Mary Lincoln: Southern Girl, Northern Woman

ISBN-13: 9781138786813 / Angielski / Miękka / 2015 / 200 str.

Stacy Pratt McDermott

Opis

One of America's most compelling First Ladies, Mary Lincoln possessed a unique vantage point on the events of her time, even as her experiences of the constraints of gender roles and the upheaval of the Civil War reflected those of many other women. The story of her life presents a microcosm through which we can understand the complex and dramatic events of the nineteenth century in the United States, including vital issues of gender, war, and the divisions between North and South. The daughter of a southern, slave-holding family, Mary Lincoln had close ties to people on both sides of the war. Her life shows how the North and South were interconnected, even as the country was riven by sectional strife. In this concise narrative, Stacy Pratt McDermott presents an evenhanded account of this complex, intelligent woman and her times. Supported by primary documents and a robust companion website, this biography introduces students to the world of nineteenth-century America, and the firsthand experiences of Americans during the Civil War.

Recenzje

"A very readable, quite detailed, and surprisingly nuanced biography of Mary Todd Lincoln, perhaps the most maligned First Lady in history. She gives us far more information about Mary Lincoln's early life, and particularly her education, than most accounts. McDermott argues that Mary Lincoln was a more complex person than she is usually portrayed as, quite intelligent and adaptable, who suffered many telling blows, a matter that is often overlooked. McDermott also uses the life of Mary Lincoln to throw light on the complex social, political, and gender issues of the age, making her book also a useful general read for those with an interest in the Civil War era." - The NYMAS Review - Spring 2016

O autorze

Stacy Pratt McDermott is Assistant Director and Associate Editor, Papers of Abraham Lincoln.