‘Lincoln’s Dilemma’ Examines How the President Became the ‘Great Emancipator’ (VIDEO)
Lincoln’s Dilemma will soon arrive on Apple TV+ and we’re giving viewers an exclusive first look at the four-part documentary series premiering Friday, February 18.
Based on historian David S. Reynold’s award-winning book, Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times, the series Lincoln’s Dilemma features insights on the iconic figure from a diverse range of journalists, scholars, and more, as well as archival materials that offer a fuller picture of the man known as the “Great Emancipator.”

(Credit: Apple TV+)
In an exclusive clip, above, some of the scholars and experts weigh in on this image that Lincoln assumed over time and examine how he ended up with the reputation that he did. “Lincoln wanted to be the great sort of unifier, the person that brought the country back together again,” Kellie Carter Jackson says. “He did not start his presidency to be the ‘Great Emancipator.'”
So, how did he end up with such a distinction, The New Yorker‘s Jelani Cobb says, “if you kind of go to the most general depictions of Lincoln, he quote, unquote, ‘freed the slaves.’ It’s not that the people who were enslaved helped him save the union. There’s been almost no conversation about that”
The series will further examine the reality of Lincoln’s presidency and the reasons behind his decision to fight for enslaved people in America. Set against the background of the Civil War, Lincoln’s Dilemma also gives voice to the narratives of enslaved people to provide a more complete view on America at the time and its division over issues of economy, race, and humanity.
Catch the exclusive sneak peek, above, and don’t miss Lincoln’s Dilemma when it premieres on Apple TV+.
Lincoln’s Dilemma, Series Premiere, Friday, February 18, Apple TV+

Jeffrey Wright

Bill Camp

Leslie Odom

Edward L. Ayers

Sidney Blumenthal

Christopher Bonner

Lonnie G. Bunch

Michael Burlingame

Kellie Carter Jackson

Jelani Cobb

Abigail Cooper

Mary Frances Berry

Eric Foner

Edna Greene Medford

Kerri Greenidge

Steven Hahn

Justene Hill Edwards

Caroline Janney

Matthew Karp

Spike Lee

Chandra Manning

Kate Masur

James McPherson

Michele Mitchell

James Oakes

David S. Reynolds

Manisha Sinha

John Stauffer

Ted Widmer

Sean Wilentz
⨁Full Cast & Crew