For those who might read this title and say, "I thought Lincoln and Douglas were rivals who debated each other. I didn't know they were friends", let me alleviate your confusion. This is not about the Abraham Lincoln/Stephen Douglas debates. This is about Lincoln's relationship with Frederick Douglass, the former slave who escaped his bondage and became a famous abolitionist writer and orator.
Lincoln & Douglass: An American Friendship, brought to us by those helpful people at Scholastic Storybook Treasures, focuses on a possibly fictitious conversation that Lincoln has with Douglass during Lincoln's second inaugural ball. There are three other stories on this DVD, all of which tell a historical tale in a kid-friendly way. Each one is based on a children's book.
The first story posits a scenario where Abraham Lincoln is at his inaugural gala but distracted because his buddy Frederick Douglass hasn't shown up yet. Eventually, Douglass does arrive. He was delayed because security wanted him to go in the rear door with the servants. Lincoln and Douglass have an idealistic, dreamy conversation about the future. The picture fades to black, ending on an optimistic note, never mentioning that President Lincoln would be dead within a month. This story may overstate the friendship between Lincoln and Douglass. It's true that they met but there doesn't seem to be a lot of historic evidence of a close friendship. The story is based on the book by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier and narrated by Danny Glover.
The second story, John, Paul, George and Ben is a humorous tale about the childhood lives of John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. The story makes some funny parallels to the Beatles, including a homage to the cover of the "Abbey Road" album. The allusion will no doubt go over the heads of the kids watching but Mom and Dad might get a laugh. Although the childhood events sited are totally fabricated, they are amusing. John, Paul, George and Ben was written and illustrated by Lane Smith and narrated by James Earl Jones.
Story number three is The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence. The tale tells us about the writing of the all-important declaration and what happened to it after the Revolution was over and the Constitution was written. We follow the trail of the fragile declaration as it is moved over the years from one location to the other. In some cases, it was removed because it was improperly protected (such as exposure to direct sunlight turning the paper yellow) or because it was in danger of being destroyed (as when the British overran Washington DC during the War of 1812). This one is based on the book by Judith St. George, illustrated by Will Hildebrand and narrated by Jeff Brooks.
The last of our quartet of cartoons is The Pilgrims of Plymouth. What American history lesson would be complete without arrival of the Pilgrims in the Mayflower and their dreams of religious freedom and a colony of their own. They meet the local indigenous inhabitants and work hard to build a future. This tale is written and illustrated by Marcia Sewall.
Anything that helps to get kids interested in reading history is a good thing and this collection of adaptations by Scholastic Storybook Treasures is a fun way to get kids to learn.
DVD Bonus Features
There is an interview with author Nikki Giovanni, as well as some discussion questions.
"Lincoln & Douglass: An American Friendship" is on sale January 11, 2011 and is not rated. Animation, Children & Family. Directed by Scholastic Treasures. Written by Nikki Giovanni, Lane Smith, Judith St. George and Marcia Sewall. Starring Danny Glover, James Earl Jones.
