Did Black lives matter to Abraham Lincoln? It's complicated
Updated 9:42 AM ET, Sun March 14, 2021
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Lincoln: Divided We Stand," a six-part original series examining the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln, Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on CNN.
(CNN)Abraham Lincoln was clinically depressed. Some say he was gay. He guest-starred on a "Star Trek" episode and became a vampire slayer.
Which of these four depictions of Lincoln are true?
All of them, if you believe how Lincoln has been portrayed by some historians and in pop culture. The Great Emancipator has become the great shape-shifter -- his image has been twisted like licorice to fit all sorts of agendas. He's become a pop icon who has been depicted in "South Park," on "Robot Chicken" and in a Geico insurance ad. Scholars offer wildly different theories about everything from Lincoln's mental health to his romantic proclivities.