Fathers & Sons Drive the Abolition of Slavery in Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’

In the historical drama Lincoln, director Steven Spielberg puts children in the forefront to tie President Lincoln’s (Daniel Day-Lewis) personal life with his political life. This move allows for an easy explanation for Lincoln’s strong push to pass the 13th amendment while also giving a fair playing field for actor Daniel Day-Lewis to capture an intimate side of the mythical figure. The now infamous words from the 16th president in the film, “shall we stop this bleeding” refer directly to the loss of life and dignity in the Civil War, but also refer more to the youth of the United States who were fighting or would be fighting in the war. This is a burden that is made painfully clear through his relationships with his four sons, two of which are dead even before the film begins. The other two are seen throughout the Congressional drama, sharing a considerable amount of …