Ive been president of the Abraham Lincoln institute in the past. I am delighted to be at this, the 17th symposium of the Abraham Lincoln institute. I have attended almost everyone. Every one. Its a little more challenging these days after living in and around washington, we are now happily ensconced in southern california. I mention that because in the past couple of weeks the eyes of the nation were focused on the reagan president ial library, just a few minutes away from our new home. As america said goodbye to first lady nancy reagan, two you would gists claim that without mrs. Reagan there wouldve been no president reagan. Ofm not a real fan counterfactual history forussions, but i realized as long as i can remove or id expressed the same view regarding mary lincoln. That was underscored this morning by sidney blumenthal. Ive attended lots of attendant events like this. I have heard many presentations on mrs. Lincoln from friends and foes of this controversial first lady. But love
Have labeled her is crazy. This is an hour and 10 minutes. Honor andt only an privilege to introduce tonights speaker, it is for me a personal delight because she and i were classmates in princetons graduate History Program many years ago. Is the endowedon professor in American History at the university of texas at san antonio, and shes also one of the countrys most distinguished historians of american women, the south, and the civil war. Shes a proud daughter of kansas city, missouri, and she studied as an undergraduate, harvard, studied American History, and went for her phd at princeton, completing her dissertation on james mcpherson. Her dissertation would be published in 1982 as the book the plantation mistress, womens world in the old south her first work to be characterized justly as pioneering. The book forces us to rethink ite of our basic assumptions permanently alters our understanding of the old south and womens place in by my count, some 17 additional books, and several of
In politics and often helped her husband makes decisions. Margaret taylor was opposed to her husbands nomination for president. As a teacher, Abigail Fillmore was the first president ial wife to have a profession and began efforts to establish the First White House library. Sarah polk, margaret taylor, and Abigail Fillmore, this sunday night on first ladies, influence and image, examining the public and private lives of women who fulfilled the position of first lady. From Martha Washington to michelle obama, sundays at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan3. As a complement to the series, cspans new book first ladies. Its available as a hard cover or an ebook through your Favorite Book store or online book seller. Well take you now to Oak Ridge Cemetery in springfield illinois, for the 150th commemoration ceremony of president ab ham lincolns funeral. Then author and historian Michael Burlingame talks about the reg lassie of abe ham lincoln and reflects on the ceremony in springfield. This is th
For hundreds of thousands of americans. Theres a certainry poetry if you want to call it that and closuren to lincoln coming down these cks tracks toto this place in his coffin because, as he came he cir went through the circuit that he had ridden for 23 years hed ridden through the prairiesut b cut by these tracks. And he visits all these towns. Isited so all these towns were filled with his friends. Ret so this was a return for him in a very touching way. Y. And for he was returned on the same trains on the same tracks that hed been forever. I bought ai book about the fune lincoln funeral and i was going o star to startt reading it. And i just saved it. Chance just by chance i was coming these are the same tracks were on now. Passenger trains. Rain so imwi on an amtrak train with this book on a really gray rainy day back in january. With this book about the in ja funeral. I wasan amazed how moved i was to e g be going down these same tracks that carried lincolns body 150 earli years
Over is suppressing nomination for the rival particularly the base through the elections for the transition where it comes into play the buchanan cabinet telling them what is going on in the buchanan cabinets through the inauguration through the famous april 1st memo where he essentially tells lincoln he will take charge of things if lincoln cant, and finally through his decision to reinforce against the advisers of the cabinet. The decision that begins the process of the mastery of this extraordinary tumultuous cabinets that serves the focal point of my story called Abraham Lincolns white house. Through the narrative of defense i have a comparative look at both of the inner and outer lives of this Extraordinary Group of figures, combing through their family papers, their letters, their official records, and what a great luxury it is the root so often to their families for the children they wrote these passages at night in their diary how they have time to do so after worrying about th