Mary Todd Lincoln:
Public Perceptions as First Lady
Synopsis of Mary Todd Lincoln's Life
Mary Ann Todd was born on December 13, 1818, in Lexington, Kentucky. She was one of seven children born to Robert S. Todd and his wife, Eliza Parker Todd - prominent family in Lexington. Mary's mother passed away in 1825, and her father remarried the following year (Baker 1986).
She appeared in school plays and learned to speak French fluently. Mary was ambitious, scholarly, and an excellent conversationalist (Baker 1986). In 1839, Mary moved to Springfield, Illinois, to live at the home of her older sister, Elizabeth Edwards. Mary, who stood about 5' 2," was active and popular in Springfield's society - courting Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln won her heart, and the two were married in 1842. Abraham surprised Mary with a wedding ring engraved with the words, 'Love is Eternal' (Anderson 1975).
Over the next eleven years the couple had four children. They were Robert (1843-1926), Edward ('Eddie') 1846-1850, William ('Willie') 1850-1862, and Thomas ('Tad') 1853-1871 (Ross 1973). Sadly, Robert was the only child of the Lincolns to live to adulthood. Throughout her adult life, Mary was known as a very loving and caring mother; she was extremely devoted to her family.
In 1844, the Lincolns bought a home in Springfield at the corner of Eighth and Jackson. Abraham had by then become a successful attorney and politician. In 1846, Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Mary and the children lived with him in Washington for part of his term. However, Abraham did not run for office again, and the family was back together again in Springfield in 1849 (Helm 1928).
Abraham concentrated on his law practice until 1854 when his mind again turned to politics. In 1856, Lincoln received support for the Republican Vice-Presidential nomination; in 1858 he engaged in a well-known series of debates with Stephen A. Douglas (Helm 1928). Lincoln received the Republican nomination for President in 1860 and was elected over three other candidates in November. In February 1861, the Lincolns left Springfield headed for Washington, D.C. Abraham was inaugurated as the 16th President on March 4, 1861 (Helm 1928).
As First Lady, Mary spent a good deal of time refurbishing the White House. She also made many trips to hospitals to take food, flowers, etc. To injured soldiers (Anderson 1975). First Lady Lincoln read to the soldiers, wrote them letters, and once raised over a thousand dollars for the Christmas dinner at a military hospital. Tad often accompanied his mother on these visits to see the soldiers (Willie had died in the White House early in 1862; Robert was away at college). Additionally, Mary provided support for the Contraband Relief Association, assisting African-Americans who came to the North during the Civil War (Anderson 1975).
Mary Todd Lincoln was opposed to slavery, and she strongly supported her husband's Pro-Union policies. On the other hand, Mary received criticism for her numerous shopping sprees throughout the war, and also because many of her relatives had chosen to side with the South in the war. In fact, several relatives died fighting for the Confederacy. Mary caused controversy as First Lady; she made both friends and enemies while her husband was President (Baker 1986).
On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. Five days later Abraham and Mary attended a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre. It was that night that John Wilkes Booth shot the President as Mary held his hand during the play (Sandburg 1932). It was a tragedy from which Mary never would recover.
In May of 1865, Mary, Robert, and Tad finally left Washington to live in Chicago. In 1867, as a final resort to her plaguing thoughts of becoming 'destitute', Mary tried to raise some money by selling her old clothes through dealers in New York -- quite unsuccessfully (Anderson 1975). Robert became mortified at his mother's increasingly embarrassing behavior, as Mary's eldest son was on his way to becoming a successful attorney.
In 1868, Mary and Tad left the United States and lived in Europe until 1871. There, Tad attended school in Germany. Mary visited several countries during the three-year hiatus. Her arthritis began acting up in Europe, and Mary sought comfort in health spas (Helm 1928).
Tad died in Chicago shortly after the two returned to the United States. Again, Mary mourned a loved one. She continued to travel often, and her behavior and irrational fears...
As first ladies take a back seat to their husbands, historians usually depict figures like Mary Todd Lincoln and Varina Davis gingerly. A considerable amount has been written on Mary Todd Lincoln, less so about Varina Davis. Both women have been often vilified, portrayed as overbearing, interfering, and problematic. However, both women exemplified the ways white women in positions of power negotiated their subordinate status and gender norms. While neither leveraged
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Armentrout, Jeff. "Lincoln-Douglas Debates in 1858." lecture., Newton Local School, 2012. Newton Local School http://newton.k12.oh.us/~jeff_armentrout/FOV2-001026E5/FOV2-001026E7/Lincoln-Douglas Debates PPT.pdfPlugin=Loft. The paper discusses the issues that were present in the U.S.A. At the time of the presidential elections in which Abraham Lincoln took part. It also describes the position of both the parties especially Douglas and Abraham. The paper then discusses the problems in the Democrat and the Republican parties. Then, after careful evaluation
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