Lincoln

January 1865. Civil War ending. Soldiers reciting Gettysburg Address to Lincoln. Black and white troops. Exhausted president. Weight of war. Before final political battle. Emancipation incomplete without constitutional amendment.

Lincoln: "The compass will point true north." Theme of moral imperative vs. political pragmatism, doing right thing despite cost, and legacy worth fighting for. Principle over expedience.

Lincoln pushing 13th Amendment. Abolish slavery permanently. House needs 20 Democrat votes. Impossible. Cabinet divided. Seward helping. Mary Todd troubled. Son Robert wants to enlist. Family and nation both struggling.

Confederate peace delegation coming. If war ends before amendment passes, southern states return with slavery intact. Emancipation Proclamation only war measure. Must pass amendment before peace or lose everything. Clock ticking.

Should Lincoln delay peace talks to pass amendment? Moral vs. practical. End war now, save lives but keep slavery? Or risk everything for principle? Cabinet split. Pressure enormous. Lives hang on political maneuvering.

Lincoln decides: delay peace delegation. Focus on amendment. Hire operatives to buy votes. Patronage, promises, arm-twisting. Entering world of political warfare. Moral imperative through immoral means. Whatever it takes.

Lincoln and Mary Todd. Shared grief over lost son Willie. Robert wanting to serve. Marriage strained by war and loss. Also Lincoln and Thaddeus Stevens, radical abolitionist. Philosophical differences but shared goal. Relationships tested.

Vote gathering. Operatives Bilbo, Latham, Schell bribing Democrats. Stories, jokes, political dealing. Lincoln charm and cunning. Stevens moderating radical views for votes. Promise: political thriller, Lincoln wit, backroom democracy, persuasion art.

Robert allowed to enlist. Mary Todd furious. Peace delegation rumor spreading. Democrats demanding proof before voting. False victory: votes appearing but could collapse. Stakes raised: family fracturing, deception discovered, everything at risk.

Vote day approaching. Rumors of peace delegation. Democrats wavering. Thaddeus Stevens must deny equality belief for votes. Compromise after compromise. Lincoln lying about delegation. Moral costs mounting. Everything on knife edge.

Confederate delegation confirmed in Washington. Democrats know. Vote tomorrow. All maneuvering may fail. Blair son captured, wants peace now. Pressure unbearable. Amendment might fail. War continues or slavery remains. Impossible situation.

Lincoln alone. Night before vote. Entire presidency built to this moment. Thousands dead. Country divided. Family suffering. If amendment fails, all for nothing. Weight of history on him. Doubt and determination. Prayer for strength.

Vote day. Speech by Stevens. Denounces slavery equality under law but moderates on social equality. Vote begins. Synthesis: pragmatism serving principle. Political skill for moral end. Democracy working despite flaws. Suspense building.

13th Amendment passes! Two votes margin. Slavery abolished permanently. Gallery erupts. Blacks watching. Stevens emotional. Lincoln watching from window. Triumph. Most important achievement. Moral victory through political battle. Nation transformed.

Lincoln preparing for Ford Theatre. Amendment secured. Peace coming. Son safe. Work done. Audience knows what comes next. Deathbed scene. Last breath. Immortality earned. "Now he belongs to the ages." Legacy complete.