talk him out of enlisting. The young man nearly cracks when he sees some orderlies pushing a wheelbarrow dripping blood to [[spoiler:a hole where they're dumping amputated human limbs by the dozens]]. Everyone in the hospital itself is missing one or both their legs.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Inverted. Secretary Seward initially urges Lincoln to hold off on calling for a vote on the 13th Amendment until the seating of 1864, upon which the House of Representatives will have a Republican majority. Lincoln, however, insists it must be done before then because the war will be over soon and many Republicans will see no reason to vote for the 13th if the South is already defeated. To test this Seward asks a visiting couple who claim to support the amendment if they would still vote for it if the war were already won, to which they admit they wouldn't, they only care about winning the war sooner. Their answer convinces Seward that the matter of the amendment is indeed urgent and he allies himself more closely to Lincoln's goals.

* SoreLoser: The Confederate Peace Commission. They ''know'' they're about lose the war, but stubbornly refuse to give up their slaves, somehow thinking they keep the old South in tact.

* SuddenPrincipledStand: [[spoiler:Clay Hawkins]] despite being threatened with violence from his own constituency, votes for the amendment, vigorously defying his own party to "shoot me dead!" This act of courage prompts a moral tug-of-war in the next Democrat who can't decide whether to stand by party or principles.

** Thaddeus Stevens gets one, kind of, when pressed by his Democrat enemies to either admit that he believes blacks should be completely equal to whites in all things, or to take a more moderate, watered down approach -- either would jeopardise support for the amendment from some quarters. [[spoiler: He gets around it by admitting that he doesn't believe all men are equal... [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech because the men he's currently arguing with are loathsome, slimy idiots closer to reptiles than men]].]]

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Despite being an anti-slavery party the House Republicans are not totally behind the amendment. The conservative faction has to be persuaded by the Blair family to support it.

** The opening scene is very violent, brutal, and nasty, with soldiers fighting in hand-to-hand combat and stamping their enemies' heads into the waterlogged battlefield to drown them. It then cuts to an African-American soldier who says that, given that the Rebel soldiers didn't take black prisoners at a previous battle, the black Union soldiers at Jenkin's Ferry decided they weren't going to take prisoners either.

* LargeHam: Stanton, "Beanpole" Burton. Bilbo has his moments too.