Everything you didn’t know about Lincoln & inside look at his private life

A NEW documentary about former President Abraham Lincoln has explored the decades-old question surrounding the 16th president’s sexuality.

Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln, set to hit theaters on September 6, dives into the private life of the 16th president.

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The documentary aims to explore Lincoln’s four relationships with different men, one of which was described as “the love of Lincoln’s life.”

Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861, and held the position until his infamous theater assassination on April 15, 1865, at 56.

The new documentary also sheds light on homosexual relationships in the 19th century, focusing on their emotional intimacy rather than the act of sex .

“We’re not trying to make the case that Lincoln was an outlier. We’re not even making the case that Lincoln was gay,” director Shaun Peterson said, in part, per NBC News .

“We’re making the case that Lincoln participated in behavior that was extraordinarily common at the time.”

Lover of Men will also cover the start of Lincoln’s life in Indiana which began with a tragedy – the death of his mother at nine years old.

It shows the growth of his confidence and ultimately his transformation into a presidential figure.

Though the documentary used his letters to make their case, his relationship with the four significant men remains allegations.

“If there were no letters, if there were no records, if there was no documentary evidence, I could not conclude in good faith that Lincoln was a lover of men,” said Thomas Balcerski, a professor at Occidental College and expert in the documentary told People .

“But we have the receipts.”

FIRST LOVE

Lincoln moved to New Salem, Illinois in his early 20s and met a man named Willian Greene who he worked with at a local store.

The documentary marks Greene as the first important man in Lincoln’s life and their inseparable bond stretched to the bedroom.

“Mr. Lincoln and I clerked together for about 18 months and slept in the same cot,” Greene wrote in a letter from 1865 that was discussed in the documentary, per People.

“And when one turned over, the other had to do likewise.”

Abraham Lincoln's biggest accomplishments

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. He was president from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865.

Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln announced on January 1, 1863, that any slaves who lived in states that had rebelled against the Union were now free. His proclamation was the beginning of the end of slavery which officially ended in 1865.

Gettysburg Address: Lincoln spoke at the dedication of the National Cemetary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863. A significant Civil War battle had happened on the land four months earlier. He urged that “we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”

Leadership of the Union during the American Civil War: Lincoln excelled as a leader during the war. He was able to strategize, issue clear orders, and direct field leaders. He avoided radical measures and aimed to think logically about his moves.

According to Britannica and American Battlefield Trust

Chesson analyzed the sleeping arrangement further.

“They were sleeping pressed together so they wouldn’t fall off the cot — spooning. I can’t imagine sleeping like that would have been tolerable for either one of them if they didn’t like it,” he explained.

Greene also commented on the former president’s physical appearance.

“The first time I saw Lincoln, he was at that time well and firmly built. His thighs were as perfect as a human being could be,” Greene said.

‘LUST AT FIRST SIGHT’

Lincoln moved to Springfield, Illinois to become a lawyer in the spring of 1837.

While shopping for a bed, he met the co-owner of a local store, Joshua Speed.

Lincoln mentioned he didn’t have $17 to buy the mattress and Speed allegedly said, per the documentary, “Well, I have a big double bed upstairs. Go upstairs and check it out.”

One of Lincoln’s friends allegedly offered him a single bed in his home, but the former president wanted to stay with Speed.

They lived together and slept side-by-side for four years.

“It grew into something far more than lust,” Chesson said, per People.

YouTube/Special Occasion Studios

YouTube/Special Occasion Studios

ONE TRUE LOVE

The two share what seem to be many love letters between each other.

Balcerski claims some of their letters didn’t survive the years because men were known to burn them once reading, per NBC News.

“The surviving evidence — the number of letters between Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed, for example — can also be read by the absence of evidence,” Balcerski said.

“Being able to also see absences in the archive, to read those silences, that’s a relatively recent idea within scholarship.”

Lover of Men also credits Speed as being the man who made Lincoln the man he needed to be to step in as president.

“Mary Todd gets the credit. Joshua Speed did the work,” Balcerski said per People.

Chesson added, “Lincoln was an uncouth country bumpkin, very folksy in his mannerisms and his speech. He wore highwater pants.”

Speed gave Lincoln a makeover to appear more professional, per People.

However, things turned sour in 1841 when Lincoln learned Speed moved home.

He wrote to a law partner saying, “I’m now the most miserable man living. If what I am feeling were distributed to the whole human family, there would not be a cheerful face on the earth.”

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