THE DEAD PRESIDENTS - ABE DEFENDING HIS MEMORIAL

Today in history Andrew Johnson became the 17th POTUS and Abe Lincoln became a DEAD PRESIDENT!

the First Funny - Lincoln is Hated More than Obama

Pointless Presidential Pfacts #50 - "Presid--...er-uh WASHINGTON's BIRTHDAY!"

There is no federal holiday called Presidents (or President's or like the State of California labels it: Presidents') Day no matter what the stores tell you. It is George Washington's Birthday (which is actually the 22nd).

So, happy not-officially-presidents-day-but-really-the-day-we-observe-Washington's-Birthday-which-is-really-on-the-22nd-day! Now go out and save money on that mattress and who knows maybe you'll produce a future POTUS!

THE DEAD PRESIDENTS - ABE's 205th Birthday!

Pointless Presidential Pfacts #34 - "The Last Time Lincoln Was in a Theater"

On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln went to Ford's Theater to watch "Our American Cousin". Now while the 16th President of the United States wanted to relax at the theater as the Civil War came to an end, an individual with so much opposition to the central government's involvement in freeing the enslaved black man wanted nothing more than to topple the U.S. government on the night of the 14th. John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators planned to kill Lincoln, the loyal Southern Democrat from Tennessee and the recently sworn-in vice president, Andrew Johnson, and the Secretary of State, William Seward. Lincoln and Johnson ran on the Union Party ticket, dumping his vice president Hannibal Hamlin for the loyal southerner of the opposition party. Seward had been the nation's chief diplomat since the start of Lincoln's first term and prior to that had challenged Lincoln for the Republican nomination in 1860 and was expected to win it. Booth was a southern sympathizer from a famous family of actors, he was not unknown like his future fellow presidential assassins like Charles Guiteau, Leon Czolgosz, or Lee Harvey Oswald (and his conspirators???).

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States. Republican from Illinois.

The guy that was to kill Vice President Johnson chickened out and Johnson had no clue about an attempt. Although Booth did try to make a connection between himself and the vice president, but nothing came of it.

Lewis Powell, one of Booth's co-conspirators, had the responsibility of killing Secretary Seward. Powell made it into the secretary's home and fought off his son before stabbing him. What saved Seward was a neck-brace he wore after being in a carriage accident. Powell fled the scene and was later caught.

Lewis Powell

The only one successful that night was Booth. He had scoped out Ford's Theater and planned out his moves. He knew the play's funniest line, "Don't know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal — you sockdologizing old man-trap." And that was when he was going to strike. Booth shot Lincoln with a derringer. After he shot Lincoln in the back of the head, Booth fought off Major Henry Rathbone, he and his wife shared the theater box with the First Couple, after bigger names like Grant and Sherman turned the play down. Booth slashed away at Rathbone, but the attack threw Booth off his game. Booth jumped from the box to the stage and his spur got caught in the flag. He broke his leg but before rushing off the stage yelled something to the audience. Two things were reported said, "Sic semper tyrannis!" which is the motto of Virginia and translates to "Thus always to tyrants." The line heard was "The South is avenged!"

Booth got on a horse, which he asked someone to hold, although they didn't know why, and he rode out of town. The Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, issued a manhunt for Booth and his accomplices. Booth sought help for his leg and eventually made his way to Garrett's farm and stayed in the barn until Federal troops circled the barn with fire. A soldier shot Booth and he died shortly afterward. His conspirators were tried and hung for the crime. Among those executed on July 7, 1865, was the first female, Mary Surratt.

John Wilkes Booth

But on the night of April 14th, doctors in Ford's Theater tried to save the president's life. Fearful that President Lincoln would not survive the bumpy road back to the Executive Mansion, they moved the president across the street. Lincoln died the next morning. It is said that Stanton said, "now he belongs to the angels" and later he changed his quote to "now he belongs to the ages."

Johnson was sworn-in as the 17th president of the United States. Lincoln's plans for Reconstruction of the South would never come to light and a political power struggle between President Johnson and the Radical Republicans would harm Reconstruction and Civil Rights for about 100 years until after another assassinated president is succeeded by another Vice President Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States. Democrat from Tennessee.

POTUS QUOTUS - AL16 SECOND INAUGURAL 1865 - "Best Second Inaugural Address Ever."

Steven's Lincoln

I loved Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, both as a student of history and of film. No longer is Henry Fonda the Abraham Lincoln of cinema, now it is Daniel Day-Lewis. 1860s America was brought to life in the Dreamworks picture set in the last four months of Lincoln's life.

It tells the story of a recently reelected Lincoln that seeks to pass the 13th Amendment before the end of his first term. A year and a half prior, Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation which limited freeing slaves in the rebel States. The 13th Amendment was to abolish it for all time by writing it into the Constitution. He must bring a divided Republican Party, conservatives and radicals, together while still trying to get Democratic support in the House of Representatives, the place where the legislative action takes place. We see the two sides argue like nothing C-SPAN has ever shown. Another obstacle Lincoln must face is the peace envoy from the rebel States. The peace talks are used as a reason not to pass the amendment.

Legislative procedure and wartime diplomacy are turned into a screenplay with the main tension: will Lincoln get the 13th Amendment passed in the House of Representatives? With the tension of the 3rd Act, Lincoln meeting with envoy from the South. Like a good character in any film, Lincoln has obstacles he must over come and what we get a glimpse of is 19th Century politics, as Lincoln plays politics to accomplish a truly noble goal of abolishing slavery with the 13th Amendment. We see Lincoln the politician, which all great presidents are. We also see Lincoln the man.

Lincoln shows his human side from visiting the troops, to giving piggy-back rides to his son Tad, to arguing with his wife. We also get to see the human side of other 19th Century figures and the struggles with accepting equality with blacks, both from a tolerant and intolerant view. The human side was brought to life, giving a glimpse of world known through historical bullet points.

This film was about a politician trying to do good for his country and it happened that it took place two months before his death. The film never really touched on his assassination, except for a couple of beats, once in the beginning and then again at the end. But it wasn't a rehash of the conspiracy that is well known...well to a good number of people. I'm sure a good portion know the basics of the Lincoln assassination conspiracy which 1/3 of was played out on April 14, 1865. Spoiler alert, for real too, we never see the Lincolns and the Rathbones (a total 19th Century sounding name) at Ford's Theater, just that Lincoln is running late for an evening out with the young couple. Just telling that moment in time can be an entire picture. Spielberg approaches the moment of assassination moment from the average Washingtonian that night in nation's capital with the young Tad as our emotional and character connection. All that is accomplished to also resolve the politician, human, and character by introducing the historical figure of Abraham Lincoln.