As part of Black History Month, which kicks off today, Disneyland has installed a new preshow in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln honoring abolition activist and former slave Frederick Douglass. The icon’s relationship with President Lincoln was tenuous at first, although he grew to respect the now-iconic president as the Civil War progressed.
You can watch the new preshow above, or keep reading for context.
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 1 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 1](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_1.jpg)
The new preshow is advertised prominently at the attraction entrance. The video was developed in partnership with National Geographic.
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 2 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 2](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_2-1200x675.jpg)
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The preshow opens with a chorus singing a spiritual from the slave era “Wade in the Water” before a speech by Douglass late in his life referencing Lincoln’s role in abolition is read aloud.
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 4 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 4](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_4-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 5 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 5](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_5-1200x675.jpg)
Douglass was born into slavery in the South before escaping and becoming a figure of abolition from the northern United States. He dedicated his life and legacy to abolishing the practice of slavery and ensuring equality for all under the law, particularly African-Americans.
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 6 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 6](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_6-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 7 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 7](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_7-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 8 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 8](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_8-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 9 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 9](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_9-1200x675.jpg)
Douglass and Lincoln had a tense relationship at first, but found common ground and came to respect each other greatly as the war dragged on. Dramatized readings of speech excerpts from both are heard throughout the 11-minute show to accent the story, primarily from Douglass. He’s said to be one of the greatest orators in American history, captivating audiences nationwide and helping to dispel the belief that black people were incapable of literacy.
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 10 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 10](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_10-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 11 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 11](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_11-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 12 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 12](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_12-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 13 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 13](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_13-1200x675.jpg)
Photos from throughout Douglass’ life tell the story of his escape from slavery and his journey to becoming first a figure for abolition, then politically active for African-American equal rights during Reconstruction. Douglass was an avid believer in photography to document injustices, as he believed that the camera could not obfuscate the truth the same way a portrait or drawing easily could.
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 14 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 14](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_14-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 15 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 16](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_16-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 16 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 17](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_17-1200x675.jpg)
His work was not in vain as we know, as the 13th and 14th Amendments did pass, outlawing slavery except as punishment, and granting all African-Americans citizenship. Douglass then turned his attention to the burgeoning inequalities in the south, which eventually became discriminatory Jim Crow laws and other tactics employed to keep black people segregated.
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 17 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 18](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_18-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 18 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 19](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_19-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 19 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 20](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_20-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 20 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 21](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_21-1200x675.jpg)
Interviews from historians as well as the third great grandson of Frederick Douglass supplement the story, helping to give historical context and tell stories related to the speech excerpts heard in the video.
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 21 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 22](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_22-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 22 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 23](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_23-1200x675.jpg)
His legacy lives on today, with his story and beliefs inspiring great minds from Elizabeth Cady Stanton to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to former President Barack Obama.
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 23 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 24](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_24-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 24 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 25](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_25-1200x675.jpg)
And of course, the segment on creating Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln featuring Walt Disney is still part of the preshow.
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 25 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 26](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_26-1200x675.jpg)
![PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Preshow Honoring Frederick Douglass Begins at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland 26 GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow 27](https://media.wdwnt.com/2023/02/GreatMomentswithMrLincolnFrederickDouglassPreshow_27-1200x675.jpg)
The new segment is set to continue in the show beyond Black History Month, honoring Douglass’ legacy alongside our nation’s greatest President in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Are you excited to see this new preshow honoring Frederick Douglass? Let us know in the comments below!
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Absolutely fantastic. Bravo.