Edward Askew Sothern the play that Abraham Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated. Sothern's role was Lord Dundreary, a caricature of a brainless English nobleman. At first, he was reluctant to accept the role; it was so small and unimportant that he felt it beneath him and feared it might damage his reputation. He mentioned his qualms to his friend, Joseph Jefferson, who had been cast in the leading role of Asa Trenchard in the play. Jefferson supposedly responded with the famous line: "There are no small parts, only small actors." On 15 October 1858, "Our American Cousin" premiered in New York.
Abraham Lincoln, what would you do? is upbeat and set to an "allegro moderato" tempo. Thematically, the song is considered part of American patriotic music. Although Abraham Lincoln's death was well before the beginning of the twentieth century, he was often used symbolically, particularly during World War I. "Abraham Lincoln, what would you do?" was a popular composition upon its release, and Lincoln's image was used in the composition's lyrics to promote and build support for American involvement during wartime. Sociologist Barry Schwartz suggests that the lyrics represented American involvement in the war in terms of a collective debt to be paid to Lincoln's contributions and