robert sherwood held up lincoln as a way to urge americans to get off the sidelines when certai' principles were at stake. in lincoln's commitment to ending slavery, sherwood presids recognized the 16th president as a supreme non-isolationist in his essential faith. him this made him an ideal figuy thatonvincing americans despite their skepticism about foreign intervention, they should commit themselves as new two this foreign entanglement. this presenteded artists with new opportunities. the more lincoln was used in wartime propaganda, thea, the mt gave african-americans chance to remind their fellow americans that slavery was a historically specific experience that continued to impact black life in the united that states. black journalists saw a chance to urge the roosevelt decision to deliver a consistent message, the message that recognized oppression based on race, both abroad and at puthome. as one writer for the chicago defender put it, if wouroosevet cared about fighting slavery, stand by the reconstruction amendments and make sure therati negroes were t returned to dichattel slaver

s speeches which wasn't surprising since roosevelt hired the lincoln dramatist robert sherwood as a speechwriter. looking back on the 1940s from the vantage point of the 1960s the novelist robert penn warren recalled that it was, quote, the civil war not the revolution that was used most often in world war ii propaganda. and that it was the image, also warren speaking, it was the image of lincoln not that of washington or jefferson that flashed ritualistically on the silver screen. the powerful associations that throughout the '30s had connected lincoln to fighting slavery helped turn him into the kind of symbol that warren remembered. true, that slavery had often been loosely defined but it did suggest that lincoln had come to embody a certain type of moral energy that could galvanize americans in a new global conflict. i should say at that moment americans needed that kind of motivation. as late as 1940, 1941, there were many who remained deeply cynical about the devastation wrought by world war i and about engaging in any foreign entanglements so in this context timely reminders about lincoln

not surprising because roosevelt hired lincoln dramatist robert sherwood as a speechwriter. it was the civil war, not the revolution that was used most often in world war ii propaganda. lincoln, notage of that of washington or jefferson that flashed ritualistically on the silver screen. associations that throughout the 1930's had connected lincoln to fighting theery helped turn him into type of symbol that warren remembered. it suggested that lincoln had come to embody a certain type of moral energy that could galvanize americans in a new global conflict. i should say at that moment, americans needed that kind of motivation. 1940-1941, there were many who remained deeply cynical about the devastation of world war i, deeply cynical about engaging in any further foreign entanglements. in this context, timely reminders about lincoln and his commitment to emancipation helped people recall a moment when a true moral purpose guided americans were objectives. i'm just going to say that i am borrowing from another scholar. there is a literary scholar who develops some of this point.

robert sherwood held up lincoln as a way to get off of the sidelines when certain principals were at stake. sherwood recognized the 16th president as a supreme nonisolationist in his essential faith. this made him an ideal figure for convincing americans that despite their skepticism they should commit themselves a new to this foreign entanglement. significantly it presented african-american activists and artists with new activities. the more it was used in war-time propaganda, the more it gave americans a chance to remind their fellow americans that slavery was not just a metaphor, the slavery of the factory, the slavery striking coal miners, but also a historically significant experience that continues to impact black life in the united states. they urged a consistent antislavery message. both abroad and at home. as one writer for the chicago defender put it, if he cared about fighting slavery, he wound stand by the amendments and make sure that negros were not returns. failing to do so would be no different than enacting laws similar to hitler's declarations. as always, hollywood

would eventually go on to other things, but the third person in the picture is a gentleman called robert sherwood6 foot 8. fresh out of the army in 1919 and came to work. he said he was a very good writer. frank wanted to believe him. he had been very wounded during the war, he had been gassed, he had been shot in the legs. as dorothy said, how did they miss his heart? this guy was enormous. sherwood would go on actually to win four pulitzer prizes and become the speech writer for fdr. so, these were all unknowns, but they all misbehaved tremendously and of course, ended up getting fired. yeah, well, it was all -- it was all basically because dorothy decided, as theater critic by the now, that she was going to go after broadway producers and she ended up libelling them and he had no choice and conde really didn't want to fire him and knew she had to go and it was poor frank who had to do it. so during the war he sets up british vogue because he can't export paper from america, believe it or not, during world war i and decides at the end of the war in 1919 that he's going to go across to europe an

would eventually go into other things but the third person in the picture ise a gentleman called robert sherwood is about 6-foot eight and he was fresh out of o the army in 1919 and ce to work he said hed was a very good writer, he wanted to believe him he had been very wounded during the war, he had been gassed, shot in the legs and as dorothy would say how did they miss his heart. this guy wassk enormous. and he would go one to win for poet surprised and become a speech writer for fdr. so these are all unknowns but they all misbehave tremendously and of course ended up getting fired. it was all basically because dorothy decided as a critic by now that she was going to go after broadway producers and she ended up -- she had no choice, conde did not want to fire her but knew she had to go and it was frank who had to do it. during the war he sets up british vogue because he cannot export paper from america believe it or not during world war i and decides at the end of the war in 1919 that he will go to europe and set up a french vogue. so now he has become the first international magazine publish