History Main / AbrahamLincoln

* ''Film/AbrahamLincoln'', the 1930 biopic film about Lincoln.

[[redirect:UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln]]

[[quoteright:257:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abraham-lincoln-2_3685.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:257:"A house divided against itself cannot stand."]]

->''"[[HilariousInHindsight The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here,]] but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that [[BadassBoast government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth]]."''
-->-- '''Abe Lincoln''', '''''The Gettysburg Address'''''

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States between 1861 and 1865. That guy who won the AmericanCivilWar, proclaimed the slaves free, delivered the Gettysburg Address, and was [[BeamMeUpScotty born in a log cabin]] which he [[FolkHero built with his own two hands]]. (Old joke.) He did it all in a single term, and was a shoe-in for a second when he was shot dead in a theatre.

He's also known for wearing a [[NiceHat top hat]] and being impressively tall (the tallest president ever, at 6'4"). When he for a brief time took direct control of the Union army, showed himself to be a talented military strategist as well.

A genial and charming speaker, Lincoln had an uncanny ability to explain complex issues in layman's terms, and his speeches are among the most famous in American history. Considered an untested and possibly radical figure, he is famous for GrowingTheBeard in office. In many ways he's the only post-Founding Fathers/ pre-[[TheodoreRoosevelt Teddy Roosevelt]] President who's thought of ''at all''. He is almost universally considered to be one of the greatest (if not ''the'' greatest) Presidents in American history.

Emphasis on "almost." There is [[SomebodyDoesntLoveRaymond a minority]] of Lost Cause followers, neo-Confederates, libertarians and anti-federalists who hold different views on the man, claiming that he was, at best, a [[HobbesWasRight benevolent dictator]] who trampled on civil liberties and states' rights, set the stage for the centralization of executive power in America, and launched the American Civil War not out of his moral opposition to slavery, but to install himself in the pantheon of Great Presidents. (Hey, you don't see Grover Cleveland's face on a big rock.)

There are also a number of folks who think Abe Lincoln was a fundamentally good guy, and had the nation's best interests at heart, but that America would be better off today if he had let the South go, arguing that the North and the South are two fundamentally different places. (Others point out that if Lincoln ''had'' let the South go, millions of innocent people would have remained enslaved.) In addition, he had won the election without a single Southern electoral vote -- in some states, he wasn't even on the ballot. (The South was [[AmericanCivilWar pretty miffed]] over his opposition to slavery.) He was pretty widely reviled and despised among certain segments of the Northern population as well- particularly Irish-Americans, who alleged (with [[{{Conscription}} some justification]]) that they were being used as [[WeHaveReserves cannon fodder]] for "Lincoln's War".

[[FairForItsDay It is also relevant, if somewhat uncomfortable to admit, that Lincoln was by today's standards a racist]]. He considered blacks to be inferior to whites. Though he was abolitionist, he was willing at least in principle to allow slavery to continue, if only because it was constitutionally protected in established states, believing that it would end on its own if it could be kept from spreading. Early in his Presidency he said that he would back any solution to the slavery question that preserved the Union, whether it was freeing all the slaves, freeing none of them, or freeing some and leaving others enslaved. but he had already chosen option 1 by then apart from exempting the Border States initially. His anti-slavery views became stronger over time, however, eventually crystallizing in two famous quotes: "In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free," and "Whenever I hear anyone arguing over slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."

His memorial in DC is a very popular spot for "inspirational" moments in media, and [[MonumentalDamageResistance is much hardier than most other memorials]]. He is also the only non-British Empire citizen to have a statue in Parliament Square in London.

Was famously born in a log cabin, but not the one you can get tours of (despite what the guides will tell you); that one was built 8 years after he was born. As [[{{QI}} Stephen Fry]] once put it, it is dangerously close to the legendary schoolboy gaffe quoted above.

It is also said that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%27s_Ghost his ghost]] haunts TheWhiteHouse. His presence is sometimes made clear by appearing, if briefly, before some Presidents and other guests during times of great crisis.

Incidentally, in contrast to most modern-day BadassBaritone depictions, Lincoln's voice was actually [[RealityIsUnrealistic somewhat high-pitched and nasal]]. For something approaching what's considered to be more accurate, consider [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQueA6ackmk this feature]], filmed for Time Magazine. Creator/DanielDayLewis became the first actor to break away from the deep-voiced tradition with his portrayal of the 16th President in 2012's ''{{Film/Lincoln}}''; this alone was considered a ''huge'' expose, nevermind that pesky 'obstruction of justice' stuff.

The last living person to witness Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theater was Samuel J. Seymour, who sat in the balcony box across from the Lincolns at age five, and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_iq5yzJ-Dk&NR=1 appeared on the game show ''I've Got A Secret'']] to relate his story 91 years later in 1956. He died several months later.

One of the things which allegedly mellowed Lincoln out on the issue of race was his [[OddCouple unlikely friendship]] with escaped slave and civil rights leader Frederick Douglass, along with the extreme polarization of the public on the issue, as hundreds of thousands died DuringTheWar. After unexpectedly winning re-election in a stunning turnaround, in his Second Inaugural Address (only slightly longer than the one at Gettysburg) Lincoln famously delivered one of the greatest speeches of all time.

[[folder:Lincoln's Speech (excerpt)]]
-->[[WarWasBeginning And the war came]].

-->All knew that (slavery) was somehow the cause of the war... It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, [[DeadpanSnarker but let us judge not, that we be not judged]]. The prayers of both could not be answered. ...''"Woe to that man by whom the offense cometh."'' If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come... and that He gives to (us) this terrible war as the woe due... Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. '''[[LaserGuidedKarma Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk,]] [[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword,]]''' [[AsTheGoodBookSays as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said]] ''[[BadassBoast "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether!"]]''

Note that he went on to say:

-->''[[MartialPacifist With malice toward none, with charity for all]], ''(let us)'' [[SecondVerseCurse bind up the nation's wounds]]''...

The war was won weeks later. Coincidence? Probably. [[/folder]]

Fact: Abraham Lincoln can and, if needed, will, beat you in a fight.
Even if you're Franchise/{{Batman}}. Or [[http://www.glarkware.com/adult/bigfoot-vs-abe-lincoln Bigfoot]]. In some ways, Abraham Lincoln is almost as much a MemeticBadass as ChuckNorris. In fact, this is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj2Zf9tlg2Y where you can go to watch them have a rap battle.]] Some would count him as the only president to be more {{Badass}} than TheodoreRoosevelt (and maybe AndrewJackson, if you [[ValuesDissonance ignore the politics]]). On the other hand, Website/{{Cracked}} [[http://www.cracked.com/article_15895_the-5-most-badass-presidents-all-time_p2.html doesn't even count him among the top five,]] though the same author later acknowledged the oversight and made an article devoted strictly to Lincoln called [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/abraham-lincoln-portrait-crazy-badass/ Abraham Lincoln: Portrait Of A Crazy Badass.]] It really depends on how much weight you give the BadassBeard.

Also Fact: In 1842 Abraham Lincoln was once challenged to a duel by political rival, state auditor James Shields. In dueling, the challenged party selects the place of the duel, and the weapons to be used. Since Lincoln felt the situation was ridiculous he stated that he wanted to use "Cavalry Broadswords of the [[{{BFS}} largest size]]". He also added that he wanted the duel to be carried out in a pit 10 feet wide by 12 feet deep with a large wooden plank dividing the square in which no man was allowed to set foot over. Shields was going to go through with it, but then saw Lincoln clearing branches with a broadsword and realized how insane the situation had became and backed down.
* NB: The fencing treatise "By the Sword" notes that Lincoln's apparently ridiculous rules for the duel [[CrazyAwesome belie a cunning tactician's mind]]: By choosing long, heavy weapons and dividing the dueling ground to prevent his opponent from closing distance, the much taller Lincoln ensured that he--with his nearly 6 inch longer reach--could attack with impunity and/or (more likely) [[PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower effectively stalemate the duel without drawing blood]].
* NBB: Lincoln felt the situation was ''so'' ridiculous that, when Shields first challenged Lincoln to choose the duelling weapons, Lincoln initially chose "cow pies." Lincoln only switched to broadswords when Shields rejected this idea.
* This has been called one of the most bizarre episodes in Lincoln's life, involving his using a female persona (with input from Mary and a friend) to write a witty letter for a widely read Illinois paper, mocking Shields' personal appearance and reputation with the ladies along with his policies. A followup letter -- actually by the women -- caused Shields to challenge.
--> Dear girls, it is distressing, but I cannot marry you all. Too well I know how much you suffer, but do, do remember, [[SoBeautifulItsACurse it is not my fault that I am so handsome and so interesting]].
* Some historians think that Lincoln and Shields set this up to get publicity.

[[RuleOfThree Also Also Fact]]: Abraham Lincoln, 140 years before its first usage by TheUndertaker, frickin' '''invented the chokeslam'''. During his youth as a "wrassler", one of Lincoln's opponents made the mistake of stomping on Lincoln's instep with the heel of his boot. As recounted by noted Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg, "This exasperated Lincoln so that he lost his temper, lifted Armstrong up by the throat and off the ground, shook him like a rag, and then slammed him to a hard fall, flat on his back."[[note]]Another account of the match can be read [[http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln48.html here]].[[/note]] [[DefeatMeansFriendship Both men would become good friends.]]

Lincoln was also the other kind of inventor, also held a patent for a device intended to help boats navigate shallows. He was also a licensed bartender and co-owned a pub for a while before entering politics. Thus when Lincoln quipped that he wished he could serve all his generals what his skilled General UlyssesSGrant was drinking, he was in a position where he could have done that legally and ''literally''.

Lincoln is also one of the few presidents to have an [[YanksWithTanks aircraft]] [[CoolBoat carrier]] named after him. As well as the capital of Nebraska, a make of luxury car, and toy logs.

----
!!Tropes relating to President Lincoln:
* TheAmericanCivilWar: Dominated his presidency completely.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Very, very early in his career, which started with a run for the Illinois state legislature. People respected him as much for his ability to break up crowd fights as for his short, clear speeches.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone: Subverted. He had an unusually squeaky, high-pitched voice.
** BadassBeard: He grew it after a young girl wrote him and said he would look better with one.
** BadassBookworm: Famously learned how to read with books he borrowed from neighbors, and learned arithmetic on the back of a shovel while doing farm work.
* BiTheWay: Some biographers allege that Lincoln was occasionally caught in bed with army officers during the course of the war, while his wife was in a near catatonic state after the death of their son. These are very disputed.
* TheChessmaster: He worked behind the scenes of every major government decision during his presidency. ''Nothing'' got by him.
* DarkHorseVictory: More or less. He wasn't really well-known until his debates with Douglas in 1858. (And even then, he was largely known as "That guy who debated Douglas.")
* DeadpanSnarker: Lincoln's brand of witty, self-deprecating humor is probably one of the most celebrated of any President's. At one point, a political opponent accused him of being two-faced, to which Lincoln replied "If I was two-faced, do you think that I would be wearing this one?"
** A story that Lincoln told about his youth had a man approach him with a gun and tell him that he had been searching for the ugliest man in the state in order to kill him. The future President looked at the man and said "sir, if I am uglier then you, then pull that trigger!"
** Lincoln took a few well-documented jabs at the series of ineffective military commanders that led the union army prior to U.S. Grant's arrival. Once telling the overly-cautious General George [=McClellan=]: "If you are not using the army, I should like to borrow it for a short while." After he got wind of a comment made by General Joe Hooker that what the country really needed was a dictator, Lincoln responded by writing Hooker a letter in which he said "What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship."
** Later, when Grant turned out to be the best general Lincoln had in his military and certain people criticized him as a drunk, Lincoln replied, "Find out what he's drinking and send a case to my other generals."[[note]]This is an apocryphal story, but it's still funny to think about and not out of line with things Lincoln actually ''did'' say.[[/note]] Later, Grant's willingness to take huge losses that his army could sustain but the South's could not resulted in his detractors calling him a "Butcher". Lincoln, recalling the non-success his earlier Generals had while trying to keep casualties low simply responded "I can't spare this man, he fights."
* TheDeterminator: Absolutely refused to allow the Union to break up without a fight, and--despite a turbulent public mood, internal riots, General McClellan's attempt to unseat him in 1864, and an incident that almost resulted in Britain siding with the Confederacy--ultimately succeeded in navigating through the crisis and reunited the States of America, and managed to ban slavery along the way with the passage of the 13th Amendment.
* FolkHero: A RealLife one.
* GeniusBruiser: Famously he was a self-taught frontier lawyer, who in his youth did all the hard manual labor that living on the frontier required. He also used to wrestle in his younger days, and may very well have ''invented the choke-slam!''
* HonorBeforeReason: According to ''Lincoln the Unknown'', Lincoln only married Marry Todd because he felt obligated. In his heart, he did not love her. (Though that may have changed in the latter years of their marriage.) When Lincoln was getting dressed for his wedding, a young boy asked where he was going. Lincoln replied "To hell, I suppose."
* IdealHero
* LargeAndInCharge: Standing at 6'4, he's the tallest US president to date.
* MagnumOpus: The Gettysburg Address is the most quoted and acclaimed speech in American history.
* NiceHat: He's well-known for his stovepipe hat
* OneHeadTaller: Lincoln was 6'4'', his wife was around five feet tall.
* RedBaron: The Great Emancipator.
* SpookySeance: Mary Lincoln attended some, to talk to her dead children. Abe came along a few times, mostly out of curiosity. He personally consulted teenage medium Nettie Colburn Mayne once, about the timing for release of the (already written) Emancipation Proclamation.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: How would Reconstruction have turned out if he had not died? Historians have debated this question for over a century.
** On a more personal note, Lincoln fell deeply in love with Ann Rutledge in his 20's. She loved him too, but sadly she died of typhoid. Lincoln mourned her for years afterwards. He wound up marrying Mary Todd, who was a much poorer match for him personally.

!!Honest Abe in fiction:

[[AC:{{Advertising}}]]
* A series of Geico ads use the trope IsTheAnswerToThisQuestionYes. One of the questions is "Was Abe Lincoln honest?" Lincoln's wife is shown asking him [[DoesThisMakeMeLookFat "Does this dress make my backside look big?"]]. Lincoln, after struggling with himself for a while answers "Perhaps."
** The producers went to commendable effort to make that clip look like a period film, if they'd had film in the 1860s. (He'd have had to live another thirty-some years to be in the first silent films.)
* A new Diet Mountain Dew ad has Lincoln as a [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]].
** He ''was'' an amateur in RealLife.
* And of course he shows up every Presidents' Day for the big sales.

[[AC:Comedy]]
* One of Bob Newhart's early routines, "Abraham Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue", satirically juxtaposes the cynical marketing of modern political candidates with Lincoln's honesty.
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfzf9seMBMs Negativland's Lincoln Robot]] -- a satire on the Disney Animatronic version.
* The Conception Corporation had a skit where Edward R. Murrow did on-the-spot reports from Heaven. When he came upon Lincoln, he asked him what he thought of the current (circa 1970) U.S. situation.
-->'''Lincoln.''' I think it's a mess. The niggers are --
-->'''Murrow.''' Thank you, Abe.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* Lincoln is the president who gives ''TheAmazingScrewOnHead'' his orders in the graphic novel by [[ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} Mike Mignola]].
* Lincoln was one of the former identities of The Immortal in ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}''.
* A painting of Lincoln--with the word "Nigger" scrawled across it--is [[NWordPrivileges the source of much controversy]] in the first arc of ''ExMachina''.
* The "Statue of Lincoln comes to life" subtrope even has an AnimalSuperheroes version; in one issue of ''Comicbook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew!'', a villain animates a statue of [[PunnyName "Abraham Linkidd"]] (who is a goat, in case you were wondering).

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* Lincoln is one of Bill and Ted's collection of historical figures in ''BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure''.
* The whacked-out Chinese movie ''FantasyMissionForce'' opens with several WorldWarII generals being captured. One of them is Lincoln. And he clearly identifies himself as such - ''even in the original Chinese''.
* In 1935's ''TheLittlestRebel'', Virgie (ShirleyTemple) [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcXEpiJjItE visits Lincoln]] (Frank Mc_Glynn Sr.) asking him to pardon her dad and his C.O., who are falsely accused of spying and sentenced to death.
* In the 1939 film, ''YoungMrLincoln'', he's portrayed by HenryFonda.
* Tyler Durden of ''Film/FightClub'' wants to fight him, because he's a big guy, with big reach. And besides, skinny guys fight 'til they're burger. He becomes an unlockable character in the Video Game version.
* In ''GangsOfNewYork'', an actor portrays him in a production of ''UncleTomsCabin'' and he is greeted with jeers, food throwing, and shouts of "Down with the Union!" This is a [[TruthInTelevision pretty good reflection]] of how working-class New Yorkers actually felt about President Lincoln; New York City mayor Fernando Wood even proposed that the city [[DividedStatesOfAmerica secede]] from the Union and become an [[TruceZone independent country]].
* Raymond Massey had a popular, Oscar-nominated turn as Lincoln in the 1940 film ''Abe Lincoln in Illinois''. If you ever see Massey in anything and think "that guy sounds like Abraham Lincoln", that's because the popular conception of Lincoln's molasses-like voice stems from Massey's performance.
** Massey later reprised his role in a TV version of ''The Day Lincoln Was Shot'' and ''HowTheWestWasWon''.
** The guy who really had the rich plummy voice was Lincoln's political and ideological opponent, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%E2%80%93Douglas_debates Stephen Douglas]], a small-statured man who was called "The Little Giant." A few clips of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qKcHZKsM0M the 1994 re-enactments with Mike Krebs and Larry Diemer]] are archived here.
* A major character, and a surprisingly sympathetic one, in the outrageously racist 1915 film ''BirthOfANation''.
* In ''NightAtTheMuseum: Battle of the Smithsonian'' the statue from the Lincoln Memorial comes to life.
* In the WildWildWest movie, Dr. Loveless makes a grand appearance at his party by hiding inside a statue of Lincoln, whose head explodes.
* In ''CSAConfederateStatesOfAmerica'', he [[AlternateHistory loses the Civil War]]. He attempts to flee to [[CanadaEh Canada]] with Harriet Tubman disguised as a black man, but is captured by Confederate forces. After a two year imprisonment, Jefferson Davis, hoping to ease tension in the newly conqured North, pardons him and exiles him to Canada, where he dies a lonely man in the early 1900s. All history remembers him for is being the man that lost "the War of Northern Agression".
* In ''MrSmithGoesToWashington'', Jefferson Smith goes to the Lincoln Memorial several times. Visits to the Lincoln Memorial are practically a Trope in their own right.
* At the climax of ''Film/BlackDynamite'', when RichardNixon grabs John Wilkes Booth's pistol to shoot [=BD=], the ghost of Lincoln appears and kung-fus the gun out of Nixon's hand.
* In ''TheMasterOfDisguise'', Pistachio's grandfather tells about how the Disguisey family made impact on history. Abraham Lincoln was such a boring speaker, so a disguised Lincoln helped him become elected president by partying and dancing while ''I Like to Move It'' by Reel to Real is played.
* ''Film/AbrahamLincolnVampireHunter'', based on the book of the same name, portrays him as a secret vampire hunter.
* ''AbrahamLincolnVsZombies'' is a {{Mockbuster}} made by TheAsylum about a secret mission where Abe hunts the undead.
* He's played by Creator/DanielDayLewis in Creator/StevenSpielberg's [[DevelopmentHell long-gestating]] biopic ''Film/{{Lincoln}}'', opposite Creator/TommyLeeJones as Thaddeus Stevens, Creator/JosephGordonLevitt as Lincoln's son, Robert, and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. Day-Lewis won an AcademyAward for his performance.
* In ''KissKissBangBang'', Lincoln appears with a variety of other dead characters when the narrator snidely suggests that the film just resurrect ''everyone''.
* At the end of ''Film/HappyGilmore'', he's seen alongside the alligator that ate Chubbs' hand and [[spoiler:Chubbs himself]] waving at Happy from Heaven.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* In a few of the ''{{Flashman}}'' books, Lincoln appears as a rare example of a MagnificentBastard with completely good motives who also has some similarity with the "[[Literature/ToKillAMockingbird Atticus Finch]]" "simple country lawyer" type. He is notable as one of the few characters who sees right through Flashman.
* Creator/GoreVidal's bestselling historical novel ''Lincoln'' takes place over the span of the Civil War. The book doesn't presume to know what Lincoln is thinking, instead switching between the perspectives of his advisers (plus John Wilkes Booth's accomplice). The author caught the ire of historians for including third-party anecdotes regarding Abe's bout with syphilis, among other things. Vidal's rebuttal was that U.S. Historians tend to gloss over the imperfections of their idols, leaving us with only a faint impression of the men they really were.
* One of the plots in the NUMASeries book ''Sahara'' concerns Lincoln.
* In the AlternateHistory novel ''How Few Remain'' by HarryTurtledove, Lincoln is a main character (having been a one-term president after losing the Civil War). Inspired by the writings of Marx, Lincoln becomes a travelling speaker lecturing about the rights of man and the benefits of socialism. Lincoln also leads a faction of the splintering Republican Party into defecting to the Socialist Party, causing the Socialists to eventually eclipse the Republicans as one of the nation's two major political parties.
** Lincoln plays a smaller part in Turtledove's ''TheGunsOfTheSouth'', where he surrenders after the Confederates, equipped with AK-47s by time travelers, win the war. The next (and last) time we see him is April 15, 1865, where he delivers a speech trying to convince Kentucky to stay with the United States; this date is, as pointed out later in the book, the day he was assassinated in the regular timeline.
* In the novel ''AbrahamLincolnVampireHunter'' he...well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin you can probably work out the rest]].
* ''LincolnsDreams'', a novel by Connie Willis, has Lincoln's dreams of his own assassination as a major plot point.
* Oscar Lewis' novella ''The Lost Years'' portrays a never-named president known affectionately by his staff as "The Shogun", who is badly wounded at Ford's Theater but recovers. He completes his second term, returns to Illinois and later visits California. An encounter with a little girl who is being ostracized because her father fought for the South turns into a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. (Lincoln was actually known by his staff as "Taikun", the polite term of address for a real ''shogun''.)

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* In one episode of Supernews, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHCG5DXRC8o an animated sketch]] involved President Obama, after running out of ideas on how to fix the economy, having his entire cabinet dig up Abe's body, insert all the stem cells they could find, and see what happened. He beat up the head of AIG.
* Abraham Lincoln was summoned to take part in a duel to the death between good and bad factions in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "The Savage Curtain". Sadly, he was among the first to die.
* From the opening of ''Series/PoliceSquad'': "...And Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lincoln!", which leads to a brief shot of Lincoln firing back at John Wilkes Booth.
* Lincoln appears briefly in two episodes of the original ''[[Series/TheTwilightZone Twilight Zone]]'' set during the AmericanCivilWar, "Back There" and "The Passersby".
* A whole episode of ''TouchedByAnAngel'' features his assassination, with Monica and Tess working as his seamstresses and Andrew meeting up with and trying to redeem John Wilkes Booth.
* HalHolbrook won an Emmy for his performance as Lincoln in the miniseries ''Sandburg's Lincoln'', and later reprised the part for the miniseries ''North and South'' and ''North and South: Book II''.
* GregoryPeck played Lincoln in the miniseries ''The Blue and the Grey''.
* [[LawAndOrder Sam Waterston]] earned considerable acclaim for his performance as Lincoln in the 1988 miniseries ''Gore Vidal's Lincoln'', based on the abovementioned novel.
* Waterston was also the voice of Lincoln in Creator/KenBurns' ''The Civil War.''
* One of JohnnyCarson's monologues on ''Series/TheTonightShow'' essentially involved puns based on "Lincoln".
--> "Every Lincoln's Birthday reminds me of my old girlfriend back in Nebraska...Gina Statutory. She went to Lincoln High, and was voted Miss Lincoln...because every guy in school took a shot at her in the balcony."
* On ''LateNight with Conan O'Brien'', a common skit involved Conan checking out wacky (and obviously fake) channels from all around the world. One of the most memorable of these channels is the Abraham Lincoln Money Shot Channel, which is an entire channel devoted to, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin you guessed it, shots of Honest Abe, a-hem, finishing his business.]]
** It should be noted that Conan is a professed Lincoln fanboy and featured Abe in a number of sketches, including one where [[CrazyAwesome he rode a zipline over the studio audience and knocked out John Wilkes Booth before he could shoot Lincoln]].
* The ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Meltdown" features waxwork creations representing various famous people from history; one of these is Lincoln.
* In ''Series/BabylonFive'', when Centauri [[DefectorFromDecadence Vir Cotto]] sets up an "underground railway" of sorts to smuggle Narns off their occupied homeworld, he creates a fake Centauri noble named "Abrahamo Lincolni" to expedite matters. The name fools the other Centauri (most of whom don't know anything about Earth history), but the humans who run across it burst out laughing.
** Sheridan's "good luck speech", which he gave to his men each time he assumed a new command, contained a quote from a noted speech given by President Lincoln to Congress in 1862.
** In season 5, an assassin who is embittered by [[spoiler:the overthrow of the Clark government at the end of Earth's Civil War, warns Sheridan that like Lincoln, he will pay the price for the death and destruction "his war" cost.]]
* In a skit on the SketchComedy ''TheWhitestKidsUKnow'', Lincoln is presented as having been very loud and obnoxious at Ford's Theatre. When John Wilkes Boothe asks him to be quiet, Abe begins mercilessly taunting him. Boothe finally snaps, and [[strike: shoots Lincoln]] beats his ass with a hammer.
* In ''{{Englishman}}'' it transpires that the Lincoln who was assassinated was a decoy, to cover up for the fact that he had been abducted by aliens. He makes his return and resumes his second term as President.
* In one episode of ''FatherTed'', Dougal, in a delusional state due to extreme hunger, sees Ted in a Lincoln costume.

[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* The video for the Electric Six song "Gay Bar."
** Because [[MemeticMutation he's gonna take you to the gay bar]].
* In ''Music/UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny'', he popped out of his grave, took an AK-47 out from under his hat, and blew Franchise/{{Batman}} away with a rat-a-tat-tat, but he ran out of bullets and ran away 'cause [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Optimus Prime]] [[BigDamnHeroes arrived to save the day]].
** He soon came back with a machete, but got tripped by Franchise/IndianaJones with his whip. Later, he tried to pole-vault onto Optimus Prime, but collided with Creator/JackieChan in the air. Then they both got hit by a [[CareBears Care Bear]] Stare.

[[AC:{{Pinball}}]]
* ''Pinball/RevengeFromMars'' has a mode wherein you control a HumongousMecha version of him and fight a Big-O Martian.

[[AC:TabletopGames]]
* Lincoln is a {{Badass}} CursedWithAwesome [[strike:Zombie]] Harrowed MIB in ''{{Deadlands}}''.
* The backstory of [[TheMenInBlack Task Force: VALKYRIE]] in ''TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil'' starts with the abduction of Abraham Lincoln by supernatural creatures in 1864. He was killed during the retrieval, and it was a substitute that took the bullet to the head in Ford's Theatre.

[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]
* Since the musical ''Theatre/{{Assassins}}'' deals with presidential assassinations, Lincoln naturally makes an appearance.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* A giant statue of Abraham Lincoln, actually from the Memorial to said man, is the Antagonist in one of the ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice'' episodes. He appears later as merely a giant head and falls in love with one of Sam and Max's neighbours, Sybil Pandemik. [[spoiler: They later marry and have a child.]] A running gag in the series is that he claims not to be one good for speeches; he had absolutely nothing prepared when he made the Gettysburg Address, and was just winging it at the time. At one point in the second season the real Lincoln appears as a zombie.
* Lincoln is the leader of America in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} 1, 2'' and ''3''. He is added as a leader in an ExpansionPack for ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} 4''.
** In the ''Beyond The Sword'' expansion pack to 4, the intro cinematic shows him briefly giving the Gettysburg Address. This then {{Match Cut}}s to the Lincoln Memorial, where ColdWar-era spies are going about their business.
* One of the subplots of ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' is the struggle between slavers and freedmen to control Lincoln's legacy. Several of his artifacts, including his hat and rifle, can be found and equipped in the game.
** [[AwesomeYetPractical Gunning down slavers while role-playing as zombie Lincoln isn't too gimped a build, either]].
* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', he was the original Pyro.
* According to the backstory of ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'', Booth was killed off by the Assassin Order, implying that Lincoln may have affiliations with the Assassins himself.
* ''DealtInLead'' takes place in a ''very'' [[AlternateHistory strange]] world, where the [[OurLichesAreDifferent Lich]]-[[GodEmperor Emperor]] Abraham Lincoln has risen from the dead to continue the war against the south.
* The ending of ''Conduit 2'' has [[spoiler:Abe Lincoln and George Washington in PoweredArmor showing up as reinforcements for the protagonist.]]
* In ''Videogame/BioshockInfinite'', Abraham Lincoln is demonized by the citizens of Columbia for the Emancipation Proclamation while Booth is revered as a hero for assassinating him by the Order of the Raven, a Klan-like society. In turn the opposing faction, the Vox Populi, revere Lincoln, albeit for the wrong reasons, such as seeing him as a role model for ''glorifying'' violence and conflict.
** The most noticeable result of all this is that the Vox field [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot gatling-wielding clockwork robot Lincolns]] as EliteMooks. Which can [[CoolVsAwesome face off against the Founder's mechanical]] {{George Washington}}s.

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]
* The webcomic ''[[http://www.thinkin-lincoln.com/ Thinkin' Lincoln.]]''
* The web cartoon ''[[http://icebox.com/index.php?id=show=s3 Hard Drinkin' Lincoln]]'' has a drunken Lincoln causing ridiculous amounts of trouble in office.
* A reassembled and reanimated Lincoln puts in an appearance as the dreaded dictatorial leader of the land of Monstru, Lincolnstein, in the webcomic [[http://www.monstercommute.com/ Monster Commute]].
* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'', a FunnyBackgroundEvent is [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/17p28 Lincoln fighting a woolly mammoth with a chainsaw.]]
* [[WebComic/AxeCop Abraham Lincoln:]] '''[[http://axecop.com/index.php/acask/read/ask_axe_cop_24/ EXPLOSION GOD]]'''
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', when Dan tries blaming the existence of [[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2006-02-20 a Monday filler strip]] (instead of a story comic) on it being President's Day, Lincoln appears and berates Dan for dragging presidents into it.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* In ''DecadesOfDarkness'', Lincoln's family moved from Kentucky to New England soon after his birth, and he eventually becomes President of the Republic of New England, though the fact he is limited to a single four-year term means he doesn't achieve all he wanted in office. In an AllohistoricalAllusion, while he is in power, the rump United States is governed by President Jefferson Davis, and the two men are rivals. However, when Davis is assassinated, [[AntagonistInMourning Lincoln attends his funeral]].
* He goes up against ChuckNorris in the ''EpicRapBattlesOfHistory''.
** [[spoiler:He makes a return during the Mitt Romney vs BarackObama battle, and schools them both. "OF THE PEOPLE! BY THE PEOPLE! FOR THE PEOPLE! EAGLE!"]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* A clone of Abraham Lincoln is the main protagonist of ''CloneHigh''. Due to the circumstances of the series, he's best friends with Gandhi and Joan of Arc and dates Cleopatra.
* He has a [[http://video.adultswim.com/robot-chicken/jedi-master-george-w.html lightsaber duel with George W. Bush]] in ''RobotChicken''. He's also voiced by ''HulkHogan''.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', in a robot mental hospital:
-->''(Fry and another robot come upon a robotic Abraham Lincoln.)''\\
'''Fry''': Lemme guess. He thinks he's Lincoln.\\
'''Robot''': Well he's supposed to. The problem is he's got multiple personalities, ''all of them Lincoln''.\\
'''Robo-Lincoln''': I was born in 200 log cabins.
** Not to mention Evil Holographic Lincoln, as seen when the Holoshed on the Nimbus goes on the fritz again.
* He is still the President in ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''.
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' has Dexter animate Lincoln's head from the Mount Rushmore memorial into a [[HumongousMecha Humongous Golem]], to do battle with the giant GeorgeWashington his rival Mandark created. To make a long story short...
--->'''Statue Lincoln:''' ''(speaking for the first time)'' "It appears we are evenly matched."
* ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'': "No one can stop Time Lincoln. No one ever-"
* Appears in the ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'' episode where he got fed up for being so honest and starts joining prankster gangs while calling himself [[TitleDrop 'Dishonest Abe']]. He got better.
** Also mentioned in the Buffalo Bill episode as having apparently won the election by using the third eye he apparently hid under his hat to hypnotize his opponent.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. {{Cult}} leader David Blaine brought the Lincoln statue to life. Jesus and friends defeated it by building and animating a John Wilkes Boothe statue.
** In "The List" Kyle is [[spoiler:supposedly]] voted the ugliest boy in class by the girls, and Craig (voted the handsomest) consoles him that Abraham Lincoln was ugly too. Later Abe's ghost appears to Kyle and tries to convince him that [[MiseryBuildsCharacter ugliness will make him a more competent adult]], but fails.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. There was this [[Literature/TheBible Biblical joke]] about "Abraham (Lincoln) killing Isaac (the bartender from TheLoveBoat)."
** Another episode showed that Booth killed him for talking on his cellphone during the play.
** A parody of Mentos ads involved Booth shooting through his hat. Cut to the Griffins watching it, and most of them question whether the ad even ''had'' a message. Peter then stands up, and walks off while saying (as if hypnotized), "Must... kill... Lincoln...."
** In the episode "Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater", Peter finds a bunch of photos that show Lincoln, (among with other 19th century politicans) visiting a brothel.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' pilot, Abraham Lincoln transports Finn/Pen's mind back in time. And to Mars.
** Becomes a MythologyGag in "Sons of Mars," when Abraham Lincoln is the King of Mars, whom [[KidHero Finn]] refers to as "the wisest, most honest superbeing of all time." [[spoiler:He accidentally kills [[NonHumanSidekick Jake]], mistaking him for [[ForTheEvulz Magic Man]], and then revives him by [[HeroicSacrifice surrendering his immortality]] to [[TheGrimReaper Death]], which [[TakenForGranite turns him into the Lincoln Memorial]]]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' HalloweenEpisode "How To Succeed In Dead-vertising" implied he was gay.
** In addition, the episode "Bart to the Future" is based around a vision Bart has where, thirty years down the road, Lisa is president. Living with her in the White House, Homer becomes obsessed with finding the treasure Lincoln supposedly buried on the grounds.
* Lincoln appeared in a picture in every single ending credits for ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'', inexplicably lighting a wooden rocket that the protagonists are riding in. This is expanded in the fictitious backstory that Shake provided for the group in TheMovie, where this incarnation of Lincoln is known as "Time Lincoln," who aided the heroes after they escaped from Egypt.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' meet Lincoln's ghost, who then helps them thwart a [[TheManchurianCandidate Manchurian Candidate-style]] assassination plot against the current president.
* Appeared in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' where, after he signed their autograph book, the Warner siblings helped him to compose the Gettysburg Address. For bonus points, [[HeyItsThatVoice he sounds exactly the same here as he did in]] ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''.
* The ColdOpening of the SeriesFinale of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' has Batman and a parallel universe's Lincoln teaming up to defeat a steampunk cyborg John Wilkes Booth.
* In ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipujWRYUjS4 A Brief History of the United States of America]]'' by Flickerlab's Harold Moss, when the Union wins the Civil War, the freed slaves give Lincoln a blanket toss in celebration.
* Stalemated GeorgeWashington on ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch.''
----

** BadassBeard

** Later, when Grant turned out to be the best general Lincoln had in his military and certain people criticized him as a drunk, Lincoln replied, "Find out what he's drinking and send a case to my other generals." Later, Grant's willingness to take huge losses that his army could sustain but the South's could not resulted in his detractors calling him a "Butcher". Lincoln, recalling the non-success his earlier Generals had while trying to keep casualties low simply responded "I can't spare this man, he fights."

** Lincoln took a few well-documented jabs at the series of ineffective military commanders that led the union army prior to U.S. Grant's arrival. Once telling the overly-cautious General George [=McClellan=]: "If you are not using the army, I should like to borrow it for a short while."

[[RuleOfThree Also Also Fact]]: Abraham Lincoln, 140 years before its first usage by TheUndertaker, frickin' '''invented the chokeslam'''. During his youth as a "wrassler", one of Lincoln's opponents made the mistake of stomping on Lincoln's instep with the heel of his boot. As recounted by noted Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg, "This exasperated Lincoln so that he lost his temper, lifted Armstrong up by the throat and off the ground, shook him like a rag, and then slammed him to a hard fall, flat on his back."[[note]]Another account of the match can be read [[http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln48.html here]].[[/note]]

** Later, when Grant turned out to be the best general Lincoln had in his military and certain people criticized him as a drunk, Lincoln replied, "Find out what he's drinking and send a case to my other generals."

* In ''Music/UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny'', He popped out of his grave, took an AK-47 out from under his hat, and blew Franchise/{{Batman}} away with a rat-a-tat-tat, but he ran out of bullets and ran away 'cause [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Optimus Prime]] [[BigDamnHeroes arrived to save the day]].

** BadassNickname: The Great Emancipator.

* LargeAndInCharge