Ep. 83 - LINCOLN: The Moral Center in the Politics of the 13th Amendment
LINCOLN (2012) Daniel Day-Lewis as President Abraham Lincoln Photo: Amblin Entertainment
In Episode 83, The Boston Sisters talk about the 2012 film LINCOLN (directed by Steven Spielberg) with The Honorable Sharon Pratt, former Mayor of Washington, DC , and Founding Director of the Institute of Politics Policy and History.
The conversation with Sharon Pratt focuses on Abraham Lincoln's leadership, the moral complexities of the Civil War, the significance of Lincoln's presidency in transforming Washington, DC, and the broader implications of the 13th Amendment and the ongoing struggle for freedom and justice in America.
Episode 83 launches REVOLUTION TO RIGHTS: AMERICA AT 250, a 10-episode podcast series from Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters® that takes you on a journey through America’s 250-year history of advancing freedom and justice since the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
“He [Lincoln] had a capacity to relate to the common man. He understood the needs of people. But above all he had a moral center.”
Guest: The Hon. SHARON PRATT
The Honorable Sharon Pratt, J.D. is former Mayor of Washington, D.C. (1991-1995). On the day Mayor Pratt was sworn in, she became the first African Amercian female mayor of a major U.S. city.
Ms. Pratt is also the Founding Director of the Institute of Politics Policy and History (IPPH) —established on the campus of the University of the District of Columbia by Mayor Muriel Bowser. IPPH re-discovers and showcases the history of Washington, D.C. IPPH presents public programs that include “Lincoln: A Providential President” at Ford’s Theater, “Frederick Douglass” at the Frederick Douglass Home/National Historical Site in Anacostia DC, and “President Ulysses S. Grant: An Inclusive President.”
Ms. Pratt is an honors graduate of Howard University and Howard University Law School. She also holds Honorary Doctor of Laws (“honoris causa” degrees) from Howard University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Mt. St. Mary’s College at Emmitsburg, Maryland, and Cambridge College in Massachusetts.
Find out more about the Institute for Politics Policy and History (IPPH) and the Honorable Sharon Pratt on the IPPH webpage at ipph.org.
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LINCOLN
LINCOLN official trailer - 20th Century Fox
LINCOLN (2012) is the portrait of President Abraham Lincoln’s struggle to navigate the moral and political complexities surrounding the passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution at the end of the Civil War. The 13th amendment was ratified in 1865 and went beyond Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the U.S. and its territories (except as punishment for a crime).
LINCOLN, is based in part on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
LINCOLN not only highlights the complexities of leadership and governance but also raises profound questions about justice, equality, and the moral responsibilities of those in power.
LINCOLN is directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Tony Kushner, features a stellar cast that includes an Academy Award winning performance by Daniel Day Lewis as the 16th President of the United States, Sally Field (Mary Todd Lincoln), Joseph Gordon Levitt (Robert Lincoln), Tommy Lee Jones (Thaddeus Stevens), Hal Holbrook (Preston Blair), David Strathairn (William Seward), James Spader (William Nicholas Bilbo), and Gloria Rueben (Mary Elizabeth Keckley), among others.
The Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
Historian Dr. Walter B. Hill, Jr. (1949-2008) was Senior Archivist and Subject Area Specialist of African American History in Federal records for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Dr. Hill spent 30 years at NARA until his death in 2008. In this video Dr. Hill talks about the Emancipation Proclamation (read full text) on the first day of its annual display in 2005 at NARA in Washington, DC. The video short was produced by podcast co-host Michon Boston for the Humanities Council of Washington, DC (now Humanities DC) as part of the NEH We the People project. The documentary short premiered on DCTV Public Access in 2005.
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution (1865)
SECTION 1 - Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
SECTION 2 - Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
PRESIDENT LINCOLN’S COTTAGE (Washington, DC)
If you live in or near Washington, DC, you’re in constant contact with Civil War history where one can visit landmarks, historic homes, monuments, schools, and streets named for prominent figures of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Abraham Lincoln’s presidency is seen and continues to be felt throughout the city. Among the many choices to explore Lincoln’s presidency (1861 - 1865) in DC, we (The Boston Sisters) recommend visiting President Lincoln’s Cottage, the presidential retreat where the 16th President developed the Emancipation Proclamation. According to the cottage’s website, it’s said that “President Lincoln preferred this home over the White House….” President Lincoln’s Cottage is located in the residential Petworth neighborhood of DC. Parking is available on the campus. Tickets are required for entry and the tour. Best to purchase ahead before your visit. Photo from the President Lincoln’s Cottage
