title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In directing the Union's war strategy, Lincoln valued the advice of Gen. Winfield Scott, even after his retirement as Commanding General of the United States Army. On June 23–24, 1862, President Lincoln made an unannounced visit to West Point, where he spent five hours consulting with Scott regarding the handling of the Civil War and the staffing of the War Department.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: After the Union rout at Bull Run and Winfield Scott's retirement, Lincoln appointed Major General George B. McClellan general-in-chief. McClellan then took months to plan his Virginia Peninsula Campaign. McClellan's slow progress frustrated Lincoln, as did his position that no troops were needed to defend Washington. McClellan, in turn, blamed the failure of the campaign on Lincoln's reservation of troops for the capitol.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In 1862, Lincoln removed McClellan for the general's continued inaction. He elevated Henry Halleck in July and appointed John Pope as head of the new Army of Virginia. Pope satisfied Lincoln's desire to advance on Richmond from the north, thus protecting Washington from counterattack. But Pope was then soundly defeated at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the summer of 1862, forcing the Army of the Potomac back to defend Washington.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Despite his dissatisfaction with McClellan's failure to reinforce Pope, Lincoln restored him to command of all forces around Washington. Two days after McClellan's return to command, General Robert E. Lee's forces crossed the Potomac River into Maryland, leading to the Battle of Antietam. That battle, a Union victory, was among the bloodiest in American history; it facilitated Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in January.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: McClellan then resisted the president's demand that he pursue Lee's withdrawing army, while General Don Carlos Buell likewise refused orders to move the Army of the Ohio against rebel forces in eastern Tennessee. Lincoln replaced Buell with William Rosecrans; and after the 1862 midterm elections he replaced McClellan with Ambrose Burnside. The appointments were both politically neutral and adroit on Lincoln's part.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Burnside, against presidential advice, launched an offensive across the Rappahannock River and was defeated by Lee at Fredericksburg in December. Desertions during 1863 came in the thousands and only increased after Fredericksburg, so Lincoln replaced Burnside with Joseph Hooker.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In the 1862 midterm elections the Republicans suffered severe losses due to rising inflation, high taxes, rumors of corruption, suspension of "habeas corpus", military draft law, and fears that freed slaves would come North and undermine the labor market. The Emancipation Proclamation gained votes for Republicans in rural New England and the upper Midwest, but cost votes in the Irish and German strongholds and in the lower Midwest, where many Southerners had lived for generations.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In the spring of 1863 Lincoln was sufficiently optimistic about upcoming military campaigns to think the end of the war could be near; the plans included attacks by Hooker on Lee north of Richmond, Rosecrans on Chattanooga, Grant on Vicksburg, and a naval assault on Charleston.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Hooker was routed by Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May, then resigned and was replaced by George Meade. Meade followed Lee north into Pennsylvania and beat him in the Gettysburg Campaign, but then failed to follow up despite Lincoln's demands. At the same time, Grant captured Vicksburg and gained control of the Mississippi River, splitting the far western rebel states.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: The Federal government's power to end slavery was limited by the Constitution, which before 1865 was understood to reserve the issue to the individual states. Lincoln believed that slavery would be rendered obsolete if its expansion into new territories were prevented, because these territories would be admitted to the Union as free states, and free states would come to outnumber slave states. He sought to persuade the states to agree to compensation for emancipating their slaves. Lincoln rejected Major General John C. Frémont's August 1861 emancipation attempt, as well as one by Major General David Hunter in May 1862, on the grounds that it was not within their power and might upset loyal border states enough for them to secede.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In June 1862, Congress passed an act banning slavery on all federal territory, which Lincoln signed. In July, the Confiscation Act of 1862 was enacted, providing court procedures to free the slaves of those convicted of aiding the rebellion; Lincoln approved the bill despite his belief that it was unconstitutional. He felt such action could be taken only within the war powers of the commander-in-chief, which he planned to exercise. Lincoln at this time reviewed a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation with his cabinet.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Privately, Lincoln concluded that the Confederacy's slave base had to be eliminated. Copperheads argued that emancipation was a stumbling block to peace and reunification; Republican editor Horace Greeley of the "New York Tribune" agreed. In a letter of August 22, 1862, Lincoln said that while he personally wished all men could be free, regardless of that, his first obligation as president was to preserve the Union:


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: On September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which announced that, in states still in rebellion on January 1, 1863, the slaves would be freed. He kept his word and, on January 1, 1863, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in 10 states not then under Union control, with exemptions specified for areas under such control. Lincoln's comment on signing the Proclamation was: "I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper." He spent the next 100 days preparing the army and the nation for emancipation, while Democrats rallied their voters by warning of the threat that freed slaves posed to northern whites.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: With the abolition of slavery in the rebel states now a military objective, Union armies advancing south liberated all three million slaves in the Confederacy. The Emancipation Proclamation having stated that freedmen would be "received into the armed service of the United States," enlisting these freedmen became official policy. By the spring of 1863, Lincoln was ready to recruit black troops in more than token numbers. In a letter to Tennessee military governor Andrew Johnson encouraging him to lead the way in raising black troops, Lincoln wrote, "The bare sight of 50,000 armed and drilled black soldiers on the banks of the Mississippi would end the rebellion at once". By the end of 1863, at Lincoln's direction, General Lorenzo Thomas had recruited 20 regiments of blacks from the Mississippi Valley.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln spoke at the dedication of the Gettysburg battlefield cemetery on November 19, 1863. In 272 words, and three minutes, Lincoln asserted that the nation was born not in 1789, but in 1776, "conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal". He defined the war as dedicated to the principles of liberty and equality for all. He declared that the deaths of so many brave soldiers would not be in vain, that slavery would end, and the future of democracy would be assured, that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth".


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Defying his prediction that "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here", the Address became the most quoted speech in American history.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: General Ulysses Grant's victories at the Battle of Shiloh and in the Vicksburg campaign impressed Lincoln. Responding to criticism of Grant after Shiloh, Lincoln had said, "I can't spare this man. He fights." With Grant in command, Lincoln felt the Union Army could advance in multiple theaters, while also including black troops. Meade's failure to capture Lee's army after Gettysburg and the continued passivity of the Army of the Potomac persuaded Lincoln to promote Grant to supreme commander. Grant then assumed command of Meade's army.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln was concerned that Grant might be considering a presidential candidacy in 1864. He arranged for an intermediary to inquire into Grant's political intentions, and once assured that he had none, Lincoln promoted Grant to the newly revived rank of Lieutenant General, a rank which had been unoccupied since George Washington. Authorization for such a promotion "with the advice and consent of the Senate" was provided by a new bill which Lincoln signed the same day he submitted Grant's name to the Senate. His nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 2, 1864.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Grant in 1864 waged the bloody Overland Campaign, which exacted heavy losses on both sides. When Lincoln asked what Grant's plans were, the persistent general replied, "I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer." Grant's army moved steadily south. Lincoln traveled to Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, to confer with Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. Lincoln reacted to Union losses by mobilizing support throughout the North. Lincoln authorized Grant to target infrastructure—plantations, railroads, and bridges—hoping to weaken the South's morale and fighting ability. He emphasized defeat of the Confederate armies over destruction (which was considerable) for its own sake. Lincoln's engagement became distinctly personal on one occasion in 1864 when Confederate general Jubal Early raided Washington, D.C. Legend has it that while Lincoln watched from an exposed position, Union Captain (and future Supreme Court Justice) Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. shouted at him, "Get down, you damn fool, before you get shot!"


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: As Grant continued to weaken Lee's forces, efforts to discuss peace began. Confederate Vice President Stephens led a group meeting with Lincoln, Seward, and others at Hampton Roads. Lincoln refused to negotiate with the Confederacy as a coequal; his objective to end the fighting was not realized. On April 1, 1865, Grant nearly encircled Petersburg in a siege. The Confederate government evacuated Richmond and Lincoln visited the conquered capital. On April 9, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, officially ending the war.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln ran for reelection in 1864, while uniting the main Republican factions, along with War Democrats Edwin M. Stanton and Andrew Johnson. Lincoln used conversation and his patronage powers—greatly expanded from peacetime—to build support and fend off the Radicals' efforts to replace him. At its convention, the Republicans selected Johnson as his running mate. To broaden his coalition to include War Democrats as well as Republicans, Lincoln ran under the label of the new Union Party.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Grant's bloody stalemates damaged Lincoln's re-election prospects, and many Republicans feared defeat. Lincoln confidentially pledged in writing that if he should lose the election, he would still defeat the Confederacy before turning over the White House; Lincoln did not show the pledge to his cabinet, but asked them to sign the sealed envelope. The pledge read as follows:


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: The Democratic platform followed the "Peace wing" of the party and called the war a "failure"; but their candidate, McClellan, supported the war and repudiated the platform. Meanwhile, Lincoln emboldened Grant with more troops and Republican party support. Sherman's capture of Atlanta in September and David Farragut's capture of Mobile ended defeatism. The Democratic Party was deeply split, with some leaders and most soldiers openly for Lincoln. The National Union Party was united by Lincoln's support for emancipation. State Republican parties stressed the perfidy of the Copperheads. On November 8, Lincoln carried all but three states, including 78 percent of Union soldiers.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: On March 4, 1865, Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address. In it, he deemed the war casualties to be God's will. Historian Mark Noll places the speech "among the small handful of semi-sacred texts by which Americans conceive their place in the world;" it is inscribed in the Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln said:


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Reconstruction preceded the war's end, as Lincoln and his associates considered the reintegration of the nation, and the fates of Confederate leaders and freed slaves. When a general asked Lincoln how the defeated Confederates were to be treated, Lincoln replied, "Let 'em up easy." Lincoln was determined to find meaning in the war in its aftermath, and did not want to continue to outcast the southern states. His main goal was to keep the union together, so he proceeded by focusing not on whom to blame, but on how to rebuild the nation as one. Lincoln led the moderates in Reconstruction policy and was opposed by the Radicals, under Rep. Thaddeus Stevens, Sen. Charles Sumner and Sen. Benjamin Wade, who otherwise remained Lincoln's allies. Determined to reunite the nation and not alienate the South, Lincoln urged that speedy elections under generous terms be held. His Amnesty Proclamation of December 8, 1863, offered pardons to those who had not held a Confederate civil office and had not mistreated Union prisoners, if they were willing to sign an oath of allegiance.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: As Southern states fell, they needed leaders while their administrations were restored. In Tennessee and Arkansas, Lincoln respectively appointed Johnson and Frederick Steele as military governors. In Louisiana, Lincoln ordered General Nathaniel P. Banks to promote a plan that would reestablish statehood when 10 percent of the voters agreed, and only if the reconstructed states abolished slavery. Democratic opponents accused Lincoln of using the military to ensure his and the Republicans' political aspirations. The Radicals denounced his policy as too lenient, and passed their own plan, the 1864 Wade–Davis Bill, which Lincoln vetoed. The Radicals retaliated by refusing to seat elected representatives from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln's appointments were designed to harness both moderates and Radicals. To fill Chief Justice Taney's seat on the Supreme Court, he named the Radicals' choice, Salmon P. Chase, who Lincoln believed would uphold his emancipation and paper money policies.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: After implementing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln increased pressure on Congress to outlaw slavery throughout the nation with a constitutional amendment. He declared that such an amendment would "clinch the whole matter" and by December 1863 an amendment was brought to Congress. This first attempt fell short of the required two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. Passage became part of Lincoln's reelection platform, and after his successful reelection, the second attempt in the House passed on January 31, 1865. With ratification, it became the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 6, 1865.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln believed the federal government had limited responsibility to the millions of freedmen. He signed Senator Charles Sumner's Freedmen's Bureau bill that set up a temporary federal agency designed to meet the immediate needs of former slaves. The law opened land for a lease of three years with the ability to purchase title for the freedmen. Lincoln announced a Reconstruction plan that involved short-term military control, pending readmission under the control of southern Unionists.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Historians agree that it is impossible to predict exactly how Reconstruction would have proceeded had Lincoln lived. Biographers James G. Randall and Richard Current, according to David Lincove, argue that:


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln's experience with Native Americans started early with their killing of his grandfather in front of the family. Later he served as a Captain in the state militia during the Black Hawk War seeing no combat. During his presidency, his policy toward Indians was based on politics. He used appointments to the Indian Bureau as a reward to supporters from Minnesota and Wisconsin. While in office his administration faced difficulties guarding Western settlers, railroads, and telegraphs, from Indian attacks.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: On August 17, 1862, the Sioux or Dakota uprising broke out in Minnesota. Hundreds of settlers were killed, 30,000 were displaced from their homes, and Washington was deeply alarmed. Some feared incorrectly that it might represent a Confederate conspiracy to start a war on the Northwestern frontier. Lincoln ordered thousands of Confederate prisoners of war sent by railroad to put down the uprising. When the Confederates protested forcing Confederate prisoners to fight Indians, Lincoln revoked the policy and none set foot in Minnesota. Lincoln sent General John Pope to Minnesota as commander of the new Department of the Northwest a couple of weeks into the hostilities. Before he arrived the Fond Du Lac band of Chippewa sent Lincoln a letter begging to go to war for the United States against the Sioux, so Lincoln could send Minnesota's troops to fight the south. Shortly after, a Mille Lacs Band Chief offered the same at St. Cloud, Minnesota. In it the Chippewa specified that they wanted to use the indigenous rules of warfare. That meant there would be no prisoners of war, no surrender, no peace agreement. Lincoln did not accept the Chippewa offer, as he had no means to control the outcome and women and children were considered legitimate casualties in native American warfare. Once word reached the other bands of Chippewa, he had no way of knowing how they would react to his sending the Fond Du Lac on the warpath. One of the Chippewa signing the letter, Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub, had received a Presidential medal from Lincoln earlier in the year.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Serving under Gen. Pope was Minnesota Congressman Henry H. Sibley. Minnesota's Governor had made Sibley a Colonel United States Volunteers to command the US force tasked with fighting the war and that eventually defeated Little Crow's forces at the Battle of Wood Lake.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: The day the Mdewakanton force surrendered at Camp Release, a Chippewa war council met at Minnesota's capitol with another Chippewa offer to Lincoln, to fight the Sioux. Sibley ordered a military commission to review that actions of the captured to try those that had committed war crimes. The legitimacy of military commissions trying opposing combatants had been established during the Mexican War. Sibley thought he had 16-20 of men he wanted for trial while Gen. Pope ordered that all detained warriors be tried. When it was done, 303 had been given death sentences that were subject to Presidential review. Lincoln ordered Gen Pope send all of the trial transcripts Washington where he and two of his staff poured over the trials. The lawyer in Lincoln saw issues. He slowly realized that the trials could be divided into two groups: combat between combatants and combat against civilians. The groups could be identified by their transcripts, the first group were all just three pages in length while the second group had more pages, some up to twelve. He placed 263 cases into the first group and commuted their sentences for the largest mass commutation in history. Into the second group went forty. One he commuted for turning state's witness. Another Sibley dismissed when overwhelming proof surfaced exonerating the man. The remaining 38 were executed in the largest mass hanging in US history. Very quickly questions arose concerning three of the executions that have not been answered. Less than four months after the executions Lincoln issued General Order 100 that relates more to the Minnesota War than the Civil War. Now a Congressman, Alexander Ramsey told Lincoln, in 1864, that he would have gotten more re-election support in Minnesota had he executed all 303 of the Mdewakanton. Lincoln responded, "I could not afford to hang men for votes." The men whose sentences he commuted were sent to a military prison at Davenport, Iowa. A few of those he had released due to the efforts of Bishop Henry Whipple.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln adhered to the Whig theory of a presidency focused on executing laws while deferring to Congress' responsibility for legislating. Lincoln vetoed only four bills, including the Wade-Davis Bill with its harsh Reconstruction program. The 1862 Homestead Act made millions of acres of Western government-held land available for purchase at low cost. The 1862 Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act provided government grants for agricultural colleges in each state. The Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864 granted federal support for the construction of the United States' first transcontinental railroad, which was completed in 1869. The passage of the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railway Acts was enabled by the absence of Southern congressmen and senators who had opposed the measures in the 1850s.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In the selection and use of his cabinet, Lincoln employed the strengths of his opponents in a manner that emboldened his presidency. Lincoln commented on his thought process, "We need the strongest men of the party in the Cabinet. We needed to hold our own people together. I had looked the party over and concluded that these were the very strongest men. Then I had no right to deprive the country of their services." Goodwin described the group in her biography as a "Team of Rivals".


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: There were two measures passed to raise revenues for the Federal government: tariffs (a policy with long precedent), and a Federal income tax. In 1861, Lincoln signed the second and third Morrill Tariffs, following the first enacted by Buchanan. He also signed the Revenue Act of 1861, creating the first U.S. income tax—a flat tax of 3 percent on incomes above $800 (). The Revenue Act of 1862 adopted rates that increased with income.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: The Lincoln Administration presided over the expansion of the federal government's economic influence in other areas. The National Banking Act created the system of national banks. The US issued paper currency for the first time, known as greenbacks—printed in green on the reverse side. In 1862, Congress created the Department of Agriculture.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In response to rumors of a renewed draft, the editors of the "New York World" and the "Journal of Commerce" published a false draft proclamation that created an opportunity for the editors and others to corner the gold market. Lincoln attacked the media for such behavior, and ordered a military seizure of the two papers which lasted for two days.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln is largely responsible for the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving had become a regional holiday in New England in the 17th century. It had been sporadically proclaimed by the federal government on irregular dates. The prior proclamation had been during James Madison's presidency 50 years earlier. In 1863, Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November of that year to be a day of Thanksgiving.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In June 1864, Lincoln approved the Yosemite Grant enacted by Congress, which provided unprecedented federal protection for the area now known as Yosemite National Park.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln's philosophy on court nominations was that "we cannot ask a man what he will do, and if we should, and he should answer us, we should despise him for it. Therefore we must take a man whose opinions are known." Lincoln made five appointments to the Supreme Court. Noah Haynes Swayne was an anti-slavery lawyer who was committed to the Union. Samuel Freeman Miller supported Lincoln in the 1860 election and was an avowed abolitionist. David Davis was Lincoln's campaign manager in 1860 and had served as a judge in the Illinois court circuit where Lincoln practiced. Democrat Stephen Johnson Field, a previous California Supreme Court justice, provided geographic and political balance. Finally, Lincoln's Treasury Secretary, Salmon P. Chase, became Chief Justice. Lincoln believed Chase was an able jurist, would support Reconstruction legislation, and that his appointment united the Republican Party.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln named his main political rival William H. Seward as Secretary of State, and left most diplomatic issues in his portfolio. However Lincoln did select some of the top diplomats as part of his patronage policy. He also closely watched the handling of the "Trent" Affair in late 1861 to make sure there was no escalation into a war with Britain. Seward's main role was to keep Britain and France from supporting the Confederacy. He was successful after indicating to London and Paris that Washington would declare war on them if they supported Richmond.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: John Wilkes Booth was a well-known actor and a Confederate spy from Maryland; though he never joined the Confederate army, he had contacts with the Confederate secret service. After attending an April 11, 1865 speech in which Lincoln promoted voting rights for blacks, Booth hatched a plot to assassinate the President. When Booth learned of the Lincolns' intent to attend a play with General Grant, he planned to assassinate Lincoln and Grant at Ford's Theatre. Lincoln and his wife attended the play "Our American Cousin" on the evening of April 14, just five days after the Union victory at the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse. At the last minute, Grant decided to go to New Jersey to visit his children instead of attending the play.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: On April 14, 1865, hours before he was assassinated, Lincoln signed legislation establishing the United States Secret Service, and, at 10:15 in the evening, Booth entered the back of Lincoln's theater box, crept up from behind, and fired at the back of Lincoln's head, mortally wounding him. Lincoln's guest, Major Henry Rathbone, momentarily grappled with Booth, but Booth stabbed him and escaped. After being attended by Doctor Charles Leale and two other doctors, Lincoln was taken across the street to Petersen House. After remaining in a coma for eight hours, Lincoln died at 7:22 in the morning on April 15. Stanton saluted and said, "Now he belongs to the ages." Lincoln's body was placed in a flag-wrapped coffin, which was loaded into a hearse and escorted to the White House by Union soldiers. President Johnson was sworn in later that same day.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Two weeks later, Booth, refusing to surrender, was tracked to a farm in Virginia, and was mortally shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett and died on April 26. Secretary of War Stanton had issued orders that Booth be taken alive, so Corbett was initially arrested to be court martialed. After a brief interview, Stanton declared him a patriot and dismissed the charge.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: The late President lay in state, first in the East Room of the White House, and then in the Capitol Rotunda from April 19 through April 21. The caskets containing Lincoln's body and the body of his son Willie traveled for three weeks on the "Lincoln Special" funeral train. The train followed a circuitous route from Washington D.C. to Springfield, Illinois, stopping at many cities for memorials attended by hundreds of thousands. Many others gathered along the tracks as the train passed with bands, bonfires, and hymn singing or in silent grief. Poet Walt Whitman composed "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" to eulogize him, one of four poems he wrote about Lincoln. African Americans were especially moved; they had lost their "Moses". In a larger sense, the reaction was in response to the deaths of so many men in the war. Historians emphasized the widespread shock and sorrow, but noted that some Lincoln haters celebrated his death. Lincoln's body was buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield and now lies within the Lincoln Tomb.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: As a young man, Lincoln was a religious skeptic. He was deeply familiar with the Bible, quoting and praising it. He was private about his position on organized religion and respected the beliefs of others. He never made a clear profession of Christian beliefs. Throughout his public career, Lincoln often quoted Scripture. His three most famous speeches—the House Divided Speech, the Gettysburg Address, and his second inaugural—each contain direct allusions to Providence and quotes from Scripture.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In the 1840s, Lincoln subscribed to the Doctrine of Necessity, a belief that the human mind was controlled by a higher power. With the death of his son Edward in 1850 he more frequently expressed a dependence on God. He never joined a church, although he frequently attended First Presbyterian Church with his wife beginning in 1852.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In the 1850s, Lincoln asserted his belief in "providence" in a general way, and rarely used the language or imagery of the evangelicals; he regarded the republicanism of the Founding Fathers with an almost religious reverence. The death of his son Willie in February 1862 may have caused him to look toward religion for solace. After Willie's death, he questioned the divine necessity of the war's severity. He wrote at this time that God "could have either saved or destroyed the Union without a human contest. Yet the contest began. And having begun, He could give the final victory to either side any day. Yet the contest proceeds."


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln did believe in an all-powerful God that shaped events and by 1865 was expressing that belief in major speeches. By the end of the war, he increasingly appealed to the Almighty for solace and to explain events, writing on April 4, 1864, to a newspaper editor in Kentucky: This spirituality can best be seen in his second inaugural address, considered by some scholars as the greatest such address in American history, and by Lincoln himself as his own greatest speech, or one of them at the very least. Lincoln explains therein that the cause, purpose, and result of the war was God's will. Lincoln's frequent use of religious imagery and language toward the end of his life may have reflected his own personal beliefs or might have been a device to reach his audiences, who were mostly evangelical Protestants. On the day Lincoln was assassinated, he reportedly told his wife he desired to visit the Holy Land.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln is believed to have had depression, smallpox, and malaria. He took blue mass pills, which contained mercury, to treat constipation. It is unknown to what extent that might have resulted in mercury poisoning.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Several claims have been made that Lincoln's health was declining before the assassination. These are often based on photographs of Lincoln appearing to show weight loss and muscle wasting. It is also suspected that he might have had a rare genetic disease such as Marfan syndrome or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln's redefinition of "republican values" has been stressed by historians such as John Patrick Diggins, Harry V. Jaffa, Vernon Burton, Eric Foner, and Herman J. Belz. Lincoln called the Declaration of Independence—which emphasized freedom and equality for all—the "sheet anchor" of republicanism beginning in the 1850s. He did this at a time when the Constitution, which "tolerated slavery", was the focus of most political discourse. Diggins notes, "Lincoln presented Americans a theory of history that offers a profound contribution to the theory and destiny of republicanism itself" in the 1860 Cooper Union speech. Instead of focusing on the legality of an argument, he focused on the moral basis of republicanism.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: His position on war was founded on a legal argument regarding the Constitution as essentially a contract among the states, and all parties must agree to pull out of the contract. Furthermore, it was a national duty to ensure the republic stands in every state. Many soldiers and religious leaders from the north, though, felt the fight for liberty and freedom of slaves was ordained by their moral and religious beliefs.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: As a Whig activist, Lincoln was a spokesman for business interests, favoring high tariffs, banks, infrastructure improvements, and railroads, in opposition to Jacksonian democrats. Lincoln shared the sympathies that the Jacksonians professed for the common man, but he disagreed with the Jacksonian view that the government should be divorced from economic enterprise. Nevertheless, Lincoln admired Andrew Jackson's steeliness as well as his patriotism. According to historian Sean Wilentz:


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: William C. Harris found that Lincoln's "reverence for the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, the laws under it, and the preservation of the Republic and its institutions strengthened his conservatism." James G. Randall emphasizes his tolerance and moderation "in his preference for orderly progress, his distrust of dangerous agitation, and his reluctance toward ill digested schemes of reform." Randall concludes that "he was conservative in his complete avoidance of that type of so-called 'radicalism' which involved abuse of the South, hatred for the slaveholder, thirst for vengeance, partisan plotting, and ungenerous demands that Southern institutions be transformed overnight by outsiders."


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In Lincoln's first inaugural address, he explored the nature of democracy. He denounced secession as anarchy, and explained that majority rule had to be balanced by constitutional restraints. He said "A majority held in restraint by constitutional checks and limitations, and always changing easily with deliberate changes of popular opinions and sentiments, is the only true sovereign of a free people."


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: The successful reunification of the states had consequences for how people viewed the country. The term "the United States" has historically been used sometimes in the plural ("these United States") and other times in the singular. The Civil War was a significant force in the eventual dominance of the singular usage by the end of the 19th century.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In surveys of U.S. scholars ranking presidents conducted since 1948, the top three presidents are Lincoln, Washington, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, although the order varies. Between 1999 and 2011, Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan have been the top-ranked presidents in eight public opinion surveys, according to Gallup. A 2004 study found that scholars in the fields of history and politics ranked Lincoln number one, while legal scholars placed him second after George Washington.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln's assassination left him a national martyr. He was viewed by abolitionists as a champion of human liberty. Republicans linked Lincoln's name to their party. Many, though not all, in the South considered Lincoln as a man of outstanding ability. Historians have said he was "a classical liberal" in the 19th-century sense. Allen C. Guelzo states that Lincoln was a "classical liberal democrat—an enemy of artificial hierarchy, a friend to trade and business as ennobling and enabling, and an American counterpart to Mill, Cobden, and Bright", whose portrait Lincoln hung in his White House office.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Sociologist Barry Schwartz argues that Lincoln's American reputation grew slowly from the late 19th century until the Progressive Era (1900–1920s), when he emerged as one of America's most venerated heroes, even among white Southerners. The high point came in 1922 with the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Union nationalism, as envisioned by Lincoln, "helped lead America to the nationalism of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt." In the New Deal era, liberals honored Lincoln not so much as the self-made man or the great war president, but as the advocate of the common man who they claimed would have supported the welfare state.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Schwartz argues that in the 1930s and 1940s the memory of Abraham Lincoln was practically sacred and provided the nation with "a moral symbol inspiring and guiding American life." During the Great Depression, he argues, Lincoln served "as a means for seeing the world's disappointments, for making its sufferings not so much explicable as meaningful." Franklin D. Roosevelt, preparing America for war, used the words of the Civil War president to clarify the threat posed by Germany and Japan. Americans asked, "What would Lincoln do?" However, Schwartz also finds that since World War II Lincoln's symbolic power has lost relevance, and this "fading hero is symptomatic of fading confidence in national greatness." He suggested that postmodernism and multiculturalism have diluted greatness as a concept.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In the Cold War years, Lincoln's image shifted to a symbol of freedom who brought hope to those oppressed by Communist regimes. He had long been known as the Great Emancipator, but, by the late 1960s, some African American intellectuals, led by Lerone Bennett Jr., denied that Lincoln deserved that title. Bennett won wide attention when he called Lincoln a white supremacist in 1968. He noted that Lincoln used ethnic slurs and told jokes that ridiculed blacks. Bennett argued that Lincoln opposed social equality and proposed that freed slaves voluntarily move to another country. The emphasis shifted away from Lincoln the emancipator to an argument that blacks had freed themselves from slavery, or at least were responsible for pressuring the government to emancipate them. Defenders of Lincoln, such as authors Dirck and Cashin, retorted that he was not as bad as most politicians of his day and that he was a "moral visionary" who deftly advanced the abolitionist cause, as fast as politically possible. Dirck stated that few Civil War scholars take Bennett seriously, pointing to his "narrow political agenda and faulty research".


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: By the 1970s, Lincoln had become a hero to political conservatives—apart from neo-Confederates such as Mel Bradford, who denounced his treatment of the white South—for his intense nationalism, his support for business, his insistence on stopping the spread of slavery, his acting on Lockean and Burkean principles on behalf of both liberty and tradition, and his devotion to the principles of the Founding Fathers. Lincoln became a favorite of liberal intellectuals across the world.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Barry Schwartz wrote in 2009 that Lincoln's image suffered "erosion, fading prestige, benign ridicule" in the late 20th century. On the other hand, Donald opined in his 1996 biography that Lincoln was distinctly endowed with the personality trait of negative capability, defined by the poet John Keats and attributed to extraordinary leaders who were "content in the midst of uncertainties and doubts, and not compelled toward fact or reason".


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In the 21st century, President Barack Obama named Lincoln his favorite president and insisted on using the Lincoln Bible for his inaugural ceremonies. Lincoln has often been portrayed by Hollywood, almost always in a flattering light.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: Lincoln's portrait appears on two denominations of United States currency, the penny and the $5 bill. His likeness also appears on many postage stamps. While he is usually portrayed bearded, he did not grow a beard until 1860 at the suggestion of 11-year-old Grace Bedell. He was the first of five presidents to do so.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: He has been memorialized in many town, city, and county names, including the capital of Nebraska. The United States Navy is named after Lincoln, the second Navy ship to bear his name.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: The Lincoln Memorial is one of the most visited monuments in the nation's capital and is one of the top five visited National Park Service sites in the country. Ford's Theatre, among the top sites in Washington, D.C., is across the street from Petersen House, where Lincoln died. Memorials in Springfield, Illinois, include the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Lincoln's home, and his tomb. A portrait carving of Lincoln appears with those of three other presidents on Mount Rushmore, which receives about 3 million visitors a year. An stands in Lincoln Park Chicago, with recastings given as diplomatic gifts standing in Parliament Square, London, and Parque Lincoln, Mexico City.


title: Abraham Lincoln

text: In 2019, Congress officially dedicated room H-226 in the US Capitol to Abraham Lincoln. The room is located off of National Statuary Hall and previously served as the post office of the House while then-Representative Abraham Lincoln served in Congress from 1847-1849.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Pirates of the Caribbean is an American fantasy supernatural swashbuckler film series produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and based on Walt Disney's theme park attraction of the same name. The film series serves as a major component of the eponymous media franchise.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Directors of the series include Gore Verbinski (films 1–3), Rob Marshall (4), Joachim Rønning (5–6), and Espen Sandberg (5). The series is primarily written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (1–4); other writers include Stuart Beattie (1), Jay Wolpert (1), Jeff Nathanson (5), and Craig Mazin (6). The stories follow the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), with Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally) following over the course of the films. Other characters featured in the original trilogy include James Norrington (Jack Davenport), Pintel (Lee Arenberg), Ragetti (Mackenzie Crook), Marty (Martin Klebba), Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris), and Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). The fourth film features Angelica (Penélope Cruz), Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Philip Swift (Sam Claflin), and Syrena (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey), and Scrum (Stephen Graham). The fifth film features Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem), Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) and Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) among the aforementioned characters. The films take place in a fictionalized version of the Golden Age of Piracy, and are set primarily in the Caribbean.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: The film series started in 2003 with "", which had a positive reception from audiences and film critics. It grossed US$654 million worldwide. After the first film's success, Walt Disney Pictures announced that a film series was in the works. The franchise's second film, subtitled "", was released in 2006 and broke financial records worldwide the day of its premiere. "Dead Man's Chest" became the top-grossing movie of 2006 with almost US$1.1 billion at the worldwide box office. The third film in the series, subtitled "", followed in 2007 earning US$960 million. Disney released a fourth film, subtitled "", in 2011 in conventional 2D, Digital 3-D and IMAX 3D. "On Stranger Tides" succeeded in also grossing more than $1 billion, becoming the second film in the franchise and only the eighth film in history to do this, at the time of release. A fifth film, subtitled "", was released in 2017.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: The franchise has grossed over $4.5 billion worldwide; it is the 15th-highest-grossing film series of all time, and is the first film franchise to produce two or more movies that grossed over $1 billion.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow to save Turner's love, Elizabeth Swann, from cursed pirates led by Jack's mutinous former first mate, Hector Barbossa. Jack wants revenge against Barbossa, who left him stranded on an island before stealing his ship, the "Black Pearl", along with 882 pieces of cursed Aztec Gold.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company arrests Will and Elizabeth for aiding Captain Jack Sparrow in the previous film. Beckett offers clemency if Will agrees to search for Jack's compass in a bid to find the Dead Man's Chest—and inside, the heart of villainous Davy Jones—which would give Beckett control of the seas. However, Jack wants the Chest to escape from an unpaid debt with Jones, who made Jack captain of the "Black Pearl" for 13 years in exchange for 100 years of service aboard Jones' ship, the "Flying Dutchman". Sparrow's debt is complicated by both Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, who follow him out to sea.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Lord Beckett gains power over Davy Jones and, with the help of the "Flying Dutchman", he is now executing his plans to extinguish piracy forever. To stand against the East India Trading Co., Will, Elizabeth, Barbossa, and the crew of the "Black Pearl" set out to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' Locker. As one of the Nine Pirate Lords, Jack is needed in order to release an ancient goddess with the power to defeat Beckett's forces.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Captain Jack Sparrow is on a quest to find the fabled Fountain of Youth and crosses paths with a former lover, Angelica. She forces Jack aboard the "Queen Anne's Revenge", a ship captained by the infamous pirate Blackbeard, Angelica's father. Both are also in search of the Fountain: Angelica to save her father's soul, Blackbeard to escape a prophecy of his demise at the hands of a one-legged man. Joining the hunt is former pirate captain Barbossa, now a privateer in King George II's Navy, who is in a race against the Spanish for the Fountain of Youth.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: A group of ghostly Spanish Royal Navy soldiers led by Jack Sparrow's old nemesis, Captain Armando Salazar, escape from the Devil's Triangle, with the goal of killing every pirate at sea, including Sparrow. To survive, Sparrow seeks out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact whose owner can control the seas, tides, and aquatic animals, and break curses. The film was released in many countries as "Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge".


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Shortly before the release of "", it was reported that Disney was planning to shoot the fifth and the sixth films back-to-back, although ultimately only the fifth installment was developed. By March 2017, director Joachim Rønning stated that "Dead Men Tell No Tales" was only the beginning of the final adventure, confirming that it would not be the last film of the series. That September, producer Jerry Bruckheimer indicated that another "Pirates of the Caribbean" was still in development.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: In October of the same year, Kaya Scodelario stated that she was contractually signed to return for a sixth film. Shortly after, it was confirmed that Rønning will direct the film. Disney announced that Craig Mazin and Ted Elliott will write Pirates of the Caribbean 6. In May 2020, Bruckheimer commented that the first draft of the screenplay for the sixth film would soon be finished. On April 20, 2022, during his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, Depp stated he was not interested in working on another "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, citing his strained relationship with Disney after they had removed him from the franchise before a verdict was reached in the case.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: A female-led spin-off was announced in June 2020, starring Margot Robbie with Christina Hodson writing the screenplay. The film is separate from the sixth film also being developed. Bruckheimer was attached as producer. In November 2022, Robbie said the project was not going forward. Bruckheimer then shared the following month that the project wasn't officially dead and that a sequel merely took priority.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Serves as a prequel to "", inspired by the auction scene in the Disneyland attraction. Two wenches believe they are both betrothed to Jack Sparrow, but he has secretly traded them to the auctioneer for a fancy hat. They think the auctioneer is raising money for them, when in actuality they are being sold as brides to the highest bidder. "Wedlocked" had several "Pirates" veterans reprise their roles, like Vanessa Branch as Giselle, Lauren Maher as Scarlett, and David Bailie reprising his role as Cotton. The 10 minute short also featured John Vickery as the auctioneer and Dale Dickey as Oona the wench, as well as three pirates—Marquis D’avis, Atencio, and Slurry Gibson—who are named after Marc Davis, Xavier Atencio, and Blaine Gibson, the Imagineers who worked on the original attraction.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: The live-action short was directed by James Ward Byrkit, and was only included as a special feature in the US 15-disc 3D Blu-ray/2D Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy box set that includes the first four films released on October 18, 2011. It was also released in the similar UK five-disc set.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Byrkit conceived the idea for the project while on sets Rick Heinrichs designed for "" (2006) and "" (2007). As the pirate cove sets from the feature films—where the short film takes place—were set to be demolished, the short project was prepped in a matter of days and shot over three days. Byrkit based the short film on the Pirate Code Book as it was a device that could tie into other stories later.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: In the early 1990s screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio conceived a supernatural spin on the pirate genre after completing work on "Aladdin", but there was no interest from any studio. Undeterred, the writing team refused to give up the dream, waiting for a studio to pick up their take on a pirate tale. Disney had Jay Wolpert write a script based on the "Pirates of the Caribbean", which producer Jerry Bruckheimer rejected, feeling it was "a straight pirate movie". Bruckheimer brought Stuart Beattie in to rewrite the script in March 2002, due to his knowledge of piracy, and later that month Elliott and Rossio were brought in. Elliott and Rossio, inspired by the opening narration of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride, decided to give the film a supernatural edge. As the budget rose, Michael Eisner and Robert Iger threatened to cancel the film, though Bruckheimer changed their minds when he showed them concept art and animatics.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: In June 2002, Gore Verbinski signed on to direct "", and Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush signed on the following month to star. Verbinski was attracted to the idea of using modern technology to resurrect a genre, one that had disappeared after the Golden Age of Hollywood, and recalled his childhood memories of the ride, feeling the film was an opportunity to pay tribute to the "scary and funny" tone of it. Depp was attracted to the story as he found it quirky: rather than trying to find treasure, the crew of the "Black Pearl" were trying to return it in order to lift their curse; also, the traditional mutiny had already taken place. Verbinski approached Rush for the role of Barbossa, as he knew he would not play it with attempts at complexity, but with a simple villainy that would suit the story's tone. Orlando Bloom read the script after Rush, with whom he was working on "Ned Kelly", suggested it to him. Keira Knightley came as a surprise to Verbinski: he had not seen her performance in "Bend It Like Beckham" and was impressed by her audition. Tom Wilkinson was negotiated with to play Governor Swann, but the role went to Jonathan Pryce, whom Depp idolized.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Shooting for "The Curse of the Black Pearl" began on October 9, 2002 and wrapped by March 7, 2003. Before its release, many executives and journalists had expected the film to flop, as the pirate genre had not been successful for years, the film was based on a theme-park ride, and Depp rarely made a big film. However, "The Curse of the Black Pearl" became both a critical and commercial success.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: After seeing how well the first film was made, the cast and crew signed for two sequels to be shot back-to-back, a practical decision on Disney's part to allow more time with the same cast and crew. Writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio knew that with an ensemble cast, they weren't free to invent totally different situations and characters, as with the "Indiana Jones" and "James Bond" series, and so had to retroactively turn "The Curse of the Black Pearl" into the first of a trilogy. They wanted to explore the reality of what would happen after Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann's embrace at the end of the first film, and initially considered the Fountain of Youth as the plot device. They settled on introducing Davy Jones, the "Flying Dutchman" and the Kraken, a mythology mentioned twice in the first film. They introduced a fictionalized East India Trading Company as the primary antagonists (being only mentioned in the first film), which for them represented a counterpoint to the personal freedom represented by pirates.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Filming for the sequels began on February 28, 2005, with "" finishing on March 1, 2006, and "" on January 10, 2007. The second film was also the first Disney theatrical feature film with the computer-generated Walt Disney Pictures logo.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Rossio and Elliot discovered the novel "On Stranger Tides" during production of "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End" and decided to use it as the basis for a fourth film. As Gore Verbinski was unavailable, Bruckheimer invited Rob Marshall to direct the film. Elliott and Rossio decided to do a stand-alone film, with a story that would support new characters, and incorporate elements from the novel, such as Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, the Fountain of Youth and mermaids—the latter two having been already alluded to in the previous films. Depp, Rush, Kevin McNally, Greg Ellis, Damian O'Hare returned to their roles, and the cast saw the additions of Ian McShane as Blackbeard and Penélope Cruz as Angelica, Blackbeard's daughter and Jack Sparrow's love interest. A further addition was Richard Griffiths as King George II of Great Britain. After the costly production of two simultaneous films, Disney tried to scale down the fourth installment, giving a lower budget, which led to cheaper locations and fewer scenes with special effects. However, with a budget of $378.5 million, "On Stranger Tides" holds the record for most expensive film ever made.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Filming for "" began on June 14, and ended on November 19, 2010. It was also filmed in 3D, with cameras similar to the ones used in "Avatar".


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Terry Rossio was confirmed to write the screenplay for the fifth installment in January 2011, without his co-writer Ted Elliott. Jeff Nathanson signed on to write the script for the film in January 2013. Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg were selected to direct on May 29 the same year. The film's title of the fifth film would be "", alluding to the line well known from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme-park attraction. The film was given an alternative title, "Salazar's Revenge", in selected European, South American, and Asian countries for marketing purposes. They confirmed their involvement, and praised Jeff Nathanson's "funny and touching" script, also being inspired by the . Disney pushed back the film's initial 2015 release, with sources indicating that a Summer 2016 release was likely. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed that script issues were behind the delay and that Jeff Nathanson was at work on a second attempt based on a well-received outline.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: A spokesman for the Australian Arts Minister confirmed that the fifth installment was set to shoot in Australia after the government agreed to repurpose $20 million of tax incentives originally intended for the remake of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". Disney and Ian Walker the Queensland Arts Minister, confirmed in October 2014, that filming was expected to start in February 2015, and that it would take place exclusively in Australia, as the largest production to ever shoot in the country. Village Roadshow Studios and Port Douglas were officially confirmed as filming locations. Production began in Australia on February 17, 2015, and wrapped on July 9.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: While Disney originally announced a release date for July 7, 2017, "Dead Men Tell No Tales" was released on May 26, 2017.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: The "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series was successful at the box office, with each film grossing over $650 million, and all but "Dead Men Tell No Tales" at some point ranking among the fifty highest-grossing films of all time. It also became the first ever series to have multiple films passing the billion dollar mark in box office revenues with "Dead Man's Chest" and "On Stranger Tides", since followed by other film franchises.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: "The Curse of the Black Pearl" was the third-highest-grossing 2003 film in North America (behind "" and "Finding Nemo") and fourth worldwide (behind "The Return of the King", "Finding Nemo" and "The Matrix Reloaded"). "Dead Man's Chest" was the most successful film of 2006 worldwide, and "At World's End" led the worldwide grosses in 2007, though being only fourth in North America (behind "Spider-Man 3", "Shrek the Third" and "Transformers"). "On Stranger Tides" was the third-highest-grossing film of 2011 worldwide (behind "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" and "") and the fifth in North America. The first three sequels broke box office records upon release, of which the most notable are the opening-weekend record in North America ("Dead Man's Chest"), the Memorial-Day weekend record in North America ("At World's End") and the opening-weekend record outside North America ("On Stranger Tides").


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: The series is noted for its high quality of acting talent. The visual and practical effects are considered some of the best ever done on film, so much so that audiences believed certain CGI elements of the films were real and done practically. However, the plots of the four sequels have received mixed reviews, with the general consensus that they are too bloated and convoluted to follow. "Pirates of the Caribbean" is noted for reinvigorating the pirate film genre after decades of either no pirate films or failed pirate films. The success of the series saw Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer try to replicate the franchise's success by releasing films such as "", "John Carter" and "The Lone Ranger", the latter of which was directed by Gore Verbinski. None of them were able to achieve critical or financial success.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Together, the first three films were nominated for a total of 11 Academy Awards, of which a single award was won.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Together, all the four films were nominated for a total of 2 Golden Globe Awards, of which neither were won.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Together, all the first three films were nominated for a total of 13 MTV Movie Awards, of which 4 were won.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)

text: Together, the first four films were nominated for a total of 32 Teen Choice Awards, of which 17 were won.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo"', is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series "In Living Color", where she remained a regular until she decided to pursue an acting career in 1993. For her first leading role in "Selena" (1997), she became the first Hispanic actress to earn over US$1 million for a film. She went on to star in "Anaconda" (1997) and "Out of Sight" (1998), and established herself as the highest-paid Hispanic actress in Hollywood.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez ventured into the music industry with her debut studio album "On the 6" (1999), which helped propel the Latin pop movement in American music, and later starred in the psychological horror "The Cell" (2000). With the simultaneous release of her second studio album "J.Lo" and her romantic comedy "The Wedding Planner" in 2001, she became the first woman to have a number-one album and film in the same week. Her 2002 release, "J to tha L–O! The Remixes", became the first remix album in history to debut atop the US "Billboard" 200. Later that year, she released her third studio album, "This Is Me... Then" and starred in the film "Maid in Manhattan".


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: After starring in "Gigli" (2003), a critical and commercial failure, Lopez starred in the successful romantic comedies "Shall We Dance?" (2004) and "Monster-in-Law" (2005). Her fifth studio album, "Como Ama una Mujer" (2007), had the highest first week sales for a debut Spanish album in the United States. Following a relatively unsuccessful period, she returned to prominence in 2011 with her appearance as a judge on "American Idol" and released her seventh studio album, "Love?". From 2016 to 2018, she starred in the police drama series "Shades of Blue" and performed a residency show, , at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas. She also produced and served as a judge on "World of Dance" (2017–2020). In 2019, she garnered critical acclaim for her performance as a stripper in the crime drama "Hustlers".


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez is considered a pop culture icon, and is often described as a triple threat entertainer. With a cumulative film gross of US$3.1 billion and estimated global sales of 80 million records, she is considered the most influential Hispanic entertainer in North America. In 2012, "Forbes" ranked her the world's most powerful celebrity, and the 38th most powerful woman in the world. "Time" listed her among their 100 most influential people in the world in 2018. Her most successful singles on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 include "If You Had My Love", "I'm Real", "Ain't It Funny", "All I Have" and "On the Floor". For her contributions to the recording industry, she has a landmark star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and has received the "Billboard" Icon Award and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, among other honors. Her other ventures include beauty and clothing lines, fragrances, a production company and a charitable foundation.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born on 24 July 1969 in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, and raised in its Castle Hill neighborhood. Her parents, David López and Guadalupe Rodríguez, were born in Puerto Rico and moved to the U.S. mainland as children. After serving in the army, David worked as a computer technician at Guardian Insurance Company. Guadalupe was a homemaker for the first ten years of Lopez's life and later worked as a Tupperware salesperson and a kindergarten and gym teacher. They divorced in the 1990s after 33 years of marriage.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez is a middle child; she has an older sister, Leslie, and a younger sister, Lynda. The three shared a bedroom. Lopez has described her upbringing as "strict". She was raised in a Roman Catholic family; she attended Mass every Sunday and received a Catholic education, attending Holy Family School and the all-girls Preston High School. In school, Lopez ran track on a national level, participated in gymnastics and was on the softball team. She danced in school musicals and played a lead role in a production of "Godspell".


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: There was "lots of music" in the typically Puerto Rican household, and Lopez and her sisters were encouraged to sing, dance and create their own plays for family events. "West Side Story" made a particular impression on the young Lopez and she wanted to be an entertainer from an early age. At the age of five, she began taking dance lessons at Ballet Hispánico on the Upper West Side. As a teenager, she learned flamenco, jazz and ballet at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and taught dance to younger students, including Kerry Washington. After graduating from high school, she had a part-time secretarial job at a law firm and studied business at New York's Baruch College for one semester. Lopez made her acting debut at age 16 with a small role in the 1986 film "My Little Girl". At age 18, she enrolled as a full-time student at Manhattan's Phil Black Dance Studio, where she had already taken night classes in jazz and tap dance. Her parents were unhappy with her decision to leave college to pursue a dance career. Her mother asked her to move out of the family home and they stopped speaking for eight months. Lopez moved to Manhattan, sleeping in the dance studio's office for the first few months.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez's first professional job came in 1989 when she spent five months touring Europe with the musical revue show "Golden Musicals of Broadway". She was the only member of the chorus not to have a solo and later characterized it as a pivotal moment where she realized the importance of a "tough skin" in the entertainment business. In 1990, she danced alongside MC Hammer in an episode of "Yo! MTV Raps" and traveled around Japan for four months as a chorus member in "Synchronicity". When she returned to the United States, she was hired as a backup dancer for New Kids on the Block's performance of "Games" at the 1991 American Music Awards. She also traveled around America with regional productions of the musicals "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Oklahoma!" During this period, Lopez also danced in music videos including Doug E. Fresh's "Summertime", Richard Rogers' "Can't Stop Loving You", EPMD's "Rampage" and Samantha Fox's "(Hurt Me! Hurt Me!) But the Pants Stay On".


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez's most high-profile job as a professional dancer was as a Fly Girl jazz-funk dancer on the sketch comedy television series "In Living Color", which starred comedians including Jamie Foxx and Jim Carrey. At the New York audition, the show's choreographer, Rosie Perez, noticed that Lopez had "star quality" and "did not complain, not once" when asked to repeatedly perform the dance routine. Lopez moved to Los Angeles in late 1991 for the job; she filmed "In Living Color" during the day and attended acting classes taught by Aaron Speiser at night. The head of Virgin Records considered signing The Fly Girls as a girl group to rival the Spice Girls, but the deal fell apart. After appearing as a Fly Girl in seasons three and four of "In Living Color", Lopez left to work as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, and appeared in the music video for "That's the Way Love Goes". She was scheduled to tour with Jackson on her Janet World Tour in late 1993 but opted to pursue an acting career instead.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez's first professional acting job was a small recurring role on the television show "South Central" (1994). She was invited to audition for the pilot by a casting director who had seen her speak to camera during a behind-the-scenes "In Living Color" segment. Lopez then acquired an agent and was cast in the CBS show "Second Chances" and its spin-off "Hotel Malibu". She appeared in the direct-to-video drama film "Lost in the Wild" (1993). For her first major movie role, in Gregory Nava's 1995 drama "Mi Familia", Lopez received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress. Lopez then starred in the action comedy "Money Train" (1995). Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" said she "mostly holds her own" with co-stars Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson, while Stephen Holden of "The New York Times" praised her "scene-stealing charm". In 1996, Lopez had a supporting role opposite Robin Williams in the comedy "Jack". She next starred opposite Jack Nicholson in the neo-noir thriller "Blood and Wine" (1997). David Rooney of "Variety" felt Lopez delivered in "juggling" the "smoldering and soulful sides" of the character but Lisa Schwarzbaum of "Entertainment Weekly" said she was "used as a place marker rather than as a real girl."


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: With her casting as the singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in the biopic "Selena" (1997), Lopez became the first Latina actress to earn $1 million; afterward she received her first Golden Globe nomination. She was excited by the rare opportunity to "actually star" in a movie "in the title role" but expressed disappointment that other Latina actors were not being afforded the same opportunities. Despite having previously worked with the film's director on "Mi Familia", Lopez participated in an intense auditioning process and spent time with the late singer's family in Corpus Christi, Texas before filming began. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times described it as "a star-making performance" and particularly enjoyed the onstage scenes: "She has the star presence to look convincing in front of 100,000 fans." Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" praised the "incandescent" performance. Over the years, many have considered her performance worthy of a nomination at the Academy Awards: "I felt she not only should have been nominated, but she should have won an Oscar for that part," director and writer Gregory Nava has said. Nava felt so strongly about Lopez's performance he approached the heads of Warner Bros., at the time, and asked for an Academy campaign. He remembers they said, "she deserves it, but the Academy will never nominate her. They'll never nominate a Latina." Later in 1997, Lopez starred opposite Ice Cube in the horror film "Anaconda". While Joe Leydon of "Variety" found "Anaconda" "silly", he said the film deserved "a little credit" for being "the first movie of its kind to have a Latina and an African-American" as its stars. In the crime film "U Turn" (1997), Lopez appeared topless in a sex scene that was added by director Oliver Stone during filming. Speaking in 2003, Lopez said it was not something "I would have chosen to do" and that she and Stone fought over it: "It's hard being the only woman on a set ... But it actually worked in the movie ... This woman, Grace, had become a piece of flesh almost. Her body wasn't her own."


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez starred opposite George Clooney in the crime caper "Out of Sight" (1998), Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name. Cast as a deputy federal marshal who falls for a charming criminal, Lopez won rave reviews for her performance. Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" described it as her "best movie role thus far, and she brings it both seductiveness and grit; if it was hard to imagine a hard-working, pistol-packing bombshell on the page, it couldn't be easier here." Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" described Lopez as "an actress who can be convincingly tough and devastatingly erotic" and said the film solidified "her position as a woman you can confidently build a film around." Her costar George Clooney noted of her performance, in November 2020: "Every actress in town read for that part, and part of it was that she had to be sexy, but you also had to believe that she could shoot you and kill you. And Jennifer had all of that. You know, you believe every minute when she picked up a gun, she might pull the trigger and blow your head off, and she was really good. She was wonderful in the film, and it’s funny because she’s had an amazing career, and gone on to do so many things, and sort of be an all-around entertainer, but I think if you look back, that’s a performance. That really stands out for her." Also in 1998, Lopez provided the voice of Azteca in the animated film "Antz".


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez launched a music career in 1999 because, after "Selena", she had missed "the excitement of the stage" and was "really feeling [her] Latin roots". Lopez's new manager Benny Medina sought to position her as "a brand name that will cross over into all media." Lopez recorded a Spanish-language demo for circulation among prospective labels. Tommy Mottola, the head of Sony Music's Work Group, signed her but suggested that she sing in English instead. Her debut album "On the 6", named after the 6 Subway line which connected her childhood home in the Bronx to Manhattan, was filled with what Ed Morales of the "Los Angeles Times" described as "state-of-the-art dance pop ... even if Lopez's vocals are largely anonymous." The album was a success and Lopez's debut single, "If You Had My Love", topped the "Billboard" Hot 100, with another single, "Waiting for Tonight", reaching number eight. In 2000, Lopez and then-boyfriend Sean Combs attended the Grammy Awards, with Lopez wearing a plunging green Versace silk chiffon dress. The dress generated worldwide attention and became the most popular search query in Google's history, leading to the creation of Google Images. Lopez returned to the big screen in 2000, starring in the psychological thriller "The Cell". David Edelstein of "Slate" remarked that the "imperious" Lopez was "trying to look waifishly expectant" while Amy Taubin of "The Village Voice" noted that she appeared to be engaged "in some kind of pouting competition" "in lieu of acting."


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez became the first woman to have a number one film and album simultaneously when, in early 2001, the romantic comedy "The Wedding Planner", co-starring Matthew McConaughey, and her sophomore album "J.Lo" were released in the same week. In a review of "The Wedding Planner", Bob Graham of the "San Francisco Chronicle" remarked that, while there was "no doubt of Lopez's screen poise or acting chops", she should choose comedic projects with "more bite." Jessica Winter of "The Village Voice" found her "bewilderingly miscast" as a "buttoned down, celibate" woman, writing that the movie "achieves the dubious but perversely impressive feat, for its 90-minute duration, of neutering Jennifer Lopez." The album "J.Lo" received mixed reviews. Jon Pareles of "Rolling Stone" was unimpressed by her "merely adequate, studio-assisted voice": "While dance pop doesn't necessarily demand great singers, Lopez is just scraping by." "J.Lo" ultimately became the best-selling release of her career, and included the singles "Love Don't Cost a Thing" and "I'm Real", the latter of which reached number one in the US. In other 2001 work, Lopez launched her first business venture, the clothing line J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez, and starred opposite Jim Caviezel in the romantic drama "Angel Eyes". Lopez's performance was well-reviewed, with Mick LaSalle of the "San Francisco Chronicle" describing her as "an actress who can do things other movie stars can't do. She doesn't push, just thinks, and her thoughts and emotions burn into the film."


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: The romantic comedy "Maid in Manhattan" (2002), in which Lopez starred opposite Ralph Fiennes, became the highest-grossing film of her career. Reviewing "Maid in Manhattan", A. O. Scott of "The New York Times" enjoyed Lopez as a romantic lead and said "her greatest skill as an actress -- and the key to her brain-addling sexiness -- may be her ability to melt without cracking the hard shell of composure she wears." She starred as an abused wife seeking revenge in the thriller "Enough". An overworked Lopez suffered a nervous breakdown in 2001 while filming it. Upon its release in 2002, Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" was unimpressed by the "tacky material" and was surprised to see "an actress like Jennifer Lopez" involved with the project. Nathan Rabin of "The A.V. Club" said "the film's idiocy works for Lopez: Every diva needs at least one camp classic on her résumé".


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez released two albums in 2002. The first was a remix album, "J to tha L–O! The Remixes", featuring rappers Ja Rule, 50 Cent, Fat Joe and P Diddy. It debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200, with its lead single Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" reaching the top of the "Billboard" Hot 100. Lopez's third studio album, "This Is Me... Then", was released in late 2002. Jon Caramanica of "The Village Voice" was unimpressed by her studio-enhanced vocals and expressed bemusement as to how the "mega-millionaire Bronx-expat public-fantasy bombshell" was "making the least interesting music on the pop charts today." Despite having the highest opening sales of Lopez's career, the album charted at number six on the "Billboard" 200. The album's lead single "Jenny from the Block", peaked at number three on the "Billboard" Hot 100 while its second single, "All I Have", reached number one. In 2002 business ventures, Lopez opened Madre's, a Los Angeles restaurant serving Latin cuisine, and released her first fragrance, Glow by JLo. It became the top-selling fragrance in the US, and Lopez has since released over 18 fragrances as part of a licensing deal with Coty.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez became the subject of widespread media criticism in 2003 due to her public relationship with Affleck and the tabloid depiction of her as a demanding diva. Her perceived diva behavior and relationship with Affleck was also parodied on "South Park" in the episode "Fat Butt and Pancake Head". "The Guardian" published an article exploring her "bilious" media coverage, with journalist Lawrence Donegan positing that "indefensible" misogyny and racism were to blame for her position as "the most vilified woman in modern popular culture". Lopez fired both her personal manager Benny Medina and her publicist in mid-2003; "The New York Times" reported that movie executives had become frustrated by having their communications with Lopez "largely filtered" through Medina. She became the face of Louis Vuitton's fall–winter advertising campaign and starred opposite Affleck in the romantic comedy "Gigli" (2003). The film was a box-office bomb and is considered one of the worst films of all time. Rex Reed of "The Observer" criticized the lead actors, writing that the film reminds the world how "pathetically incompetent they both are in the only two things that matter in career longevity - craft and talent." Roger Ebert agreed that the movie "doesn't quite work", but instead considered Lopez and Affleck "appealing in their performances" and that they "have chemistry" together. Lopez had a minor role opposite Affleck in the film "Jersey Girl" (2004). Following test audiences' negative reactions to the onscreen couple, Lopez's screen time was halved. Lopez later described this as the lowest point of her career and admitted she felt "eviscerated" by the media coverage surrounding "Gigli": "I lost my sense of self, questioned if I belonged in this business, thought maybe I did suck at everything. And my relationship self-destructed in front of the entire world. It was a two-year thing for me until I picked myself up again." Later in 2004, Lopez launched her second fashion label, Sweetface, and starred opposite Richard Gere in the romantic comedy-drama "Shall We Dance?", which was a box-office success.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: The marketing for the romantic comedy "Monster-in-Law" (2005), in which Lopez starred opposite Jane Fonda, played up her ""Gigli"-and-tabloid tarnished image", and it became a box office success. She released her fourth studio album, "Rebirth", in early 2005. It was recorded during a period where Lopez felt "a little bit lost, trying to get my footing in a new life": "I had just gotten married [to singer Marc Anthony] ... I wasn't with Benny [Medina]." Alexis Petridis of "The Guardian" remarked that the album title "suggests even Lopez has realised that something is amiss with her career ... Despite the highlights, you're still left pondering the question: what happened to Jennifer Lopez?" While the album reached number two on the "Billboard" 200 and its lead single "Get Right" charted at number twelve on the "Billboard" Hot 100, the second and final single "Hold You Down" peaked at number 64. She returned the "Billboard" Hot 100 the following year, at number four, when she was a featured artist on "Control Myself", the lead single from LL Cool J's twelfth studio album.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez's next three movie projects were box office failures. She starred alongside Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman in the drama "An Unfinished Life" (2005). Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" predicted that the typical review would be unkind: "It will have no respect for Jennifer Lopez, because she is going through a period right now when nobody is satisfied with anything she does ... Give Lopez your permission to be good again; she is the same actress now as when we thought her so new and fine." In 2006, she reunited with Gregory Nava, the director of both "Mi Familia" and "Selena", to star in the crime drama "Bordertown" as a journalist investigating female homicides in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. The film was negatively reviewed and received a direct-to-video release. David D'Arcy of "Screen Daily" found Lopez "unconvincing" as a journalist. In 2007, she starred opposite her then-husband Marc Anthony in the music biopic "El Cantante", which told the story of Puerto Rican salsa singer Héctor Lavoe and his wife Puchi. Lopez later expressed particular pride in her work in it and it is also the first movie she produced. Even though "El Cantante" did not perform well at the overall box office, it is still the twenty-eighth highest-grossing musical biopic of all time. The film received mixed reviews from film critics. Mick LaSalle of the "San Francisco Chronicle" considered it her "most mannered, least relaxed and least convincing performance to date". A.O. Scott of "The New York Times" praised Lopez's performance, noting that it had "a lot of fight" with "a hard, skeptical edge" that made Puchi "a more interesting and plausible character than her husband". Lopez received a Premios Juventud nomination for Best Actress for her performance.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez released two studio albums in 2007. Her fifth album, "Como Ama una Mujer", was her first to be recorded entirely in Spanish. Chris Willman of "Entertainment Weekly" acknowledged that the album offered "fairly persuasive proof" that Lopez can sing, but was unimpressed by the "flaccid torch songs." It reached number 10 on the "Billboard" 200; the lead single "Qué Hiciste" reached number 86 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 while the second single "Me Haces Falta" failed to chart. Lopez's sixth studio album "Brave", released later that year, was her lowest-charting album worldwide. Jonathan Bernstein of "Entertainment Weekly" was disappointed that Lopez had returned to "listless vocals" for her "back-to-the-dance-floor album." The album debuted at number 12 on the "Billboard" 200 and produced two singles, "Do It Well" and "Hold It Don't Drop It". The first peaked at number 31 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, while the latter failed to chart. While pregnant with twins, Lopez embarked upon her first ever concert tour, a show co-headlined by Anthony, in September 2007. She also created, produced and was featured in the MTV show "DanceLife".


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: After giving birth to twins in February 2008, Lopez took a career break. Her restaurant Madre's closed permanently, as did her two fashion lines. After rehiring former manager Medina, Lopez released two songs in late 2009, "Louboutins" and "Fresh Out of the Oven". The songs were intended for her seventh studio album but failed to make an appearance on the "Billboard" charts, leading to her departure from Sony Music and Epic Records. Lopez's first theatrical role in three years was in the romantic comedy "The Back-up Plan" (2010). Manohla Dargis of "The New York Times" was unimpressed by the movie and described Lopez as "an appealing screen presence with a disappointing big-screen track record. That's probably not all her fault: romantic roles for women often are the provenance of the bland or the blonde."


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: A "big turning point" in Lopez's career came in 2011, when she joined the judging panel of the singing competition series "American Idol". She accepted the job at a time when she was "not getting offered a whole bunch of movies" and the show returned her to prominence. Hannah Elliot of "Forbes" described it as "a remarkable comeback": ""Idol" humanized her. Viewers who knew only an attention-grabbing siren met a hardworking, self-made, empathetic single mother, who got emotional when contestants did well and when they failed." She returned as a judge for the eleventh season, earning a reported $20 million, and again for the thirteenth season, earning a reported $17.5 million. She became a brand ambassador for L'Oréal, Venus and Fiat, and launched the Jennifer Lopez Collection, a clothing and homeware line with Tommy Hilfiger for Kohl's.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: After signing a new recording contract with Island Records, Lopez's seventh studio album, "Love?", was released in early 2011. While the album itself was a moderate commercial success, the single "On the Floor" was one of the year's most successful songs. It reached number three on the "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming her highest-charting single as a lead artist since "All I Have". Lopez's greatest hits album, "Dance Again... the Hits", was released in mid-2012 to fulfil her contractual obligations with her former label Epic Records. Lopez, who was divorcing Anthony and navigating the "breakup of a family", felt as if the album's sole single, "Dance Again", had come to her at the "perfect moment". "Dance Again" reached number 17 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100. Lopez launched the Dance Again World Tour, her first headlining concert tour, in mid-2012. It grossed over $1 million per show. Also that year, she launched Teeology, a luxury T-shirt brand.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez returned to the big screen in 2012, starring alongside an ensemble cast in the film "What to Expect When You're Expecting", which is based on the novel of the same name. Lopez voiced Shira, a saber tooth tiger, in the animated film, "", the fourth film in the "Ice Age" franchise. Also in 2012, a talent show, "¡Q'Viva! The Chosen" followed Lopez, Anthony, and director-choreographer Jamie King as they travelled across 21 countries in Latin America to find new talent for a Las Vegas show. In 2013, Lopez starred alongside Jason Statham in the crime thriller "Parker", in which she played Leslie. Her performance earned positive reviews, with "Chicago Tribune" commending the role for giving Lopez "an opportunity to be dramatic, romantic, funny, depressed, euphoric and violent. The audience stays with her all the way". Lopez became the chief creative officer of nuvoTV and founded the mobile phone retail brand Viva Móvil. She was an executive producer of the television series "The Fosters".


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez's eighth studio album, "A.K.A.", was released in mid-2014 through Capitol Records, experiencing lacklustre sales. The album produced three singles: "I Luh Ya Papi", featuring French Montana, "First Love", and "Booty", featuring Iggy Azalea. They reached 77, 87 and 18 respectively on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Also that year, Lopez released "We Are One (Ole Ola)", the official song for the 2014 FIFA World Cup along with Pitbull and Claudia Leitte. Lopez partnered with Endless Jewelry on a range of jewelry and released a book, "True Love", which became a "New York Times" best-seller.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: 2015 saw the release of "The Boy Next Door", an erotic thriller that Lopez both co-produced and starred in as a high school teacher who becomes involved with a student, which eventually leads to his dangerous obsession with her. The film received negative reviews from critics. Despite this, it became her most successful opening at the box office for a live action film since "Monster-in-Law". Lopez had a voice role in the animated feature "Home" and contributed the single "Feel the Light" to the film's official soundtrack. Lopez also starred in the independent drama film "Lila & Eve", alongside Viola Davis.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: From 2016 to 2018, Lopez had a residency concert show, All I Have, at Planet Hollywood's Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. She performed 120 shows during the three-year run, grossing over $100 million in ticket sales. At the beginning of the residency, Lopez signed a multi-album deal with her former label Epic Records but, instead of an album, she opted to release standalone singles including "Ain't Your Mama", "Ni Tú Ni Yo","Amor, Amor, Amor", "El Anillo" and "Dinero", featuring DJ Khaled and Cardi B. The highest charting of these were "Ain't Your Mama" and "Dinero", reaching 76 and 80 respectively on the "Billboard" Hot 100, while the former's music video received over 800 million views on YouTube. In collaboration with Giuseppe Zanotti, Lopez designed a capsule collection of shoes and jewelry and, with Inglot Cosmetics, launched a limited-edition makeup collection.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: From 2016 to 2018, Lopez produced and starred in NBC's crime drama series "Shades of Blue" as Detective Harlee Santos, a single mother and police detective in New York City who goes undercover for the FBI to investigate her own squad. Starring alongside the great Ray Liotta, Lopez's performance received positive reviews. Lopez was executive producer and judge on NBC's successful series "World of Dance". Lopez reprised her voice role as Shira in the animated film "" (2016).


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: In 2018, Lopez was named one of "Time"s 100 most influential people in the world, and starred in the comedy film "Second Act", directed by Peter Segal; she also produced the film, and recorded the single "Limitless" for its soundtrack. "Second Act" earned mixed reviews from critics, but performed well at the box office, grossing $72.3 million during its theatrical run.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez starred in the film "Hustlers" (2019), for which she also served as an executive producer, and which grossed over US$100 million in North American box office receipts alone. Directed by Lorene Scafaria, the film is inspired by a true story, following a group of Manhattan strippers who con wealthy men. Lopez's portrayal of a veteran stripper in "Hustlers" garnered acclaim from critics, with some deeming it the best performance of her acting career. The film also gave Lopez her highest opening weekend at the box office for a live action film (grossing $33.2 million), and garnered her nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics' Choice Movie Awards and Independent Spirit Awards, but snubbed of a nomination at the Academy Awards. The success of "Hustlers" has been regarded by various media outlets as a comeback as an actress for Lopez. She was announced as the global face of the Coach brand and launched a collection of sunglasses with the brand Quay Australia. Also in September 2019, Lopez modeled an updated version of her Green Versace dress at Milan Fashion Week; her appearance generated $31.8 million in total media impact value. She also became executive producer of the two television series, "Good Trouble" and "Thanks a Million".


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: In 2019, Lopez embarked on an international concert tour, It's My Party, to celebrate her 50th birthday; the tour grossed an estimated $54.7 million from thirty-eight shows. In February 2020, Lopez co-headlined the Super Bowl LIV halftime show in Miami, Florida alongside Shakira; the performance included an appearance by her child Emme Muñiz. The performance was widely praised and is currently the most-watched Super Bowl LIV halftime show to date. In January 2021, she performed at the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., where she sang "This Land Is Your Land" and "America the Beautiful", while also reciting the last phrase of the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish. She also released a number of singles between 2019 and 2021, including: "Medicine" featuring French Montana, "Pa' Ti + Lonely" with Maluma and "Cambia el Paso" with Rauw Alejandro. In January 2021, Lopez launched her skincare line, JLo Beauty.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: In mid-2021, Lopez signed a multi-year deal with Netflix to produce a range of films and television shows through Nuyorican Productions. Lopez starred opposite Owen Wilson and Maluma in the romantic comedy "Marry Me", which was filmed in late 2019 and released in February 2022. The film grossed over $50 million at the box office while becoming the most-streamed day-and-date film on Peacock, and received generally mixed reviews from critics. Lopez also released a soundtrack for the movie, which generated the singles "On My Way" and "Marry Me". In late March 2022, she did a live performance of On My Way and Get Right alongside Grammy and Tony winner Billy Porter and some of the queens from RuPaul's Drag Race, in connection to her receiving the Icon Award at 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Her next project was the documentary "" (2022), which focuses on Lopez's life following the release of "Hustlers" and in preparation for her 2020 Super Bowl performance. "Halftime" garnered positive reviews from film critics.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: In October 2022, Jimmy Fallon and Lopez released a children's book, "Con Pollo: A Bilingual Playtime Adventure", which became a "New York Times" best-seller. The action-comedy "Shotgun Wedding", a movie that was filmed from February to April 2021 in the Dominican Republic, and in which she stars opposite Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Coolidge, is scheduled to release directly on Amazon Prime Video on January 27, 2023. In October 2021 and March 2022, Lopez was on location in Canada and Gran Canaria for the action feature "The Mother", directed by Niki Caro, and which is scheduled to be released on Netflix in May 2023. Lopez filmed the sci-fi thriller "Atlas" from September to November 2022. She has several projects in the works as a producer, and a forthcoming studio album called "This Is Me... Now" scheduled to be released in 2023.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez was in a nearly decade-long relationship with David Cruz, her high school boyfriend, until the mid-1990s. She would later say of Cruz, "You get lucky, you have a first love like that." She was married to Cuban waiter Ojani Noa from February 1997 to January 1998. In subsequent court cases, Noa was prevented from publishing a book about their marriage and from using private honeymoon footage of Lopez in a documentary. Lopez was in an on–off relationship with record producer and rapper Sean Combs (then known as "Puff Daddy") from 1999 to early 2001. On the night of December 27, 1999, Lopez and Combs were arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon and possession of stolen property, after leaving the scene of a shooting at a Times Square nightclub. Charges against Lopez were dropped within an hour while Combs was acquitted of all charges at trial in early 2001. They broke up shortly thereafter. Lopez later said that, while she had "cared very much" about Combs, their "crazy, tumultuous" relationship "was always something I knew would end." She was married to Cris Judd, her former backup dancer, from September 2001 to June 2002.


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: After divorcing Judd, Lopez was in a relationship with actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck from mid-2002 to early 2004. Although they had crossed paths several times before (most notably at the 70th Academy Awards and at the premiere of "Armageddon", both in 1998), the first major meeting was on the set of "Gigli" (2003) in December 2001. They later worked together on the music video for "Jenny from the Block" and the film "Jersey Girl" (2004). Her album "This Is Me... Then" was dedicated to and inspired by Affleck. Their relationship was extensively publicized. Tabloids referred to the couple as "Bennifer", a portmanteau "Vanity Fair" described as "the first of that sort of tabloid branding". They became engaged in November 2002, but their planned wedding on September 14, 2003, was postponed with four days' notice because of "excessive media attention". They ended their engagement in January 2004. Years later, Lopez said Affleck's discomfort with media scrutiny was one reason for their split and described it as her "first real heartbreak": "I think different time, different thing, who knows what could've happened, but there was a genuine love there."


title: Jennifer Lopez

text: Lopez was married to singer Marc Anthony from June 2004 to June 2014; they had previously worked together and dated for a few months in the late 1990s. Their wedding took place five months after the end of her relationship with Affleck; she later described it as "a Band-Aid on the cut" and recalled a "rocky start" to the marriage. During their marriage, they collaborated on music and performed together, as well as co-starring in "El Cantante" (2006). Lopez gave birth to fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, on Long Island in February 2008. "People" paid a reported US$6 million for the first photographs of the twins, making them the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken at the time. In 2009, Anthony and Lopez purchased a stake in the Miami Dolphins. The couple announced their separation in July 2011. Anthony filed for divorce in April 2012 and it was finalized in June 2014. Lopez retained primary physical custody of the two children. Lopez occasionally performs with her daughter.