Mary Todd Lincoln

Mary Todd Lincoln

Mary Todd Lincoln once said...

"In grief, words are poor consolation - silence & agonizing tears are all that is left the sufferer."

This is a quote from one of Mary's letters to her sister. We imagine this of being directed at the South, speaking of how it will suffer and work out in the end.

Achievements

Mary Todd Lincoln did more of her part during the Civil War than in Reconstruction, so her help and achievements during Reconstruction are few.

1. Throughout Reconstruction, Mary supported Lincoln politically and socially.

2. A side achievement of Mary's is that she was one of the Civil War's best nurses.

3. Mary was considered one of the best and brightest First Ladies, offering much help and feedback to Lincoln's actions in Reconstruction. It was a large part of her input that went into Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

My Take

Mary Todd Lincoln's accomplishments weren't duly

noted or well known. What she did was small things,

such as helping her husband decide and reason with

his actions. I believe that Mary Todd Lincoln did help

advance the principals of freedom, justice and equality,

one way being that she played a part in Lincoln's deciding

of the Emancipation Proclamation, the proclamation that

freed thousands of slaves.

Essential Questions

Who won the most in the struggle? Who gained little or nothing?

I believe that there are a few dynamics of who won most, who won a small amount, and who won nothing. The slaves won their freedom, yet it wasn't much different from being a slave, as they had no way to make a living, and they were illiterate. The North was able to win the fight over slavery or non-slavery. The South gained little or nothing, the Civil War leaving them with barren fields, many dead, and the economy in a terrible place.

Why did various people from the era fight for principles of freedom, justice, and equality (human rights)? How did various groups define those concepts?

There were a couple reasons various people fought for human rights. Lincoln fought for human rights almost strictly politically. He knew that without slaves, the South's economy would crumble, and it with it. Others fought for human rights because they realized that how African Americans were being treated, was wrong.

Bibliography

Images

1. "Mary Todd Lincoln." - The New York Times. N.p., 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/mary_todd_lincoln/index.html>.

2. Schiffman, Lizzie. "Mary Todd Lincoln Insanity Trial Restaged Before Local Judges, Using Modern Laws." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/mary-todd-lincoln-insanit_n_1909901.html>.

3."BUMPER STICKERS CAR TATTOOS DECORATIVE." Bumper Stickers Car Tattoos Decorative. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bumperstickerz.com/car-tattoos-decorative-bumper-stickers.htm>.

4."Emancipation Proclamation." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation>.

Information

1. "Mary Todd Lincoln." American Eras. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.

2. "Gale US History in Context." GALE CENGAGE Learning, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/uhic>. (SCIM-C)

Gender: Female

Occupation: First Lady

Nationality: American

Born: December 13th, 1818 in Lexington, Kentucky, USA.

Died: July 16th, 1882 in Springfield, Illinois, USA.

Lived: 63 years

Mary Todd Lincoln lived most of her life, as well as reconstruction, in Springfield, Illinois, USA. Her viewpoint on Reconstruction is somewhat unknown. Yet being the First

Lady, and wife of the President, Reconstruction put stress on her family, her husband especially.