Lincoln’s Last Day on Smithsonian Channel

Category: Television and Streaming

lincolnApril 14, 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Smithsonian Channel’s documentary, Lincoln’s Last Day, focuses on the final hours of President Lincoln’s life and the lives of the conspirators.

 

From the time he awoke, Lincoln’s final day was spent working and with his family. Unlike modern times, the president was freer to leave the White House, and that is exactly what he and Mrs. Lincoln did that afternoon. They simply got in a carriage and went for a ride around Washington. They were looking ahead. The war was behind them and they were both very happy and elated. They were making plans for their lives in the years to come.

 

There are some interesting elements in this documentary. When you think you know everything there is to know about Lincoln and his assassination, something new comes along -for instance, recently discovered notations in his cherished pocket watch, and the cup the president was drinking from right before he left to go to the theater.

 

Artifacts and memories of those who were there are revealed in this hour-long documentary. As the day rolls on, viewers see how close in proximity all the characters in this macabre story were and how they interacted with each other.

 

What is most compelling about this film is not the actual assassination but the emotional states of Abraham and Mary Lincoln on that day. They were filled with optimism. They had – or thought they had – many years of happiness ahead of them. Five days earlier the Civil War ended and their troubles were behind them. Or so they thought.

 

For visitors to the nation’s capitol, Ford’s Theater offers many Lincoln-related events and artifacts, and the National Museum of History will display (through May 25, 2015) the carriage that transported the Lincolns and their guests to Ford’s Theater on that fateful night.

 

Lincoln’s Last Day premiers Monday, April 13, 2015 with additional viewings April 14th.

 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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