19. Abraham Lincoln’s legacy was distorted in entertainment for over a century
In part due to his murder just as victory was achieved in the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln’s legacy was distorted for over a century by the entertainment industry. He was often presented in films as a poor and struggling country lawyer before entering Congress. In truth, he was highly successful in his legal career, representing railroads among his clients. He carefully cultivated an image as a man of the people, of simple tastes, and of judicious temperament. Honest Abe was a moniker applied to him by political opponents, a sarcastic commentary on his considerable political skills. Film long ignored those qualities.
Instead, Lincoln was dehumanized and elevated to the pantheon of the demigods. He was presented as possessing the wisdom of Solomon, the leadership of Moses, and the patience of Job. Strangely, in the Lost Cause film The Birth of the Nation, he was treated sympathetically, the only Northerner to receive such treatment. For generations, Lincoln was regarded as one of the President’s closest to the people, though nearly all of what the people knew of him was distorted through the lens of entertainment, which used him for other dramatic purposes.