Customer Reviews

Biography - Abraham Lincoln: Preserving the Union (A&E DVD Archives)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This video documentary shows unusual depth in it's study of Abe Lincoln. Shows his dark side as well as his terrific sense of humor.

I've watched this twice and will probably watch it a third time. There is so much information there, that you can't get it all in a single viewing.

Some documentaries can be awfully dry, but this one is quite captivating and filled with quick bits of information that flesh out Abe's life history.

The details about the sorrows and sadness in his life brought tears to my eyes. It says that Lincoln took two weeks off from his duties in the White House to sit by the bedside of his critically ill son. One afternoon, Lincoln walked into a room in the White House and stood by the window and told an aide, "He is gone. My boy is gone," and after a pause, Lincoln broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.

Lots of those kind of stories that show what kind of man A. Lincoln truly was.

Also mentioned that one of the early civil war generals (before Grant) treated Lincoln with disrespect, bordering on contempt. Someone commented to Lincoln that such behavior was intolerable and Lincoln replied, "If he'll win some battles for us, I'd gladly hold his horse."

Great video. I highly recommend it.

I purchased this video at the Lincoln Memorial gift shop in Washington, DC...so, evidently I'm not alone in recommending this fine, compact biography. There are many Brady (or Brady-esque) photographs that I had never seen before, Some splendid drawings and political cartoons of the era, great narrations of Lincoln's writings; and, some uncharacteristically lively interviews with historians representing many different points of view on the great man. Like the previous reviewer, I found this to be an unusually engaging A&E. It made me laugh out loud at times, tear up with sympathy, and catch my breath in astonishment. Very worth anyone's time and a great instruction aid for home school or any teacher.

No one makes documentaries in such a superior research manner or beautiful presentation as A&E does. I consider these biographies as my most prescious and invaluable DVD's. Can't wait to see what's next!

A brief but solid introduction on probably Americas' greatest President Abraham Lincoln. No other President endured a Civil War and Lincoln found he could change in order to keep the country from spliting apart. He kept this country together and settled the issue of slavery that had was tearing at our country. He preserved the Union of this country till two days after the war when he was assassination by John Wilkes Booth.

I had a teacher in college who spent almost a whole semester on the Civil War. We were supposed to come from the Civil War to the present. She taught what she enjoyed. I always felt that if Lincoln were a great president he would have held the country together. He would have found a way to prevent north and south from fighting. Slavery had to go. We know that. I was born in Louisville, Kentucky. My son was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Kentucky remained in the Union while Tennessee was part of the Confederacy. I have driven between Louisville and Nashville over 30 years. It is my "tale of two cities." I am conscious of an invisible line between the two. Louisville looks north to Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Chicago. Nashville looks south to Atlanta and New Orleans. George W. Bush has identified with Lincoln as a fellow president who was tested. Presidents stick together. They rarely criticize one another. It is an exclusive club. I rank Lincoln #42 because even a terrible president might have prevented the Civil War.