The Time of the Lincolns, Part 2

The second half of the video presentation, Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided concentrates on the married life of the couple. Particular attention is paid to the role Mary Lincoln plays in being a sounding board for Abraham Lincoln's policy positions, and as a helpmate in his political career.

Another point of emphasis to be aware of is how Mary comes to be viewed as mentally unstable. Although Abraham Lincoln twice in his life suffered bouts of depression severe enough that friends feared he would take his own life, it was Mary Lincoln that many people consider to be mentally unstable. Is that because of her gender? That she was more demonstrative of her emotions? A combination of the two?

One last thing to think about during the video presentation. We have already seen that both Abraham and Mary Lincoln suffered through the loss of their mothers during their respective childhoods, which deeply affected their lives. The couple also suffer through the deaths of two of their children (Edward, or Eddie, and William, or Willie). Mary Todd Lincoln also experienced the loss of her father shortly after the death of Eddie--and of course, she saw her husband murdered before her eyes. How did these losses effect the relationship between Abraham and Mary Lincoln? Obviously, the assassination ended Lincoln's life, but how did their shared losses effect their marriage.

Again, as before, check back and I will share further thoughts on the video.