The History Channel to Premiere Three-Night Epic Documentary Event “Abraham Lincoln” Presidents’ Day Weekend Beginning Sunday, February 20 @ 8PM ET/PT [VIDEO]

The HISTORY Channel’s three-night documentary event “Abraham Lincoln” will be a definitive biography of the 16th president, the man who led the country during its bloodiest war and greatest crisis.

Executive produced by world-renowned presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize®-winning bestselling author Doris Kearns Goodwin and Emmy Award-winning RadicalMedia, “Abraham Lincoln” is based upon Goodwin’s New York Times bestseller, “Leadership: In Turbulent Times.”

This seven-and-a-half-hour miniseries will premiere over Presidents’ Day weekend airing across three consecutive nights on Sunday, February 20, Monday, February 21, and Tuesday, February 22 @ 8PM ET/PT. Additional Presidents’ Day documentary programming celebrating the bravery and innovations made by extraordinary individuals during the Civil War from diverse perspectives and points of view will include the new, previously announced, one-hour documentary “Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War” executive produced and hosted by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar premiering Monday, February 21 at 11PM ET/PT and the one-hour documentary, “Secret History of the Civil War” premiering Tuesday, February 22 @ 10:30PM ET/PT.

From Lincoln’s impoverished childhood to his days as a young prairie lawyer and budding politician, through his unlikely election to the presidency and his assassination only five days after the end of the Civil War, “Abraham Lincoln” offers viewers new and surprising insights into the man consistently ranked by historians and the American people as the country’s greatest president. Viewers will learn of the lesser-known aspects of Lincoln’s life and leadership through premium dramatic live-action scenes where his humility, empathy, resilience, ambition, political acumen, and humor are on full display. Combined with expert interviews, archival photos and news accounts, Lincoln’s letters, writings and speeches, and remembrances from his contemporaries, this miniseries provides a fresh, contemporary understanding of the complexities of young Abraham Lincoln who grows to become President Lincoln, the man who saved the Union, won the war and secured emancipation.

“Abraham Lincoln” will feature interviews with President Barack Obama, Gen. Stan McCrystal, renowned historians Christy Coleman, Dr. Allen Guelzo, Dr. Edna Greene Medford, Harold Holzer, Dr. Caroline Janney, Dr. Catherine Clinton, and others. Emmy Award-nominated actor Graham Sibley (Blush, “Dark/Web“) portrays Abraham Lincoln in the series.

“I am so glad to be partnering again with The HISTORY Channel — this time to tell the story of Abraham Lincoln, whose leadership carried our country through one of its most perilous times,” said Goodwin. “Lincoln’s humanity, sense of purpose and ultimately his principled character provides for us a powerful example of how we might treat each other with dignity and respect if we are to become the nation that he imagined we could be.”

“We couldn’t be prouder to partner again with our friend Doris to deliver this incredibly important story of Abraham Lincoln, now more than ever, as our third presidential doc series,” said Eli Lehrer, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming for The HISTORY Channel. ‘Abraham Lincoln‘ will offer viewers a truly intimate look at an imperfect yet remarkable leader who was tasked, against all odds, with reuniting our country while fighting the deadliest war in American history.”

The History Channel will also highlight and support sites and stories related to Lincoln’s life and legacy as part of the ‘Save Our History’ initiative. In addition, the network will be providing free curriculum resources tied to the “Abraham Lincoln” documentary event to schools nationwide.

“Abraham Lincoln” is the third premium presidential miniseries from The HISTORY Channel coming off the heels of “Grant,” also produced by RadicalMedia which became the network’s #1 non-fiction miniseries of all time following its May 2020 premiere with 2.8 million total viewers. Prior to “Grant” the network teamed up with Doris Kearns Goodwin who served as executive producer for “Washington,” which became the #1 miniseries on all of cable in nearly three years after its February 2020 premiere with 2.6 million total viewers.

“Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War”

Premieres on Monday, February 21st at 11PM ET/PT

This one-hour documentary executive produced and narrated by NBA legend, historian and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Deborah Morales of Iconomy Multi-Media & Entertainment, takes a close look at one of the most studied, debated, and dissected periods in American history, the Civil War, and the heroic figures whose bravery and selfless contributions helped define and reshape the reality of a democracy. Anchored by sit down interviews and personal narratives from Abdul-Jabbar, coupled with anecdotes from noteworthy historians and authors, “Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War” explores the events and lesser-known individuals like former enslaved man turned war hero Robert Smalls and Union spy Mary Richards, to well-known heroes like influential abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Underground Railroad pioneer Harriett Tubman. The Civil War highlighted the gross racial inequalities that still existed in this country carried over from a pre-abolitionist era, but also brought forth crucial figures who stepped up to eradicate inequality, paving the way for various future freedom movements to come and showed that true democracy can be achieved.

“The Secret History of the Civil War”

Premieres on Tuesday, February 22 @ 10:30PM ET/PT

This one-hour documentary focuses on the unsung heroes and unknown innovators from the Civil War whose influences are still felt today. It begins with a look at the birth of America’s first organized and centralized intelligence units, set in motion by President Abraham Lincoln himself, in the early days of the War. “The Secret History of the Civil War” highlights individuals who broke boundaries of gender and race to operate as spies and takes an in-depth look at the ways in which modern American medicine was forged on the bloody battlefields of the Civil War.

“Abraham Lincoln” is produced for The HISTORY® Channel by RadicalMedia. Dave Sirulnick, Jon Kamen, Meredith Bennett, and Elizabeth Bull serve as executive producers for RadicalMedia with Sara Enright serving as showrunner. Doris Kearns Goodwin and Beth Laski serve as executive producers for Pastimes Productions. Malcolm Venville serves as director and executive producer. Eli Lehrer, Mary E. Donahue, and Jennifer Wagman are executive producers for The HISTORY Channel.

“Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War” is produced for The HISTORY® Channel by the Six West MediaTM group. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Deborah Morales serve as executive producers for Iconomy Multi-Media & Entertainment. Steve Ascher, Kristy Sabat, Jessica Conway, and Stephen Mintz are executive producers for the Six West Media™ group. Jennifer Wagman serves as executive producer for The HISTORY® Channel.

“The Secret History of the Civil War” is produced for The HISTORY® Channel by the Six West Media™ group. Steve Ascher, Kristy Sabat, and Jessica Conway are executive producers for the Six West MediaTM group. Jennifer Wagman serves as executive producer for The HISTORY® Channel.

A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for the above program.