He used the N-word and told racist jokes. He once said African-
Americans were inferior to whites. He proposed ending slavery by
shipping willing slaves back to Africa. Meet Abraham Lincoln,
"The Great Emancipator" who "freed" the slaves. That's not the
version of Lincoln we get from Steven Spielberg's movie
"Lincoln." But there's another film that fills in the historical
gaps left by Spielberg and challenges conventional wisdom about
Lincoln and the Civil War. "The Abolitionists" is a PBS American
Experience film premièring Tuesday that focuses on the
intertwined lives of five abolitionist leaders. These men and
women arguably did as much -- maybe even more -- than Lincoln to
end slavery, yet few contemporary Americans recognize their
names. The three-part documentary's airing comes as the nation
commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation
Proclamation, the 1863 decree signed by Lincoln that set in
motion the freeing of slaves. Lincoln is a Mount Rushmore figure
today, but the abolitionists also di