Lincoln Movie Questions

Lincoln Movie Questions
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS ON YOUR OWN PAPER.
These questions are very detailed and specific. Many may be answered after you
finish the movie - HOWEVER - they do require you to watch the movie very
intently. They do not necessary follow the order of the film. You should read over
the questions before the film begins in order to be prepared to answer them as
the topics come up during the film or afterwards.
1. Create a Venn diagram that you will fill in information on during the entire movie
comparing and contrasting the positions of the following groups toward the proposed
13th Amendment: Radical Republicans, Moderate Republicans, and Democrats.
2. Who was Pres. Lincoln talking to at the beginning of the movie? What did they
recite? Lincoln is talking to one of the soldiers and they are reciting about equal
pay.
3. What was the 13th Amendment? Why was passing it so important to President
Lincoln? (This answer will be answered (at least part two) throughout the entire movie
(not just one scene). The 13th amendment was to abolish slavery and it was important
to President Lincoln because he wanted the war to stop.
4. Who was brought in to try and convince Representatives to vote to vote for the 13th
Amendment? How did they try and accomplish this? One of Lincoln's secretaries
was brought in to convince the representative to vote.
5. Why does Robert Lincoln want to join the Army? Why do Mr. & Mrs. Lincoln not want
him to? Robert Lincoln wanted to join the army for his son that had passed away and
the Lincolns dont want him to join because it will lead to something bad.
6. What is one way President Lincoln tried to convince Robert not to join the
Army. President Lincoln tries to scare Robert by taking him to the hospital for the
army and he wants to scare him so he does not join the army.
7. Why does Preston Blair want to go to Richmond VA?
Because they thought that the confederate leaders might try to end the war.
8. Why does President Lincoln not want the southern peace negotiators to come to
Washington DC? Because the peace negitiators just thought that Abraham
Lincoln was just trying to pass the 13th amendment to end the war.
9. How does Mrs. Lincoln treat Thaddeus Stevens in the reception line at the White
House? Why is she upset? Lincoln treats Thaddeus Steven with a worry feeling
and she is upset because their was investagators who took a look into her
spendings.
10. What is President Lincoln's reaction to seeing the battlefield after the Battle of
Petersburg? What does he say to General Grant? Lincoln thought that it was
going to be a more violent battle and I feel like he expected to see more
people killed.
11. In the movie, President Lincoln said, “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 shall be for the
people to keep it up. That's my speech.” When he says, “…it shall be for the people
to keep it up,” what does he mean? I think this meaning is for Abraham Lincoln to
prove himself that he will pass the 13th amendment and he wanted everyone to
believe what he believed.
Lincoln Movie Questions
12. In the scene when Lincoln’s youngest son is laying in front of the fire, he was on
top of an important war strategy map – what does this say about Lincoln as a
father? What does it say about the son? He spends time with his son and it says
that they have a good relationship about both of them.
13. In the film, Lincoln says, “A compass will point you true north. But it won’t show you
the swamps between you and there. If you don’t avoid the swamps, what’s the use
of knowing true north?” What is the metaphor of ‘North’ – remember the metaphor
for the West? (This will help) And how does this metaphor relate the point Lincoln
was making? They wanted white and blacks to have the same equality for marriage
and voting rights but instead Abraham Lincoln wanted to focus on his own.
14. Abraham Lincoln resorts to various methods in order to get the House of
Representatives to pass the amendment. Do you believe that these tactics are
necessary? Why or why not? I dont believe that these tactics were necessary
because some of them still failed for example the amendment was first failed
because it did not pass the first time.
15. Explain why the Emancipation Proclamation was able to free only those slaves
living in the Confederacy, and why this freedom may have been taken away after
the war, had the 13th Amendment failed to pass. The slaves were freed illegally
but then later it was legal.
16. Thaddeus Stevens downplays his true political beliefs in order to gain passage of
the amendment. Do you feel that this makes him more principled or less principled?
Of standing one’s ground despite guaranteed defeat, or downplaying one’s beliefs in
order to gain a small victory on the path to additional victories, which is more
honorable? I feel like it makes him more principled because they had different beliefs
to gain whatever they wanted for victory.
17. What character in this film do you identify with most strongly, and why?
18. In the film scene were The peace negotiations with the Confederates show how
close the Civil War was to continuing, even after Lee’s surrender. What could have
turned the tide in the secessionists’ favor? How close was the Union to dissolving?
19. Lincoln faced a country divided. The 2012 election saw a very close popular vote,
with people passionately for and against the candidates. Do you see any parallels
with the issues, especially the Fiscal Cliff, which we fact today?
20. What was you general view of the movie? What did you like? Did not like? Were
confused about? I liked this movie because I think it did a good job of just trying
to act everything and show how everything happened like it did back then.

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Lincoln Movie Questions

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS ON YOUR OWN PAPER.

7. Why does Preston Blair want to go to Richmond VA?

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