Sugar-Coated Version of the Time

Rating: 2/10 (2 January 2013)

It's commonly asserted that the war between the states was fought over the practice of slavery. The truth is the North had slaves also, plus all the slave ships were owned by the North. Bringing slaves over was a real money maker for the people up north.
No, it was about money. Lincoln could not let the South go in peace because it was such a cash cow. If Lincoln had been as honest as they claim he was, then at Gettysburg he would have said, "I am hereby highly resolved that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth — whether they like it or not, and any attempt by the southern states to go and form their own nation will be met with force — even if we have to slay every last fighting man among them."
One of the things I found true to life about the movie was how the Lincolns were opposed to their son joining the army — Mrs. Lincoln bitterly so. People of power and influence seldom had to serve in the armed forces, and if they did it was usually well behind the front lines. JFK was a notable exception that comes to mind.
Another accurate portrayal was how the Democrats were the party of slavery, and the Republican party was founded to counter that stance, with Lincoln being their first president to be elected. (Well, the Democrats still are about enslaving people, but now they have had to become a bit more subtle about it. Not that I am standing up for the Republicans, mind you. They have sold out the country here lately to a treasonous degree.)
The movie did a fair job of showing the dead, the maimed, the amputated parts being carted off in wheelbarrows to a mass grave a la Private Ryan, but the fact is that all this carnage took place because of Northern aggression. Lincoln could ride his horse among all the fallen and mourn and look all sorrowful, but the fact is that he and he alone was the one whom he should have blamed for all the bloodshed.
Still, Lincoln can be a moving tale, and the acting by Daniel Day-Lewis is compelling. As a vehicle to dramatically transport one to another time and place this is worth a watch, but be prepared to suspend any true knowledge of history during your trip.