An American Marriage

An American Marriage
Author: Michael Burlingame
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2021-06-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1643137352


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An enlightening narrative exploring an oft-overlooked aspect of the sixteenth president's life, An American Marriage reveals the tragic story of Abraham Lincoln’s marriage to Mary Todd. Abraham Lincoln was apparently one of those men who regarded “connubial bliss” as an untenable fantasy. During the Civil War, he pardoned a Union soldier who had deserted the army to return home to wed his sweetheart. As the president signed a document sparing the soldier's life, Lincoln said: “I want to punish the young man—probably in less than a year he will wish I had withheld the pardon.” Based on thirty years of research, An American Marriage describes and analyzes why Lincoln had good reason to regret his marriage to Mary Todd. This revealing narrative shows that, as First Lady, Mary Lincoln accepted bribes and kickbacks, sold permits and pardons, engaged in extortion, and peddled influence. The reader comes to learn that Lincoln wed Mary Todd because, in all likelihood, she seduced him and then insisted that he protect her honor. Perhaps surprisingly, the 5’2” Mrs. Lincoln often physically abused her 6’4” husband, as well as her children and servants; she humiliated her husband in public; she caused him, as president, to fear that she would disgrace him publicly. Unlike her husband, she was not profoundly opposed to slavery and hardly qualifies as the “ardent abolitionist” that some historians have portrayed. While she providid a useful stimulus to his ambition, she often “crushed his spirit,” as his law partner put it. In the end, Lincoln may not have had as successful a presidency as he did—where he showed a preternatural ability to deal with difficult people—if he had not had so much practice at home.


An American Marriage
Language: en
Pages: 209
Authors: Michael Burlingame
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2021-06-01 - Publisher: Simon and Schuster

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An enlightening narrative exploring an oft-overlooked aspect of the sixteenth president's life, An American Marriage reveals the tragic story of Abraham Lincoln
Mrs. Abraham Lincoln
Language: en
Pages: 429
Authors: W. A. Evans
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-02-15 - Publisher: SIU Press

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First published in 1932, this was the first thoroughly researched biography of Mary Lincoln ever written, and it remains the most balanced and complete work on
Mrs. Lincoln
Language: en
Pages: 436
Authors: Catherine Clinton
Categories: Biography & Autobiography
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-01-19 - Publisher: Harper Collins

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Abraham Lincoln is the most revered president in American history, but the woman at the center of his life—his wife, Mary—has remained a historical enigma.
Mrs. Abraham Lincoln
Language: en
Pages: 456
Authors: William Augustus Evans
Categories: Presidents' spouses
Type: BOOK - Published: 1932 - Publisher: New York : A. A. Knopf

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Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters
Language: en
Pages: 368
Authors: Jennifer Chiaverini
Categories: Fiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-06-02 - Publisher: HarperCollins

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“A fascinating glimpse into the women of an influential family on the front lines of some of the most important moments of that indelible time."--Booklist The