[Music]
from the backwoods of the frontier he
arrives on the national stage honest Ava
the simple plains lawyer Frank candid
and forthright this is the Lincoln we
know but it's not the whole truth
the beneath this mythic surface lies a
master politician a skilled manipulator
and clever tactician bending men to his
will many have realized at some point
that they were just chess pieces on
Lincoln's board Abraham Lincoln American
masterminded every American school child
knows his image the frontier roots
towering height and honest reputation
are all legendary but he's also a man of
surprising cunning and calculation one
skilled at manipulating men and shaping
his own image without these talents he
would never have been elected president
winter 1860 Lincoln is a prominent
lawyer in the town of Springfield
Illinois he holds no political office
yet audaciously seeks the biggest prize
of all the White House gaining his
party's nomination won't be easy
compared to his rivals he's seen as a
political featherweight and Lincoln
knows that image is everything as the
clerk of a troubled store he earned the
nickname Honest Abe by repaying his
creditors instead of hiding from them
now he cleverly exploits this reputation
by presenting himself as a simple man of
integrity songs are even composed
praising his honesty though the image
was built on truth it was by no means
the whole truth I guarantee you those
who knew Lincoln best never called him
Honest Abe or old Abe so Lincoln was a
very shrewd manufacturer of his public
image
people knew Lincoln as a small-town
lawyer but in his youth he occasionally
split a fence rail or two how do you
package someone like that well you
package him by going back to his roots
on the farm and asserting that Abe
Lincoln is simply a good-hearted man
street from the land a rail splitter
which was a much more politically potent
image than Lincoln the railroad lawyer
which is in fact how he'd made his
living to drive home the point his
supporters dragged fence rails into the
convention hall even though Lincoln
finds the image undignified he plays
along
the Republican Party prints thousands of
Railsplitter leaflets and distributes
them throughout the country
Lincoln becomes a household name Lincoln
had an instinctive grasp of how to sell
himself and it was something that
evolved and grew and became more
sophisticated as Lincoln himself did
Lincoln's powers of manipulation are
evident early in his life he first
learns to influence people as a young
man on the frontier at age 22 he leaves
his family's remote cabin for the town
of New Salem Illinois here
he faces a tough crowd the Clarys Grove
boys in New Salem were the local
ruffians they were up to all kinds of
mischief they were the Hellraiser so the
frontier the bullies of New Salem see a
chance to humiliate the newcomer so they
challenged Lincoln to a wrestling match
according to some witnesses the gangs
leader plays dirty but Lincoln doesn't
give up his willingness to stand and
fight has a profound impact on the
Clarys Grove boys Lincoln far from
further aggravating the opinion of this
local gang actually won their admiration
that's the first great indication of the
persuasive power that Lincoln had with
people he loses the match but learns an
important lesson
turning one's rivals into allies has its
rewards they helped him win elections
they play went out and voted for him at
elections and promoted his candidacy in
other villages and helped him to win his
first election to the legislature in
1837 at age 28 he first arrived in
Springfield Illinois and casts his spell
over voters and juries alike
but the younger Lincoln doesn't limit
himself to the high-minded rhetoric that
will make him famous he excelled at
slicing up his political opponents with
sarcasm the problem was he learned
fairly early on that sarcasm makes you
as many enemies as it does friends
Lincoln's sharp wit eventually gets him
into trouble he publicly ridicules a
politician named James Shields calling
him a fool and a liar
in response Shields challenges him to a
duel
Lincoln will not be dubbed a coward but
he faces a real threat to his life so he
manipulates the situation by laying down
the terms for their weapons
Lincoln skips the customary pistols and
instead chooses swords
the reason soon becomes clear before the
duel began Lincoln emphasized his long
reach by taking his saber his sword
reaching up and slicing off a branch of
a willow tree above him and giving
shields an idea of how long his harms
were and what he might do to him in the
course of the door Lincoln also demands
they place a board between them that
neither can cross this gives Lincoln
with his long limbs a natural advantage
the two men soon reach a peaceful
agreement and the duel is called off
the Lincoln is learning how to influence
others ironically one of the few minds
he has trouble controlling is his own
mastering his emotions is not an easy
task for he struggles inwardly with
depression
ghosts from the past haunted the death
of his mother - milk poisoning his baby
brother in infancy his sister's death in
childbirth and the death of Ann Rutledge
his rumored sweetheart these losses
predisposed him to depression and then
later when he suffered setbacks in his
political career or other losses it
reminded him of these early losses and
the pain that he felt then if what I
feel were equally distributed to the
whole human family there would not be
one cheerful face on the earth in 1841
his best friend leaves Springfield his
engagement to Mary Todd falters and
Lincoln goes into deep depression a
friend worries he might even commit
suicide and remove sharp objects from
his reach but Lincoln reassures him
saying he couldn't take his life for he
had not done anything worthy of being
remembered Lincoln used work as a cure
for depression because it constantly got
his mind off thinking about himself and
what he felt like and on to something
that existed objectively outside of
himself
in 1858 Lincoln enters the Illinois
Senate race he knows he's a longshot but
never one to walk away from a fight he
challenges the incumbent Stephen Douglas
to a series of debates citizens of the
great state of Illinois and now you can
almost hear Douglas thinking out loud
I'll show him who's really in charge it
was the greatest mistake Douglass ever
made before proceeding let me say that I
think I have no prejudice against
southern people I believe that they are
just what we would have been had we been
born in their circumstances Lincoln has
set the ultimate political trap he's
made a much better known political
personality elevate him to equal status
by sharing a platform with him in seven
cities I leave you now hoping that the
lamp of Liberty may burn ever more
brightly in your own heart thank you
Lincoln's courtroom skills give him an
edge
but his performance isn't flawless and
during one debate the exhibits strange
troubling behavior when Douglas attacks
his voting record
Lincoln becomes enraged he grabs a
fellow lawmaker by the neck and demands
he refute the charges he could explode
in anger relatively frequently Lincoln's
friends notice other odd behavior
incoherent rambling and insomnia the
idea of Abraham Lincoln a man of
infinite patience being quick tempered
and chrome to bizarre episodes intrigues
historians to this day now scientists
may have discovered an explanation for
these outbursts
[Music]
for years Abraham Lincoln treated his
depression with a medicine common in the
late 19th century known as blue mass to
understand the impact blue mass had on
honest day scientists at the University
of Minnesota are manufacturing the 19th
century formula we went back to some of
the old pharmacy literature specifically
to find a recipe for the blue mask pills
crushed licorice root sugar rose water
honey dried rose petals and one
ingredient that would be unheard of
today mercury mercury is a dangerous
neurotoxin that poisons the brain often
resulting in unpredictable behavior the
usual dosage of this was one of these
two or three times a day so mr. Lincoln
was exposed to about 9,000 times greater
amount of mercury than would currently
be considered safe by taking the pills
Lincoln may have inadvertently poisoned
himself but even he notices their side
effects concerned that they're making
him irritable
he eventually quits using the pills he'd
relied on for decades
despite possible medicinal handicaps he
fares well in his 1858 debates with
Stephen Douglas although he doesn't win
the Senate race he claims a valuable
consolation prize
publicity what Lincoln gains from that
is a national reputation for having
taken on the Little Giant and very
nearly upset him completely Lincoln
knows well that this is the perfect time
to build a national reputation thanks to
the technological innovations that boost
his newfound fame shorthand allows
journalists to take down every word
[Music]
using the Telegraph they then wire their
stories to editors hundreds of miles
away and with steam-powered presses
newspapers are quickly mass-produced to
satisfy a nation's growing curiosity the
debates propel Lincoln onto the national
stage overnight he's a political
celebrity he capitalizes on this by
publishing both an account of the
debates and a campaign biography then at
the 1860 presidential convention he
steps back and lets his handlers loose
on the delegates they use counterfeit
tickets to flood the gallery with
supporters and negotiate backroom deals
that all but secured him the nomination
[Music]
he was able afterwards to say I didn't
actually sign off on any of these deals
so his hands were clean but that sounds
a little bit like plausible deniability
in a stunning demonstration of political
brilliance Lincoln a virtual nobody just
three years before emerges victorious
his honest reputation and savvy campaign
staff helped him clinched the Republican
nomination
[Music]
but when his team shows off a portrait
at the convention the response is
unexpected apparently all the cheering
stopped instantly as if the the sound
had been turned off in a movie theater
and everybody was just what what's that
is that the guy we just nominated and
they took the picture out they said they
never saw picture I have such a terrible
effect on a crowd in some photos he
looks more like a crazed wild man than a
presidential candidate a fact not lost
on Lincoln but Lincoln is quick to turn
a weakness into a strength though
photography in 1860 is in its embryonic
stages he soon realizes the power of
this new medium he stops by the studio a
famed photographer Matthew Brady so many
of the early photographs focused on
those imperfections and those creases
and molds and lines and all of that
Brady moved the camera back to emphasize
Lincoln's physique in this stature and
then at the last minute he says to
Lincoln would you mind pulling your
collar up and Lincoln says I see mr.
Brady that you'd like to shorten my neck
so Lincoln tugs is cholera and just when
he does it
brainy's operator snaps the camera the
result is a powerful image dignified and
presidential it radiates confidence
Lincoln's campaign Nass produces and
distributes the photo plastering his
face everywhere
that was the way Abraham Lincoln was
really introduced in 1860 in colorful
images that masks his imperfections that
plastered down his hair took some of the
lines out and he was airbrushed the
generations before anybody knew what
airbrushing was these photos play a
vital role in the campaign
[Music]
in the final weeks of the race instead
of giving speeches he poses for
photographers and sculptors every chance
he gets
by contrast his old rival Stephen
Douglas hits the campaign trail a
critical mistake in the 19th century a
presidential nominee who actively
campaigns is seen as desperate Stephen
Douglas did campaign and was ridiculed
for it Lincoln won the campaign honors
because his picture campaigned for from
near obscurity Lincoln rises to the
highest office in the land
on March 4th 1861 the Railsplitter
is sworn in as president of the United
States but he continues to polish his
image it's no accident that Lincoln has
over a hundred and thirty pictures taken
far more than most public figures of his
era
after he's elected president he adds the
finishing touch a beard to hide his
rough features his handlers have
recommended this for months but being a
savvy politician Lincoln attributes his
new whiskers to advice from a young fan
if you will let your whiskers grow you
would look a great deal better for your
face is so thin all the ladies like
whiskers and they would tease their
husbands to vote for you but crafting a
public persona is a double-edged sword
the press can easily damage his
reputation and during his inaugural
train ride from Springfield to the
Capitol they get their chance
the closer he got to Washington the more
ugly rumors began to accumulate that a
plot against his life was afoot by the
time that he had reached Philadelphia
discussions about this plot were
reaching a fever pitch
the famous detective Allan Pinkerton
urges him to keep a low profile but
Lincoln wants to avoid the appearance of
cowardice however the danger is very
real
to arrive at the Capitol Lincoln will
have to switch trains in Baltimore a
hotbed of southern sympathy it's the
perfect ambush point well at that moment
of transition Lincoln would be quite
vulnerable to some kind of riot a mob
and assassin because Lincoln learns of a
conspiracy to kill him while he changes
trains he's reluctant to alter his
schedule but his advisors are persistent
finally Lincoln was persuaded to take a
night train under cover of darkness and
an assumed name
Lincoln decides on a covert mission one
involving deception secret agents and a
dangerous gamble during his inaugural
train voyage Lincoln weighs rumors he'll
be assassinated while switching trains
in Baltimore it was a volatile volatile
city and and there were very few friends
of Abraham Lincoln in Baltimore
so in Pennsylvania he abandons his
inaugural schedule instead he'll take a
series of secret night trains
[Music]
nearing Baltimore he and his bodyguard
meet up with detective Allan Pinkerton
Lincoln skips his usual top hat in favor
of a soft cap in shawl he's even offered
a weapon but refuses it instead he
follows Pinkerton into a waiting
carriage to pass the hours
[Music]
just before their train is scheduled to
depart they meet up with a woman
pretending to be Lincoln's sister in
fact she's also a Pinkerton Detective
tasked with securing their bunks finally
the conductor is given a package and
told to rush it to Washington little
does he realize the real package is the
president-elect
Lincoln arrives in Washington physically
unharmed but wounded politically the
newspapers fell on this like vultures
they ridiculed Lincoln what did Lincoln
think he was afraid of what a
scaredy-cat
the damage to his reputation is worse
than he'd anticipated vicious cartoons
mock his behavior and disguise some even
show him dressed in woman's clothes it
was at that point that Lincoln resolved
in his own mind that never again would
he allow himself to be frightened into
doing something silly by threats of
assassination public sentiment is
everything with public sentiment nothing
can fail without it nothing can succeed
although Lincoln's been attacked by the
papers he realizes how much he needs
them in fact he goes out of his way to
embrace the press
Lincoln enjoyed the newspapers he also
understood their power for shaping
public opinion and he manipulated them
with as much cleverness as he
manipulated members of Congress Lincoln
makes friends with reporters and editors
he hangs out at newspaper offices
occasionally he even ghost writes
editorials after delivering the speech
in Springfield he not only gives a copy
to a journalist but follows him back to
the office to check the final article
for errors when he becomes president
Lincoln makes a shrewd decision to this
point new administration's had singled
out their favorite paper to act as a
mouthpiece Lincoln skips this tradition
and establishes a White House press
corps he will let them fight amongst
themselves for scraps of information and
favor from him
he's a master at using subtle influences
to control fellow politicians and he
needs to form any party leaders
underestimate him
they fear he's nothing more than an
uneducated frontiersman that made
Lincoln successful in November but it
also fed the uncertainties the doubts
even the enmities of some of his fellow
Republican politicians many fought him
for the nomination and still feel the
sting of defeat instead of ignoring
these rivals Lincoln disarms them with a
brilliant tactic he invites them to
serve in his cabinet one of the reasons
Lincoln did this was because he knew
that in order to unify the party he had
to have all factions represented the
radicals the Conservatives the moderates
and it showed a lot of self-confidence
on Lincoln's part because he knew that
people regarded him as infinitely
inferior to them and infinitely less
worthy of being president
[Music]
two of Lincoln's appointments are
especially headstrong secretary of the
Treasury salmon chase and Secretary of
State William Seward Seward doesn't
think much of Lincoln and says so openly
really disappointed disappointed you're
disappointed Seward erupted and anger
and said I who have founded the
Republican Party who have been its
intellectual head for years I've had to
be passed over by this backwoods lawyer
from Illinois disappointed but as much
as he can't stand Lincoln Seward
despised his salmon chase even more when
he hears his archrival has also been
appointed to the cabinet he's so upset
he submits his resignation but Lincoln
doesn't accept it mr. Seward you're
Amanda talent and ability instead he
turned Seward into one of his closest
allies I ask you to take this position
because I need that ability Lincoln very
gently but very firmly put him in his
place
and as a result Seward worked very
closely with Lincoln and they became
very close friends
Lincoln's subtle influence keeps his
cabinet in line but his powers of
manipulation are tested by a greater
challenge Civil War
in the winter of 1860 the nation sits on
a powder keg with war looming many doubt
Lincoln can handle this tense situation
his critics once again underestimate the
man as early as his inaugural address
Lincoln is already stacking the deck in
his favor
the important thing is to lay the
groundwork so that if war comes it will
be forced upon the north by the south in
your hands my dissatisfied fellow
countrymen and not in mine is the
momentous issue of Civil War Lincoln
knows whoever fires the first shot will
be seen as the aggressor and lose
popular support
tensions are high after South Carolina's
secession from the Union in response
federal troops had retreated to Fort
Sumter an island garrison on the
coastline this doesn't sit well with
Confederate leaders who claim the fort
as their own Lincoln knew that Fort
Sumter would be contested his insistence
all along had been Fort Sumter his
federal property which was a real finger
in the eyeball of South Carolina
so the Carolina militia lay siege to the
fort trapping dozens of federal soldiers
after analyzing the situation Lincoln's
cabinet presents him with two options he
can send in troops to defend the fort
but any show of force could drive the
border states Delaware Maryland Kentucky
and Missouri into joining the
Confederacy and defending Sumter would
require a large number of troops to
secure the surrounding coastline how
many will he need general of the army
Winfield Scott estimates between twenty
and thirty thousand well where is he
going to get that there's only 16,000
soldiers in the entire United States
Army in 1861
but the alternative isn't much better it
makes him look weak Lincoln can concede
the fact and turn over Fort Sumter
to the Confederates and evacuate the
garrison in which case his
administration is dead on arrival the
first challenge the Confederates make to
his authority as president he is
conceding to them
Lincoln sees a third option he decides
to send not men or arms but food and
supplies for a lengthy standoff would
cause the secession movement to lose
steam this puts the pressure back on the
Confederates if you decide you're going
to intervene you're gonna have to do it
quickly before that ship with the
supplies arrives you are going to have
to use artillery to blast Fort Sumter
into submission
exactly as he'd foreseen South Carolina
fires upon Fort Sumter it soon falls
into Confederate hands although Lincoln
has lost control of the garrison he's
kept the border states neutral and won
something greater the support of the
north
when awakened issued a call for 75,000
volunteers
he was swamped by more than 75,000
people responded
[Music]
but getting his military to act is more
difficult than he realizes
Lincoln's Authority is questioned by his
commanders especially General George
McClellan early in the war Lincoln had
promoted McClellan to lead his armies
their relationship started off well but
quickly soured McClellan took a
demoralized defeated Union Army whipped
it into shape restored its morale
equipped it and trained it and supplied
it well but then had no nerve to
actually use it in a fight McClellan's
reluctance to engage the enemy tries
Lincoln's patience for months he urges
the general to be more aggressive even
after a hard-fought victory at the
Battle of Antietam McClellan refuses to
pursue Lee's army instead he blames the
delay on his tired cavalry Lincoln
telegraphed back what have your horses
been doing lately that fatigues anything
instead of heeding Lincoln's please
McClellan repeatedly snubs the president
Lincoln would go visit him
and he wouldn't bother to get out of bed
he would say he was busy with breakfast
time and again McClellan treated Lincoln
with abject contempt many politicians
wouldn't stand for this but Lincoln
favors logic over emotion he controls
his temper and removes his ego from the
equation
Duncan wouldn't take things personally
and was therefore able to keep the north
United to keep the Republican Party
United and that unity was the secret to
northern success Lincoln is a master at
pulling strings behind the scenes but to
preserve the Union he feels compelled to
step out from behind the curtain in 1862
his desire to take control leads him to
do something that shocks his advisors
the president takes personal command of
his armies in the field
spring 1862 the war is going badly for
President Lincoln what was supposed to
be a short engagement has stretched over
a year and the news keeps getting worse
from its Norfolk port the Confederate
ironclad Merrimack devastates the Union
Navy Lincoln seeing no other option
takes the unprecedented action of
personally commanding troops in the
field no one thinks Lincoln is serious
but his trip to the front lines is no
joke Lincoln is willing to micromanage
the smallest detail if he has to I think
I think he was impatient with McClellan
he was impatient with the the sluggish
pace of northern advance so he decided
to go and do a little general in himself
or in this case what Admiral a Lincoln
commandeered a ship to scout landing
points for an amphibious assault he
wants to reclaim the valuable Naval Yard
at Norfolk having found a suitable
landing site he presses his generals
into action and launches the attack on
the Norfolk port McClellan has
overestimated the enemy size they're
outnumbered by Union forces the
Confederates retreat in hand Lincoln a
great victory Norfolk was taken and the
Merrimack was then scuttled and it was a
brilliant campaign by Lincoln and the
soldiers and sailors who were involved
said if Lincoln hadn't come down here
and galvanized everybody it wouldn't
have happened
Lincoln the political mastermind has now
added military strategist to his
portfolio but his senior officers are
appalled by his lack of training his
sudden foes are highly skilled in battle
tactics
Jefferson Davis the president of the
Confederacy has impressive credentials
Jefferson Davis had been to West Point
Jefferson Davis had been a hero of the
Mexican War Jefferson Davis had been a
distinguished Secretary of War Lincoln
had no such credentials or fact early in
the war Lincoln realizes he lacks
knowledge and military strategy so he
turns to the same place he learned to
practice law the pages of books we went
to the Library of Congress and ordered
books he read them and suddenly he know
as much about war strategy as anybody
who had gone to West Point
having done his homework Lincoln is
eager to put his knowledge to use so he
writes his generals outlining his
thoughts
while the North has superior numbers a
larger army and navy the South has
interior lines rode in rails to quickly
transport their troops and outmaneuver
the Union Lincoln ways these strengths
and then suggests a course of action we
must fail unless we can find some way to
making our advantage and overmatch for
his this can only be done by menacing
him with superior forces at different
points at the same time by attacking
from both the east and west Lincoln can
prevent the Confederates from simply
shifting their forces however sounds his
strategy and Lincoln struggles to
convince his generals
Lincoln finally found some generals who
would actually do it and when Grant and
Sherman and Sheridan and Thomas then
start putting the pressure on all fronts
Lincoln says well finally that advice
that I've been trying to get my generals
to adopt for the past two and a half
years is being taken by 1864 the country
is soaked in the blood of its soldiers
blue and gray by war's end nearly six
hundred and twenty thousand men are dead
after years of fighting Lincoln is under
incredible pressure to justify the
terrible sacrifice and bloodshed on one
side he has abolitionists clamoring to
give the war a moral purpose but Lincoln
worries what freeing the slaves might do
to his army his generals advised against
it
general McClellan is telling Lincoln in
no uncertain terms that white men will
not fight to free black men that if you
turn this into a war about the negro
slave then Northern armies will dissolve
overnight
Lincoln faces a dilemma
he needs the manpower black soldiers can
provide but risks losing the white
soldiers if he frees the slaves so he's
careful not to reveal his intentions
while he's publicly denying that he has
any intention of moving on emancipation
privately he in fact is writing a draft
of the Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln waits for a Union victory before
proceeding and when he finally makes the
announcement he emphasizes the practical
benefits the proclamation only free
slaves in Confederate states it reduces
the southern workforce and adds 200,000
black recruits to Union ranks at the
same time Lincoln begins to cast the
bloodshed in a new light he persuaded
people that there was a secondary cause
to the war that Union meant liberty that
Liberty would preserve the Union it was
intertwined
every man has a right to be equal with
every other man in this great struggle
this form of government and every form
of human right is endangered if our
enemies succeed overnight Lincoln
redefined the war no longer is it a war
about states rights it becomes a war for
human rights
Lincoln shrewd mind infuses the war with
a new purpose as the fighting
intensifies he continues to be a
hands-on commander-in-chief
but Lincoln's lack of experience
occasionally shows through
and when the fighting reaches
Washington's borders he makes a critical
blunder July 11 1864 a Confederate
raiding party sneaks to the outskirts of
Washington at Fort Stevens they engage
Union forces
with General Grant occupied to the South
Lincoln decides he'll supervise the
action himself
flushed with confidence he walks right
into the line of fire Lincoln wanted to
go out and see the fighting and so he
did he went out and stood on the parapet
and observed the Confederate forces
coming on the Union resisting them
Lincoln is so fascinated by the battle
he ignores the danger
upon the parapet he's exposed to
Confederate sharpshooters by that time
everybody knew who Abraham Lincoln
wasn't what he looked like and he was
the tallest target in the United States
despite the mounting casualties Lincoln
continues to stand his ground a staff
officer for the 6th army corps yells at
Lincoln get down you fool you're going
to get shot
Lincoln retreats to safety miraculously
unharmed although many questioned his
judgment no one questions his bravery
the next day he returns to boost morale
[Music]
Lincoln showed some physical courage and
his willingness to go out and and also
some curiosity about how the war was
going and he felt great empathy for the
troops and wanted to show his solidarity
woman his involvement with the troops
pays off politically by 1864 the country
is war weary and Lincoln's re-election
prospects look bleak he squares off
against George McClellan the Army's
former general surprisingly the soldiers
vote goes overwhelmingly to Lincoln and
soldiers appreciated that he cared about
them that he sympathized with them that
he was in their corner and they would
say when something went wrong
once father Abraham finds out about this
it'll be fixed Lincoln lives up to his
fatherly image he identifies with the
troops because he shares a humble
background with them and this makes
their deaths all the more painful in
turn soldiers understand that he shares
in their suffering it even seems to take
a physical toll in just a few months he
loses weight dramatically he looked like
someone who had internalized all the
carnage and suffering of the war inside
himself he looked like death warmed over
[Music]
whichever way it ends I have the
impression that I shall not last long
our fit is over the springs of life are
wearing away
[Music]
Lincoln census that he has little time
left and in his last few months uses his
persuasive powers to their full extent
he knows that the Emancipation
Proclamation could be overturned so he
permanently banned slavery with the
constitutional amendment by one means in
another people who had previously
opposed the Thirteenth Amendment decided
to stand back or to vote in favor of it
and the man operating the controls
behind the curtain was that rough
intelligent farmer Abraham Lincoln
[Music]
but Lincoln's days are numbered on April
14 1865 an assassin ends his life after
his death the image Lincoln helped
create rises to take his place
well the Railsplitter Lincoln is much
closer to our idea of rough-hewn
muscular frontier democracy it's a very
appealing image it brings him closer to
us but the real Lincoln remains elusive
for his shrewder craftier more
manipulative than the myths portray with
an invisible hand he bent men to his
will and did it so well that only now
are we coming to understand his methods
for Lincoln's greatest trick and was
hiding his talents disguising himself as
a simple unassuming man from the plains
Lincoln knew how to use both the
intelligence and the conclusions people
were coming to when they met him he knew
that they were under estimating him and
he left them
[Music]
you