The New Lincoln Movie VS Present Times (minor spoiler)

I watched the new Lincoln movie a few days ago and found it pretty entertaining. One of the things they really sold in the movie was how on edge people were back then....think about how much doom and gloom we think we have right now...and I agree we do...but imagine living in those times...

We often claim that economic collapse may lead to civil war or rioting etc....back then they had civil war...and were attempting in one stroke to release all slaves with freedom into the economy thus ending free labor. I guess I had never really thought of how close the US was to some major catastrophes. Their problems were well beyond ours in the US.

Minor Spoiler kind of (unless this is a common historical fact that I missed in High School): I never knew this but in the movie Lincoln delays making peace in an attempt to pass the amendment to free slaves. Basically uses the war at that point as a kind of false flag or deceptive operation to free slaves.

This got me thinking too.....no one in the public would have known about that... I am assuming. Could you imagine what would happen if we some day found out that a government false flag operation or deception was really for good.

I am not saying that is the case at all, but it is something I had rarely thought about, and I kind of felt bad that I have given very little attention to the Civil War and that time period. Great movie if anyone is interested.

Anyway post your thoughts on the movie or my comments if you wish.

I just saw it yesterday. The movie gives a great look at the "underside" of politics as you get to see just what politicians have to go through in order to get their point across. Lincoln was a great politician who navigated some very troubled waters in his time. It was pure genius when he put the Southern delegates on the boat while they debated the terms of the War/ 13th Amendment in the House of Represenatives. He could "see" through time and he used time as a tool in his equation(s) when solving some of humatity's most troubling issues at that time. Great movie.

Here's another take on it:

"Movie Review: The Lincoln Movie is Propaganda" NOVEMBER 17, 2012 BY: DAVI BARKER

www.examiner.com...

Do you see? Lincoln wanted high import tariffs and high taxes to subsidize wealthy corporate campaign donors. The Confederacy wanted to create a free trade zone with no tariffs, low taxes and no corporate subsidies. As Confederate President Jefferson Davis said during his inaugural address, the South wanted “the freest trade our necessities will permit.”...

...The war cry of the North was never “free the slaves” but “preserve the Union” because a free trade zone to the South would spoil the plans of Lincoln’s corporate sponsors. The 13th Amendment, which abolished chattel slavery, was supported by a majority of the Southern states.

Every other country in the New World ended slavery without violence, with the exception of the Haitian Revolution, which was a slave revolt, not a civil war. The Civil War was essentially a very bloody tax revolt followed by a successful propaganda campaign.

There are many debates about the true causes of the Civil War, and I think I've seen threads here on ATS about it. I'm Canadian, so did not learn a whole lot about it in school, except that slavery seemed to be the main issue. Certainly some of Abe Lincoln's own quotes seem to contradict this (from the article):

The ugly fact is that, despite Mr. Spielberg’s revision of history, Lincoln did not believe in equality for African Americans. ...

...“If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union.”

For some reason that didn’t make it into the film. But if you think that’s bad, consider this quote of Lincoln from his debates with Douglas in 1858:

“I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, — that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, not to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will for ever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality.”

As I said, I don't know a whole lot about this subject, but have read a few things which suggest that the Civil War was not what a lot of people think it was.

Anyway, I thought I'd respond with another view, and see what others think of it?

The mention of 'False Flag' made me think of this:



at 51 sec: "And, may I point out, that Mr Lincoln did not feel he could call out the Federal army until Fort Sumter was attacked, which is why he ordered the Commander of Fort Sumter to do exactly that thing which the South Carolinian's had said would cause an attack."

It was a "message" movie. The blacks acted like contemporary blacks, giving Mr. Lincoln a piece of their "minds".

No black in that day and age would have been allowed to speak to the president in that fashion.

Spielberg's intent was clear and I lost respect for him after seeing this movie. The issue would have stood on its own throughout the film without opening the film with a political statement.