Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Mary Todd Lincoln

Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-82) was the first presidential wife to become the subject of extensive criticism and a center of controversy. Though, in any other time and circumstances, Lincoln might have made a fine first lady--with her education, social skills, intelligence, taste, and willingness to work on her husband's behalf--the impending secession and war raised political advocacy to such a pitch that her Southern origins, her spending, her manners, and even her appearance were attacked by enemies on both sides of many questions. But, in addition to her excellent qualities, Lincoln also had a strong tendency to express herself freely and too quickly, to allow her temper and anxieties to get the better of her, to be injudicious in her support of various office-seekers, and to spend money as a consolation for her emotional troubles. The years in the White House (1861-65) proved to be extremely difficult for, while being subjected to intense personal attack no matter which course of action she chose, her beloved son Willie died at age 11, she feared that her son Robert would be killed if he enlisted, she often felt incapable of helping her husband in the overwhelming press of his duties, she was separated from her family and friends, and, like everyone else, she endured the seemingly endless war. Lincoln's health suffered greatly during these years and she was never safe from intense headaches, various other physical illnesses, and a tendency to become alternately very depressed and over-elated. Lincoln fulfilled her duties as the President's wife, made many mistakes, and had numerous successes. But nothing in her behavior was ever extreme enough to justify the unending stream of public abuse to which she was subjected for four years by journalists, other writers, social arbiters, politicians, and private citizens--some of whom knew her, most of whom did not.

Lincoln's career in the White House brought her far less joy and sat...

Page 1 of 24 Next >

More on Mary Todd Lincoln...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Mary Todd Lincoln. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 04:17, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1690676.html