PRESENTATION OUTLINE
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MARY TODD LINCOLN
Mary Todd Lincoln was born on December 13, 1818, in Lexington, Kentucky. She married politician and lawyer Abraham Lincoln on November 4, 1842. When the Civil War began, Mary's family supported the South, but she remained a fervent Unionist. After her husband's assassination, Mary fell into a deep depression and her surviving son, Robert Todd Lincoln, had her temporarily committed. She died in 1882.
One of most unpopular first ladies in American history, Mary Todd Lincoln was born into a prominent family in Lexington, Kentucky—a town her family had helped found—on December 13, 1818. Mary grew up wealthy; her father, Robert Todd, was a successful merchant and a politician. Lincoln lost her mother when she was only 6 years old. Her father soon remarried, and her strict stepmother had little regard for Lincoln. Despite whatever ill will existed between her and her stepmother, Lincoln received a remarkable education for a young girl during this time period. She studied at a local academy and then attended boarding school.
As the role of the First Lady as both an advocate and a ceremonial replacement for the President continued to grow, Edith Roosevelt became the first to have a federally-hired social secretary. Lou Hoover then hired additional secretaries from her own funds, growing the staff of the First Lady. Eleanor Roosevelt was the first to have a personal secretary in addition to social and administrative secretariesv, and Jackie Kennedy hired the first press secretary.
In the late 1830s, Lincoln left home to be with her sister, Elizabeth Edwards, in Springfield, Illinois. There the smart, outgoing young woman attracted a number of admirers, including Stephen Douglas and up-and-coming politician and lawyer named Abraham Lincoln. Her family did not approve of the match—Abraham was nine years older than Mary, had little formal education and came from a poor background. But Mary and Abraham shared a love of politics and literature and seemed to deeply love each other. The couple married on November 4, 1842, and nine months later, their first son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was born.
First Ladies were often the most famous women in America, and were able to influence, or at least were perceived to be able to influence, the President. Due to their position and proximity, proponents of causes would implore First Ladies for their aid and assistance, and sometimes were successful at finding a champion. Harriet Lane took an interest in the needs of Native Americans. Mary Todd Lincoln advocated education, employment, and housing opportunities for freed slaves. Helen Taft inspected unsafe working conditions and used her influence to get health and safety laws passed.
I learned that Mary Todd Lincoln came from a wealthy family and that her father held many positions in the local government and that women of the time period were expected to entertain guests
Would I want to be A FirstLady? No because you have a lot of responsibility.
Like making sure laws are passed safely.
Hope you learned some cool facts like I did. One day I hope to goto Springfield Illnoise to visit the Lincolins house
