The new Lincoln movie trailer is out. The latter part of it definitely piqued my interest more than the original trailer.
I found the beginning of the trailer a bit off-putting, though, in its claim that Lincoln united all Americans. I know I’m once again probably being too picky, but that claim ignores the southern states that left the Union because they feared a “black Republican” president, the Democratic party in the North who despised Lincoln, and the African-American leaders who found his efforts regarding emancipation too slow.
I also found the use of modern images of the WTC memorial and U.S. troops disembarking a helicopter in what appears to be the Middle East a bit jarring. Americans initially united behind President Bush following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but that support quickly dissipated. Additionally, neither he nor President Obama had overwhelming support for the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But they don’t pay me the big bucks to make movies, and I’m still going to see it:
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 