Conn. congressman sees factual flaw in "Lincoln"

Daniel Day-Lewis as President Abraham Lincoln, with David Strathairn as Secretary of State William Steward, Hal Holbrook and Tim Blake Nelson as politicos Francis Preston Blair and Richard Schell, in the historical drama "Lincoln." Costumes by Joanna Johnston. / DreamWorks

HARTFORD, Conn. As Rep. Joe Courtney watched the Oscar-nominated "Lincoln" over the weekend, something didn't seem right to him.

He said Tuesday he was shocked that the film, about President Abraham Lincoln's political struggle to abolish slavery, includes a scene in which two Connecticut congressmen vote against the 13th amendment to the Constitution, outlawing slavery.

"`Wow. Connecticut voted against abolishing slavery?"' Courtney recalled hearing audience members ask. "I obviously had the same reaction. It was really bugging me."

He said a cursory Internet search confirmed his suspicions that the movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, was historically inaccurate. He asked the Congressional Research Service to investigate, and it reported that all four Connecticut congressmen backed the amendment in a January 1865 vote.

A spokesman for Dreamworks Pictures, which produced "Lincoln," did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.

Courtney praised the film's acting and cinematography but said artistic license does not permit it to inaccurately put Connecticut on the wrong side of history, particularly on an issue as powerful as slavery. In a letter to Spielberg, the four-term Democratic congressman includes a tally of the 1865 vote by the state's congressional delegation and a passionate defense of the state's role in emancipating millions of blacks.

"How could congressmen from Connecticut — a state that supported President Lincoln and lost thousands of her sons fighting against slavery on the Union side of the Civil War — have been on the wrong side of history?" he said in his letter.

Courtney, who majored in history at Tufts University, asked that the movie, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln, be corrected before its release on DVD.

"Lincoln," which leads the Oscars with 12 nominations, also stars Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens. It has earned more than $170 million at the box office.

[jennifer-marie]

Anyone who goes to a movie theater to be taught a true, factual acount of history needs to go back to elementary school. In all honesty, I praise the studio and the director for letting this one inaccuracy stand! Why? Because it inspired people to go home and learn something on their own! One wrong fact, and people were discussing it and going home to search through actual historical records and encyclopedias to find out the truth.

What a novel idea.

[cameraphone]

Movie facts incorrect say commentors on CBS.

[tsigili]

When are people going to learn, that there are no FACTS, in movies?????

People in America are simply fools, being taken to the cleaners by the movie industry.

Here are the facts.......Lincoln was martyred because he was murdered. He does NOT deserve the praises heaped upon him, in ANY WAY!

His own refusal to negotiate with the south, over the abuses of the Federal laws that impacted states rights (something happening right NOW, I might point out), and the unfair compensation for cotton and other commodities provided by the south, which FORCED the south to sell to the north, at lower prices than could be obtained from off shore buyers, was the TRUE cause of the civil war.

The black community has tried, and succeeded in deceiving the people, today, about the TRUE causes of the civil war, because they WANT it to be about slavery.......which it was NOT! Indeed slavery was already being phased out in America, before the war ever started.

NOR did Lincoln like blacks......he stated they were "too different to mix well, with whites." That was likely a true statement, as we still have racial issues after 150 years.....because the blacks keep DEMANDING compensation. They refuse to earn their own way.

The truth is......Lincoln was responsible for the deaths of 640000 Americans........because he was TOO ARROGANT to negotiate with the states over the fiscal issues they faced from Federal laws, that impacted unfairly, on their income.

The Civil War, could have been totally avoided.......if Lincoln had been a good and fair LEADER.

He was NOT.

Lincoln was an arrogant, conniving, and overbearing man.......who doesn't deserve the way he is remembered in history!

[yankee_43]

is there not something else in CONN. to worry about

[jnagrom]

It is a fact that the last slaves in New Jersey and Delaware were only freed by passage of the 13th Amendment. I have also heard that there were even a few blacks in slavery in Conn and New Hampshire at that time. Can anyone confirm the fact for those two States?

[tmittelstaed]

Normally I dislike calls to revise movies before DVD release but in this case I agree with the congressman.

[MIO42]

Almost 50,000 Canadians fought in the US Civil War, some even for the South
Quite a few for the money ,which was fairly good for the time,many were killed.
Families suffered,on both sides of the Border

[Scimajor]

You're kidding me? A movie that has factual errors in it? Wow, that's never happened before.

Since when is Hollywood perfectly accurate? My favorite gaff was made by George Lucas by writing the line "...made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs" (Star Wars Episode IV). A parsec is a unit of distance rather than time (If memory serves, it's something like the distance you'd have to be away from the Sun for 1 AU to create of parallax angle of 1 arc second). I was a teenager when I first saw that movie and even at 13 I shook my head and rolled my eyes when that line was spoken.

I've long since given up on wondering why they don't hire someone with a decent education to review their screenplays.

[pitai]

I agree with the Congressman that should not have happened; it's a film that clearly wants to rest on historical facts. No fiction.I'm surprise even stunned.

[CuriousServant]

I'm glad someone pointed this out.