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Canadian Raymond Massey was the best actor to play Lincoln. Massey was in “Abe Lincoln in Illinois” on Broadway in 1938-1930 and then the 1940 movie. He also played Lincoln in “The Day Lincoln Was Shot” (1956), and “How the West Was Won” (1962). Massey played the father of John Wilkes Booth in “ Prince of Players” (1955). He played John Brown in “Santa Fe Trail” (1940) and “Seven Angry Men” (1955).

Walter Huston played Lincoln in DW Griffith’s “Lincoln” (1930).

Henry Fonda played Lincoln in “Young Mr Lincoln” (1939).

Hal Holbrook played Lincoln in the 1974 miniseries “Lincoln” and the 1985 miniseries “North and South”.

Walt Disney personally selected character actor Royal Dano to voice the Abraham Lincoln figure for “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Dano’s historic voice recording was subsequently used for the “Hall of Presidents” at Walt Disney World and remains a cornerstone of the Disneyland attraction today.

IMDB lists 22 actors that have played Lincoln:

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls074526073/

I enjoyed the movie and Daniel Day Lewis's portrayal of Lincoln. I admit I did not examine the film they way Steyn did, for me, it was entertainment which my innate understanding of the era served as a rough underpinning. I admire Lincoln even though it is true that there are some on this forum who do not...I don't debate them, as I won't change their minds, and I assume we can live with that. I did love one particular scene in that movie, where everyone was huddled in the telegraph office (including Lincoln) waiting for battle reports from the Fort Fischer campaign...

STANTON: The problem's their commander, Whiting. He engineered the fortress himself. The damned thing's his child; he'll defend it till his every last man is gone. He is not thinking rationally, he's...

LINCOLN: (hollering!) "Come on out, you old rat!" (Everyone's startled, and confused. They all turn to Lincoln, who sits in Major Eckert's chair, wrapped in his shawl.) That's what Ethan Allen called to the commander of Fort Ticonderoga in 1776. "Come on out, you old rat!" `Course there were only forty- odd redcoats at Ticonderoga. But, but there is one Ethan Allen story that I'm very partial to -

STANTON: (Outraged) No! No, you're, you're going to tell a story!

I don't believe that I can bear to listen to another one of your stories right now! (Stanton stalks out, shouting down the corridor as he goes). I need the B&O sideyard schedules for Alexandria! I asked for them this morning!

LINCOLN: (Lincoln pays no attention to Stanton's fulminations and continues with his story.) It was right after the Revolution, right after peace had been concluded, and Ethan Allen went to London to help our new country conduct its business with the king.

The English sneered at how rough we are, and rude and simple-minded and on like that, everywhere he went, till one day he was invited to the townhouse of a great English lord. Dinner was served, beverages imbibed, time passed, as happens, and Mr. Allen found he needed the privy. He was grateful to be directed thence - relieved you might say. (Everyone laughs)

Now, Mr. Allen discovered on entering the water closet that the only decoration therein was a portrait of George Washington. Ethan Allen done what he came to do and returned to the drawing room.

His host and the others were disappointed when he didn't mention Washington's portrait. And finally His Lordship couldn't resist, and asked Mr. Allen had he noticed it, the picture of Washington. He had. Well, what did he think of its placement, did it seem appropriately located to Mr. Allen?

Mr. Allen said it did. His host was astounded! Appropriate? George Washington's likeness in a water closet? Yes, said Mr. Allen, where it'll do good service: the whole world knows nothing'll make an Englishman sh*t quicker than the sight of George Washington. (Everyone laughs). I love that story!

I am no longer a fan of Spielberg due to his overt politics. But he made many movies I enjoy, and even if his storytelling is formulaic, it resonates with me.

Mark gets a C grade on this effort.

The 13th Amendment outlawing slavery didn’t become law until December 1865, months after Lincoln’s death.

Lincoln’s law partner William Herndon and his bodyguard Ward Lamon, both of whom knew Lincoln very well, “defended” Lincoln against the claim that he was religious. They wrote that he was an unbelieving skeptic just like they were.

One of them said that Lincoln mocked preachers and had written a short book that did the same. They knew that a book like that would kill his political ambitions and they kept him from carrying through with getting it printed.

Another fantastic performance by Daniel Day Lewis. The script, however, was flawed.

No slaves were freed by the 13th Amendment and its passage was never in doubt.

By the time the Congress debated the 13th Amendment, all slaves in the states in rebellion were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation (issued by Lincoln as commander in chief).

The controversy regarding the 13th Amendment was compensation for any remaining slaves in the loyal slave states. The Democrats wanted the federal government to offer compensation to slave owners in those states as had been offered by the federal government to slave owners in D.C. There was NO controversy in the Congress over ending slavery.

As a practical matter, the slaves in the loyal slaves states were also freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. The signing bonus went their owners, if they joined the Union army. The emancipation proclamation was, therefore, a form of compensated emancipation.

Just remember the following lyrics from “The Battle Cry of Freedom:”

And we’ll fill our vacant ranks with a million freemen more
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

Maryland and Kentucky, as states, also ended slavery. This effectively leaves Delaware. Delaware wanted slave owners to be responsible for the few remaining slaves within the state, all of whom were old, rather then see them go into the poor houses of their counties and become wards of the state.

The problem is that the complicated picture I described above doesn’t make good drama.