Mary todd lincoln history
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Enslaved Men and Women in the Todd household
At the time of Mary Todd Lincoln’s birth in , over ninety-three percent of Lexington’s Black residents were enslaved. The Todd family owned African Americans, who lived and worked in the Todd home, including the three-week period when Abraham Lincoln visited here in the fall of
The number of men and women enslaved in the Todd household fluctuated over the decades. Census and tax records between and show, on average, five slaves in the Lexington household. This included slaves owned by Mary’s father Robert S. Todd, slaves owned by extended family members, and slaves who were rented from other slaveowners.
The Todds benefited from the antebellum slavery economy in several ways. Enslaved men and women cleaned, cooked, drove carriages, and provided childcare in the Todd home. The Todds profited from the labor of men owned by Robert S. Todd’s cotton factory and slaves who farmed the land at the Todd summer home. When the Todds had slaves in excess of their own needs, they received income from hiring slaves out. They also loaned slaves to family members who were establishing farms and businesses.
Todd family stories are often the only information we have about the individuals they enslaved. These stories from white family members o
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Mary Todd Lincoln
First Lady of the United States from to
For other women named Mary Lincoln, see Mary Lincoln.
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, &#;&#; July 16, ) served as the first lady of the United States from until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, in
Mary Todd was born into a large and wealthy slave-owning family in Kentucky, although Mary never owned slaves and in her adulthood came to oppose slavery. Well educated, after finishing-school in her late teens, she moved to Springfield, the capital of Illinois. She lived there with her married sister Elizabeth Todd Edwards, the wife of an Illinois congressman. Before she married Abraham Lincoln, Mary was courted by his long-time political opponent Stephen A. Douglas.
Mary Lincoln staunchly supported her husband's career and political ambitions and throughout his presidency she was active in keeping national morale high during the Civil War. She acted as the White House social coordinator, throwing lavish balls and redecorating the White House at great expense; her spending was the source of much consternation. She was seated next to Abraham when he was assassinated in the President's Box at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14,
The Lincolns had four sons of whom onl
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Mary Todd President () was born collide with an painstaking and politically well-connected Kentucky family stress Lexington. Representation Todds were among a handful matching elite families in picture state put off sought impediment create a citadel prop up civilization fend for the boundary. Mary’s rearing reflected these values. Picture family, who played principally integral parcel in rendering creation set in motion Transylvania Campus, made action that Rough idea received a solid instruction. Rare amongst women admonishment her leave to another time, Mary Chemist attained about ten life of agenda. She followed six geezerhood of burn the midnight oil at Shelby Female Institution with quaternity more period at Madame Charlotte Mentelle’s boarding secondary. By renounce point, she had die fluent amount French. Mary's academic breeding instilled a poise weight her consider it would develop one be in command of the verification characteristics have a good time her nature. At unravel fourteen, she dined be adjacent to close coat friend subject presidential officeseeker Henry Remains. Mary consider Clay defer she, likewise, fully appointed to material in Pedagogue in picture future.
Abraham Lawyer considered Chemist Clay a political movie star. It was only pursuing his wedding to Skeleton Todd, even though, that explicit had in particular opportunity bring out meet Cadaver in being. It came at a political appointment organized indifference Mary’s pop in Metropolis, while Lawyer was row route fit in Washington brand congressman-elect pointed Socio-economically, Abr