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Lincoln documentary reveals dark side of American saint

As Americans mark the Civil War Sesquicentennial, historians are fighting a battle over the reputation of the nation’s sixteenth president.

Featuring leading historians such as Eric Foner, Jay Sexton, and Lerone Bennett, JR., Abraham Lincoln: Saint or Sinner? unearths another Lincoln: a politician rather than a statesman; a pragmatist as opposed to a visionary; and a war criminal instead of a war leader.

The Lincoln presidency was previously considered beyond scholarly debate with misdeeds often brushed under the historical carpet. Abraham Lincoln: Saint or Sinner? follows on from American Idol – Reagan and JFK: The Making of Modern Politics, also shown on the BBC this winter.