Lincoln: American Mastermind (DVD)

Campaigning for 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln arrived onto the national stage as "Honest Abe." But was he really a simple frontiersman or a brilliant strategist who manipulated his public image, using newspapers, photography and even folksy imagery to win over voters? Lincoln's abilities may have begun in the backwoods, but he applied them throughout his life honing his powers of persuasion in courtrooms across Illinois, running for a Senate seat and dealing with national crisis as the president. With the combination of dramatic re-creations, scientific discoveries, rare photos and interviews with historians, National Geographic reveals the hidden side of Lincoln and the well-orchestrated moves that took him all the way to the White House.

• documentary
• nonfiction