Chief introduction into the world of lincoln i have to thank and jim mcpherson, who was a sponsor of my early work. Although he did tell me, he warned me when i first started my work, if you work on the south, you will have to go there. [laughter] but i have been welcomed there and i now reside there. But i really want to try to get to some of these issues of the lincolns after the death of lincoln. On april 21, 1865, 1 week after his assassination, a ninecar funeral train began the journey to escort lincoln and his son willies coffin back to springfield. The Lincoln Special was embraced by the american public. Americans were enthralled by this historic loss. The first assassination of a president. But what of those who called lincoln husband and father . The lincolns who were left behind, mary, tad and robert, suffer the loss of a man who came to symbolize the savior of the union. But for them, he was a husband and father, whose indulgence and compassion would be forever mourned. After mary was quite literally taken from the room where he lay dying, lincolns male circle of rivals for his attention began to exclude mrs. Lincoln. As lincolns widow, she received condolences from the world, none more special than the british sovereign. Their madam, though a stranger to you, cannot remain silent when some terrible economy has befallen on you and your country. Imus personally express my deep in heart felt sympathy with you, under the shocking circumstances of your dreadful misfortune. No one can better appreciate than i, who have myself broken hearted by the loss of my beloved husband, who was the light of my life, they, my all. What your sufferings must be and i are initially pray that you be supported by him, to whom alone, the sorely stricken to look for comfort at this hour of heavy affliction. With a renewed expression of true sympathy, i remain, dear madam, you are friend, victoria. Queen victoria had, been widowed in 1861 and her prolonged morning would become the hallmark of her reign. Lincolns Close Friends counseled married to move back to springfield, to the home she still owned. Lincoln did not have a will. So davis was handling the president s business affairs. His widow was entitled to one third of the estate and his two sons would each inherit a third of his considerable inheritance. Although such an inheritance would allow her to retire comfortably in springfield, mrs. Lincoln knew she had burned too many bridges. Two of her springfield sisters, francis and and, where conspicuously absent during her years in the white house. Her older sister answer get mother, elizabeth, had been attentive following willys death. But marys uncharitable sentiments about her niece, elizabeth daughter julia, including very indiscreet remarks in correspondence, had frayed their relationship. She could not expect a warmer reception from others. She decided on chicago. Mother and sons departed from the white house on may 23. When lincolns body had left washington, millions had turned out along the way. But when his widow took leave a month later, elizabeth reported there was scarcely a friend to tell her goodbye. And when the small band arrived in chicago, there is no welcoming party. Out of a sense of entitlement, mrs. Lincoln decided to head for the tremont house, one of the most fashionable of chicago addresses. No sooner had she settled her sons into the quarters that she soured on the experience, drafted her older son robert to find less expensive accommodations. Robert found the family summer quarters in hyde park hotel, seven miles from the city center on lake michigan. He complained bitterly to elizabeth that he would soon be dead if compelled to remain three months in this dreadful house. Robert was 21. In love with mary harland and eager to get on with his own career, robert was hampered by a sense of responsibility for his younger brother, coupled with fears about his unstable mother. His brother thad remained a sunny 13yearold, despite all he had been through. Mrs. Lincoln had herself away at the hotel, finding it easier to cope within a contained environment rather than confronting reality. There is evidence that she began to medicate herself with doctors remedies as well as alcohol to dull the pain. After years of being the center of attention, mary lincoln was now shunned aside, facing debt and doubt and feeling alone. She still owes thousands of dollars. First and foremost, she requested the remainder of lincolns salary, all four years of the salary should be paid to her. She realized that only one years salary, 25,000, would barely cover her expenses to one new york store account. She was mortified when the extent of her debt became known to both robert and david davis. She insisted these obligations would be honored and the widow lincoln decided that direct appeals toward some of the rich and powerful men who had grown fat off their appointment by president lincoln, she contacted them, reminding them of their indebtedness. Her letter writing took on a campaign aspect. She recounts repeated demand for assistance in prose. The family of the man who sacrificed his life for his country was barely able to meet expenses in a boarding house. She scribbled in she dispatched, devising plots within plots. Its when she instructed one of her agents, please do not mention that senator sumner wrote me, lest stewart would suspect. But this backfired surely after she settled in chicago. The press reported that lincolns estate was over 75,000, while americans were reeling with wartime losses. The average Family Household is 300 a year. So she retreated to an unrealistic bubble, trying to resolve her problems in a vacuum. She was obsessed with restoring her status, at a time when her children and her books were her only companions. Her grown son robert had no inclination to provide her with the comforts she craved. She turned to her younger son thad for coddling. Her letters are laced with selfpity and despair, as when she complained to elizabeth that, when she stared out at the waves only michigan from her window, she felt as if she would like to slip under them. But instead, she had her son tad to think about. And as lincolns widow, she devoured newspapers to track the progress of her husbands legacy during this critical time. In august 1865, mary moved with her sons back to Clifton House in central chicago, a respectable residential hotel. Thad was enrolled in school and robert began an apprenticeship at the offices of scam and mechanic and fuller, a leading firm of chicago attorneys. The younger surviving lincoln son was a bright child and his intellectual laziness could and did translate into his being mistaken for someone less gifted. Thad seemed to thrive once he was allowed into a Normal School environment during his years in chicago. Shortly before christmas in 1865, she was despondent over the unwelcome news that congress would not give her four years of lincolns pay. They were only willing to part with one year. The family spent the first Christmas Holidays without Abraham Lincoln in a down market Chicago Hotel with his widow writing mournful predictions. The family of the martyred President Shall be homeless wanderers forever. She began the new year, 1866, writing a letter to her favorite washington jeweler, begging him to take back goods worth 2000, pearls, onyx, clocks, bracelets, silver spoons at the price they were purchased. Congress propose to give president johnson 75,000 dollars to refurbish the white house and the press was complaining that the executive mansion had been emptied by mary lincoln. She fumed to her friends over such criticisms, claiming these were partisan attacks which should not be taken personally. But she did take them personally. She ensnared her sons former tutor, scotsman, alexander williamson, in plots to raise funds on the east coast through congressional appropriations or through private donations, perhaps both. Her selfpity crested in the weeks leading up to the terrible anniversary as she apprehensively called the date marking her husbands death. The date of lincolns assassination was but one day in a per rate of remembrances that parade of remembrances that mrs. Lincoln allowed herself to be engulfed by personal anguish. From her wedding anniversary, the first week of november. Then a few days before christmas, remembering the birthday of her lost boy willie. A new year without her husband. In the first day of february, an anniversary of the death of son eddie, followed by her husbands birthday on february 12. Thads fourth birthday was one bright spark. Every year, mary would twice annually relive her husbands violent death on good friday as well as on april 15, the role data that abraham is indicted. The actual date that Abraham Lincoln died. So marking time only cause mary a heightened sense of melancholy as her first year without her husband drew to a close. Former secretary of war return from his diplomatic post in russia and promised to provide the first family with assistance. He pledged to give mrs. Lincoln a thousand dollars and to circulate a petition from among other wealthy republicans. Her spirits temporarily lifted with his crusade as she began to shop for a house and settled on a handsome rowhouse at 375 West Washington street. Unfortunately, camerons fundraising, like alexander williamsons, did not bring satisfactory results. She ended up paying all her cash on hand to buy the West Washington street house and she went into to furnish it for a for thad and herself. By that time, robber had moved out into bachelor digs. She avoided a chicago is a by Andrew Johnson in august 1866 by sending herself on a visit to springfield. Lincolns former law partner with someone who she had less and empathy than for Andrew Johnson, but not by much. She considered both men uncouth, drunkards, and not with the polish of the postal on which she placed her husband. She wanted biography to contribute to the growing recognition of her husbands accomplishments. So as part of her duty as first widow, she consented to the interview. As part of my larger work on mrs. Lincoln to see that our lincoln, that we celebrate today, was not the same lincoln of the 1860s. We can understand that it was really a campaign to appreciate and, which i think is really fully flowered and particularly in 2016. In the years to come, he would repudiate the interpretation of her remarks, particularly on religious beliefs. Insult was added to injury when he gave a lecture on november 16, 1866, about lincoln and ann rutledge, which was raised on his Factfinding Mission to link his former haunts, tracking down friends, relatives and neighbors. Herndon suggested that lincoln had never loved his wife, but loved fran rutledge, who died in salem in 1835. This bombshell drove a stake into marys heart. Herndons characterization of erased her. Robert lincoln was appalled, angered enough to put in writing that herndon was making an ass of himself. But the winter of 18661867, mary was even more beseiged. Her hopes for funds from cameron were dwindling. There are hours of each day i cannot leave its not all been some hideous dream and i feel husband mustng return to his sorrowing loved ones. Im so miserable that i received but few strangers and consequently the friends of other days are dearer than ever to me. In the spring of 67, she sought out a boarding school for thad in racine, wisconsin, but be vetoed it after a personal visit. Thad was managing well in the chicago academy. And robert was getting on with his legal career. Both sons were revisited by the grisly details of their father staff when called to washington to testify in the summer of 1857. But hiss abroad convicted mother died in the gallows to summers before. Mary begged off, pleading illness. During the fall of 1867, vulnerable, exhausted, mary became entangled in an elaborate scheme to cause or even more pain and humiliation so she concocted the idea of disposing of unwanted items from her former wardrobe. Since she had pledged to remain closed from head to toe in black, her finery remained in storage. She fell back on her own resources. She was prompted by reports of sales and lincoln mementos that were being auctioned off and fetching high prices. She wrote to her friend lizzie. I want to ask you a favor. It is imperative that i do something for my relief and i want you to meet me in new york to assist me. The whole scheme, very sorted, very detailed, ended in fiasco, with her clothes on display after a cloud of sensational headlines. This publicity did not create commercial interest. Only scorn and review. Her son robert was apoplectic at an chicago. Her train ride home was a foretaste of what was to come as she sat completely veiled, hearing people on the train discussed would she raise enough money for her own burial . And then come even more mortifying, when Charles Sumner came into the dining car, turning pale as a tablecloth in recognizing her, hed ducked his old friend at first and that but then to pity on her and brought her a cup of tea. After he left, she tossed the tea out a window and sank into a fit of weeping. Over the indignities for which she had been reduced. Back in wretched rooms in chicago, she was flabbergasted by the lava flow of then important across the papers across the nation. She wrote, if i committed murder in every city in this blessed union, i could not be more reduced. Robert lincoln wrote in his fiancee, mary harland simple truth, which i cannot tell to anyone, not personally interested, is that my mother is on one subject not mentally responsible. His mother was possible at money. Robert believed his mother suffered a disorder, which is a scholar Stephen Barry and i have called financial bulimia. [laughter] she felt compelled to hoard and spend in cycles of indulgence and regret. No matter how much she was told in fine shape, she continued to see yourself as deprived. She tossed aside reason and judgment to decorate and bejewel her homes after she had slate her thirst for finery. She would become horrified at what she had done. If the cycle never failed to repeat itself. Robert knew the friends wondered why he didnt take charge of his brothers business matters. But he knew there was no Civil Solution as these many issues were tied up with psychological complexities and he knew it would be a source of ongoing conflict and he felt hopeless if there was worse to come. In late fall, 86 to seven, mary was relieved to have her husbands estate settled. She continued to insist she couldnt possibly live on the 1700 interest generated. In the fall of 1967, she decided it was better to leave those places where she was haunted by her husbands memory and she sold her household furniture and decided to go to europe. During the summer of 1868, mary claimed the upcoming wedding of robert and mary was the only sunbeam in your future. She visited d. C. With great trepidation, for only a matter of hours come in time to see Robert Lincoln and mary harland in a very small wedding, joined in marriage on september 24, 1868. In europe, mary sought a place for her son thads education and there upkeep would not comment such a costly price. They landed in germany. They found the englishspeaking community in frankfurt and welcoming. She was fluent in french, but she knew new german. No german. Many matters caused her to economize and she was often moving from hotel to hotel, alone, on a fixed income, the widow let fears prey on her mind. She had escaped the jury german the dreary german winter for the south of france in 1869. She and thad were traveling incognito around scotland, in castles and mountains and locks. Thad longed for the states, missing his friends come amusing his Brother Robert, and eager to meet his niece as robert and his wife welcomed a baby girl in autumn of 1969. 1869. Mrs. Lincoln felt her age. On december 12, 1869. Tomorrow is the anniversary of my birth. I will be 46 and i feel 86. This comment is doubly revealing as it was written when mrs. Lincoln was 51. [laughter] she had begun to lie about her age even before she went to the white house, claiming she was nearly 15 years younger than her husband when they met. In january 1869, congress considered a pension for mrs. Lincoln, but the measure was voted down on march 3. However, sumner introduced a new bill during a session of congress by july 1870. A pension of 3000 was authorized. Thad, however, finally convinced his mother that their homecoming was overdue. They sailed back to manhattan in may 1871 and mary was happy to show off her son, newly polished from european study on travel. She would always point out the resentments between thad and his father. For a portion of their time in chicago, mary and thad moved into roberts elegant home on wabash avenue. But they did settle into their own quarters in Clifton House. Thad begged his mother and she made a special gesture. And for one day only come april 4, his 18th birthday, she took off her widows weeds. This is the one time since lincolns death that we have any recording of mary wearing anything but black. Thad picked up an infection on their transatlantic trip and mary wrote to friends on june 8 of that he was dangerously ill. Due to his breathing problems, she had been sitting up at night with him, haunted by her long vigil with her son eddie, when he was ill. Then remembering when will he lay dying in the white house. And of course haunted by that long night in peterson house. Mary called Brother Robert on the night of july 14. And by morning, thad lincoln was dead. News of his death hit the family very hard. But the nation bowed in morning. Thad had been a favorite of the press during lincolns time in the white house. The photos of the two of them near the wars and had become emblems of other abraham. And there was an outpouring of sympathy for mrs. Lincoln. The 52yearold mrs. Lincoln said there is no life for me without my idolized tatty. Shortly after the boys burial in springfield, she divided thads inheritance with her only remaining son, offering him more than his legal portion. This is an act of great generosity as mary remained so anxious about financial matters. But robber had his own family now and he appreciated the support. Mary once felt extremely close to her daughter law. But an unfortunate coolness developed after roberts mother returned to chicago. A faultfinding motherinlaw can become an unwelcome presence. And the two mary lincolns fell into dislike and roberts mother was a disruptive influence. October 8, 1871, a fire broke out. The blaze spread rapidly. By tuesday morning, october 8, the city faced grim statistics. 300 people dead. Nearly 18,000 buildings destroyed, including Isaac Arnolds collection of lincoln memorabilia. And almost 100,000 were homeless, nearly one third of the citys population. The charred ruins of chicago seemed to mirror marys mood. Over the course of the next few years, married became a nomad, peripatetic lay seeking comfort for real and imagined ills. Meanwhile, roberts career was on the rise. He became a pillar of the new chicago. In 1872, Robert Lincoln joined with edward eischen to form his own firm. He was the Vice President of the Chicago Historical society come a trustee of the second presbyterian church. His wife, mary, had given birth to two more children after mimi. Abraham lincoln the second, known as jack, in 1873. And daughter jessie, born in 1875. Sadly, roberts mother became a continuing cause of concern. Of the quote i am in constant hot water about about her. A crisis developed in 1875 foot when mary lincoln became convinced that her only remaining son was mortally ill and left her residence in florida in an orange group to come to his bedside. This is the 10th anniversary of the loss of her husband. Reassuring telegrams from robert about his Robust Health could not deter her. Robert to see there was a crisis at hand because his wife was pregnant with her third child, and if she had not been approaching confinement, she would not welcome mary into their home. So robber had to take his mother to the grand pacific hotel, where, over the next few weeks, her erratic behavior and embarrassing episodes made it clear that she required Constant Care as well as a guardian. Robert begged relatives in springfield to help with the situation, but found on could rescue him from the inevitable. The morning of may 19 come convinced that his mother might do herself harm and prodded by a team of medical and legal experts, Robert Lincoln filed an affidavit to have his mother tried on charges for mental incompetence. She could be held against her well due to her mental insanity. She was stripped of her legal rights. On may 20, she was escorted for confinement of bellevue sanatorium. She engineered an escape by smuggling letters to friends and lawyers, james and myra bradwell, who embarrassed robert in the pages of the chicago suntimes. They had a double campaign. They went a little against robert, but very heavily against dr. Patterson who had committed her. As a result, mary was allowed to move to springfield to live with her sister elizabeth. One year from the date of her incarceration, she was restored to her legal rights, and she lashed out at her son and she promised a permanent estrangement. Was she crazy . That remains the unanswered question. Although many doctors and scholars continue to diagnose. I suggest without reliable evidence, evidence continues to be unearthed. Recently, a researcher suggested that she was afflicted with vitamin b12 deficiency. Arguing her physical ailments than 30 years, and it included sore mouth, pallor you dont need these in the morning pernicious anemia, most likely caused the deficiency. He makes the point that both her parents derived from a region of scotland, which had a high incidence of pernicious anemia. But i would suggest that her mental and physical health, like that of her husband, remains a topic of tremendous interest in speculation. After a short while, mary decided to escape the United States, fearing what her son might try next. She went abroad to france and led a sheltered life. She decided to return to the states in 1880 following some falls. She required more Constant Care. She saw it in manhattan. A pioneering Orthopedic Surgeon prescribed bedrest. Some mary decided the best course was to make her way back to springfield, to the home of her sister elizabeth, who would take her in. By the time she settled there, her various ills had rendered her almost incapable of walking. Robert was continuing his successful career trajectory. He turned and rutherford b. Hayes offered to serve as assistant secretary of state in 1876. He was very reluctant to enter the political arena. He claimed he wanted to provide for his family. He warned friends to deflect the government overtures. But in 1881, he was willing to accept the offer to become garfield secretary of war. Robert moved his family to washington, where jack lincoln became a favorite at the white house, playing with the garfields children. Mary had not made any move to reconcile with her son, but Elizabeth Edwards intervened. She engineered a reunion. Robert had barely settled into his washington office, which was overflowing with paperwork and his favorite henry clay cigars, to which he was addicted, when tragedy struck. A disgruntled Office Seeker pulled a gun and fired two shots at present garfield in union station. Robert lincoln nearby went to the president s side, following the attack here in despite doctors care, on monday, september 19, the president succumbed to his wounds and dies after suffering for 80 days. Over the summer of 1881, mrs. Lincoln relived the horror of her own husbands death. Following garfields burial, mary found herself slipping in strength and energy. The president s shooting increase her fears, particularly for her son. And it brought mary really to the brink of despair. That is where Harriet Tubman had settled in canada. I found the intersection of these two women i worked with so long. She has returned, however, taking turkish and electric to new york city taking turkish and electric, baths, she spent a prolonged period in sarahs care. Robert and mary during this period, paid her regular visits. Congress voted her 5,000 to take care of her. Mary lincoln immediately sought an increase in her own annual sum. January 1882, congress not only voted a 2000 increase, but they offered her a 15,000 retroactive compensation. So mrs. Lincoln could greet 1882 with some degree of comfort and contentment. But returning to springfield from her medical sojourn, she only abandoned her bed on rare occasions to ransack her trunks of a refusing any excursions or entertainments. She died at the age of 63 on july 16, 1882, the very day that she lost her father 33 years before, and the day before the 11th anniversary of thads death. She survived her husband mary lincolns casket was conveyed to Oak Ridge Cemetery and placed in a vault alongside her husband and three of her four boys. Robert lincoln attended the funeral, concluding the business and continued in Chester Arthurs cabinet until president cleveland assumed office. Retiring from washington to chicago, he wrote to a friend that he was a happy man. He was mentioned as a possible republican candidate and his fathers old friend reported in 1884, to judge from what i see in here, from the expressions of sentiments are the press, there is in the republican ranks a unanimous voice in favor of nominating lincoln for the vice presidency. But robert never sought higher office. He did accept an appointment of minister to the United Kingdom in 1989, an honor which his mother would have hardly approved. While abroad, tragedy befell the family when robert and mary lost their 16yearold son jack the blood poisoning in 1890. Back in chicago, following his service, robert moved from of counsel to the heir apparent of the pullman car company, following the death of george bowman, Robert Lincoln assumed the presidency of the company. He had been taunted in college with the nickname prince of rails. But he became a veritable king of the railways by that new century. As his career crested, there were more personal setbacks, when his daughter jessie decided to run off and marry someone unsuitable. His older daughter married a relation of her fathers brawl law partner in a small ceremony in london. She and her husband produced a son who died without issue. While Jesse Harland lincoln to fight her parents pileup in with worn back with, a Minor League Baseball player, [laughter] he had been nicknamed by his teammates the dude and the ladykiller. [laughter] so its easy to see how the lincolns had hoped to dissuade their daughter from this match. This match produced two children. The last two of the less the last two undisputed descendents of lincoln. Robert lincoln had amassed a significant fortune. Before retiring to the home he built in vermont in 1905. He shunned the limelight and only emerged on rare occasions following his retirement from the pullman company. He rose to the occasion of championing the building of the lincoln memorial, which he greatly admired. And he attended the dedication in 1922 as his last, full official public appearance. Robert had lincoln died quietly in his sleep on july 26, 1926. His widow mary told a relation that she did not want robert overshadowed by his father in death as he had been in life. So she chose to remove him from the lincoln tomb in springfield where he was buried and she reburied him at Arlington National cemetery, to which he was entitled because of his civil war military service. She brought the remains of their son jack to the springfield vault and buried him at arlington as well. Roberts widow mary died in 1837, leaving over a milliondollar inheritance. Robert, as lincolns only surviving son, was expected to carry on the family line and name. When his only son died, the name died out there and daughter mimi did not produce a grandchild and roberts other female offspring produced two children who did not produce heirs. There is a disputed end and that is not all that happened to the lincoln family, but all that i can imparted during my allotted time. [laughter] i have time for questions. If any of you want to query or comment on what i have said today. [applause] i enjoyed your comments. A few years ago, jean baker was here. Catherine absolutely. She wrote a great biography. I am about to ask you a question catherine and i think you asked me before. But go ahead. [laughter] do you think mary was bipolar . Catherine i think, what i said repeatedly and said in print, is that i i am a doctor, but my doctorate is in history, not medicine. And i respect other scholars who respectfully put forth their theories. I think that, when people explained to me that they know what my guess what mary suffered and the need to diagnose and i take that as a positive thing. You may find a photograph in hospitals, a portrait of Abraham Lincoln facing you. It is now the 21st century, we grapple with the fact that some of our great leaders in the past, Winston Churchill was allowed to have the black dots chasing him. So what was the exact nature of that illness . And can we diagnose it . And i have said that i find that a very worthy but not, i think, productive kind of request to find the exact nature of the illness. Im sorry, but i suggest today and for any of you have been exposed to this your own children, your own spouses, your own parents may be diagnosed by doctors and you are facing the same kinds of issues that we are trying to understand, behavior patterns, and diagnose them. But i will say that, whatever we think it is that mary suffered from, as a scholar, i am able to read many of her letters, including those that she wrote while confined at bellevue. And they show me a side of a very sharptongued, quickwitted woman who was in many way unable to contain her demons, but she nevertheless had a very strong personality and that personality was deemed unworthy and she was declared a lunatic. And therefore, i dont diagnose her as bipolar. I dont diagnose her as suffering from depression. I dont believe she had an inherited illness, even though her own sister suggested that. I say we try to look at all the evidence. I present the findings of mark neely and Jason Emerson in my book. And i ask you, the reader, to make your own judgment. Her response was very short and terse. Absolutely not. Catherine in the years to mean the interim, 30 or so years of her publication and in the few years of her coming here, there has been a lot more evidence piled up, a lot more debate. I think it is worthy for us to continue this discussion. Thank you for your question. After lincolns death, did nikolai and head have any relationship with mary, attempt to help her or be a support to her . Catherine very close to robert. My feeling was that they actually used the nickname hellcat during the very period when willie was ill and dying. I think they were quite in sympathetic because it was their job to protect and promote the president. I think they felt in many ways that she interfered. She, of course, felt having two young men and constant companionship with her husband, who were not willing to take him away from his cares and duties were her rivals in a way. So she was her husband sounding board and they came in and became really is confidants in many ways. I dont think that they were sympathetic as they might have been to her, even following the loss of the martyr president. As i think all of them felt that he was the martyr president , that they each chose to comfort one another in different ways. And hague was quite a comfort to robert. I think that is something that she took as positively. Thank you for your question. Yes, glad you like Saint Catherines ontario. I live there. Catherine i think its wonderful. The canadians were there and were happy to have me explore mary cummins were the french. The have a little piece of history to share. Im also glad you are pushing for Harriet Tubman to be on the 20 bill. Theres an old saying that men get their pictures and money and women get their hands on it. So this might change. [laughter] catherine i recently attended a debate on putting Harriet Tubman on the 20 bill at the afroAmerican History and life meeting. There were very many opinions. But i do have to say that i am pushing for a woman on the currency and ive found, in my many years teaching and reaching out, there was no more undisputed, heroic woman who had done so much to contribute, i think, to our nations freedom struggles. And the new bills will promote that. And i know there was a vague reference to when this will appear. I know that secretary leu pushed very hard. 1. 5 Million People put their responses forward for who they wanted on the money on a website the secretary of the treasury put out there. I think it did give us a big debate over womens roles in history, who we want to honor. And at the same time, because of the parade of the redesign of currency, which has to do with very important matters of finance, because of the way in which bills are represented outside the United States perhaps you didnt know, as much as 30 of our currency is used abroad that we have to do it in a certain order. And for that reason, there has been quite a prolonged delay between announcement of Harriet Tubman present appearing on the 20 bill. And the earliest date had been projected as 2030, im afraid to say. I will convey this, in 2020, the anniversary of the amendment of a women the right to vote, the redesigned 10 bill will retain Alexander Hamilton on the front and five prominent women on the back. So that is something. My only regret is that the minute this announcement was made, there were reports emerging from scholars i think it was harper who said that it is the and of cash money. So i feel the moment women get their due, we are going to remove money. But i feel that that reticular harvard economist is not moved within the economies that i move in, especially in the way having this her american honor currency abroad, how that will certainly strengthen the notion that america is the land of opportunity. Now my question. In 1864, ulysses s. Grant, criticized for his battle at coal harbour, the press gets a hold of it. Mary todd lincoln calls him a butcher. Catherine yes, she did. In 1870, when grant becomes president , i think he has a little bit to do with seeing about her getting a pension, a president ial pension. You mentioned sumner. Catherine i dont think she would believe that. I believe grant had a lot to do with that. Catherine i believe you. I just think she may have changed a little toward grant. Catherine thank you for your question. Im not try to be too personal, but are you married . Have you ever been married . Do you and your wife agree on everything . No. Ok. [laughter] im just trying to establish that oftentimes when people find disagreement between mary and her husband, i think this is part of the push and pull. Its just that he was president and she was a first lady in such an opinionated first lady. I think that her dissertation of what she felt that grant was doing and all of that publicity stems from the fact that lincoln allowed her son robert to go into the army. And that period in early 1865 is one of the most painful in their marriage. And being assigned to grant issue with a lot of history, was an interesting issue, with a lot of history, was something that caused a great riff. But when she was in poe, in france, the grande skim over during a period on one of their world tours. If youve ever been there, it is smaller than springfield, but has a certain quality. People on the what is going on. And mary lincoln was there and a note was panned by the grants saying, oh, were so sorry we didnt know you were here or we could have met up with you. [laughter] and she by then was agitating for her funding. So i dont think by then they had healed the rift, shelley say. I think all of us are so enamored of our awareness of grant and his major funeral and his memoirs led him to be such an acclaimed president , and again, i want to remind you that mary cared very much about her husbands reputation. And she felt of that grant that have been in some ways an obstacle to that. How could people cheer on grant when the martyr president should be their first concern . One more question. Catherine so, out of a gender balance, i will address the two gentlemen. But i do like to hear womens voices beside my own. [applause] i do it in my classroom. Im in trouble now because this really isnt a question. I have a face quick pace that has over the world. So in you have two children die in your husbands shot in front of you, i would like you to consider not using the word selfpity. It is called grief and it is devastating. And then to have a third child die in your fourth child not pay for you, but to humiliate you by having you declared a lunatic. So i would like people to consider how they would feel if that happened in their own family. She was never an easy person. But what happened to her, to me, demands the mans compassion. Demands compassion. [applause] catherine thank you. And thank you all again for having me back. Cheers. [applause] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] youre watching American History tv. Forow us on twitter information on her schedule and to keep up with the latest history news. Next, then down it discusses biography of levi strauss, who created his blue gene business in San Francisco in 1873. She served as the companys inhouse historian for almost 20 years. She traces his early life in germany, and on to california. His long career and contributions to the San Francisco community in his later years. Using his story photographs and advertising materials, the presentation explores how blue jeans merged with fashion trends. The is presented by california Historical Society in San Francisco. It is my honor to introduce one of our favorite people on one of our favorite
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.