Was Mary Todd Lincoln Mentally Ill

The one thing everyone seems to know about Abraham Lincolns wife is that she suffered from mental illness. Rumors spread through Civil War era Washington that Mrs. Lincoln was insane, and her reputation for mental instability persists to the present day. But are those rumors even true? The simple answer is that we dont know with any medical certainty. She was never diagnosed by anyone with a modern understanding of psychiatry. However, ample evidence exists of Mary Lincolns eccentric behavior, which, in her own day, was generally attributed to madness or insanity. Her marriage to Abraham Lincoln often appeared difficult or troubled, and there were incidents of Lincoln gently complaining to others about things she had said or done. It is true that Mary Lincolns actions, as reported by newspapers, often invited criticism from the public. She was known to spend money extravagantly, and she was often ridiculed for perceived haughtiness. And, public perception of her was greatly influenced by the fact that she was actually put on trial in Chicago, a decade after Lincolns assassination, and judged to be insane. She was placed in an institution for three months, though she was able to bring legal action and reverse the courts decision. From todays vantage point, its honestly impossible to assess her true mental condition. It has often been pointed out that traits she exhibited may have simply indicated eccentric behavior, poor judgment, or the effects of a stressful life, not actual mental illness. The Personality of Mary Todd Lincoln There are many accounts of Mary Todd Lincoln having been difficult to deal with, exhibiting personality traits that, in todays world, would probably be called a sense of entitlement. She had grown up the daughter of a prosperous Kentucky banker and received a very good education. And after moving to Springfield, Illinois, where she met Abraham Lincoln, she was often perceived as a snob. Her friendship and eventual romance with Lincoln seemed nearly inexplicable, as he came from very humble circumstances. By most accounts, she exerted a civilizing influence on Lincoln, teaching him proper manners, and essentially making him into a more polite and cultured person than might be expected from his frontier roots. But their marriage, according to some accounts, had problems. In one story told by those who had known them in Illinois, the Lincolns were at home one night and Mary asked her husband to add logs to the fire. He was reading and didnt do what she asked fast enough. She reportedly became angry enough to toss a piece of firewood at him, striking him in the face, which led to him appearing in public the next day with a bandage on his nose. There are other stories about her showing flashes of anger, one time even chasing him up the street outside the house after an argument. But the stories about her anger were often told by those who did not care for her, including Lincolns longtime law partner, William Herndon. One very public display of Mary Lincolns temper occurred in March 1865, when the Lincolns had traveled to Virginia for a military review near the end of the Civil War. Mary Lincoln became offended by the youthful wife of a Union general and became enraged. As Union officers looked on, Mary Lincoln berated her husband, who stoically tried to calm her. Stress Endured as Lincolns Wife Marriage to Abraham Lincoln could not have been easy. During much of their marriage, Lincoln was focused on his law practice, which often meant he was riding the circuit, leaving home for stretches of time to practice law in various towns around Illinois. Mary was at home in Springfield, raising their boys. So their marriage probably had some amount of stress. And tragedy struck the Lincoln family early, when their second son, Eddie, died at the age of three in 1850. They had four sons; Robert, Eddie, Willie, and Tad. When Lincoln became more prominent as a politician, especially at the time of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, or following the landmark speech at Cooper Union, the fame that came with success became problematic. Mary Lincolns penchant for extravagant shopping became an issue even before his inauguration. And after the Civil War began, and many Americans were facing grave problems, her shopping jaunts to New York City were viewed as scandalous. When Willie Lincoln, age 11, died in the White House in early 1862, Mary Lincoln went into a profound and exaggerated period of mourning. At one point Lincoln supposedly told her that if she didnt snap out of it she would have to be put in an asylum. Mary Lincolns dabbling with spiritualism became more pronounced after Willies death, and she held seances in the White House, apparently in an attempt to contact her dead sons spirit. Lincoln indulged her interest, but some people viewed it as a sign of insanity. The Insanity Trial The assassination of Lincoln devastated his wife, which was hardly surprising. She had been sitting next to him at Fords Theatre when John Wilkes Booth came up behind them and shot Lincoln in the back of the head. In the period following her husbands murder, she was inconsolable. She closeted herself in the White House for weeks, and created an awkward situation as the new president, Andrew Johnson could not move in. In the following years, she never seemed to recover from the trauma. For years after Lincolns death, she dressed in widows black. But she received little sympathy from the American public, as her free-spending ways continued. She was known to buy dresses and other items she didnt need, and bad publicity followed her. A scheme to sell valuable dresses and furs fell through and created public embarrassment. Abraham Lincoln had indulged his wifes behavior, but their oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, did not share his fathers patience. Offended by what he considered his mothers embarrassing behavior, he arranged to have her put on trial and charged with being insane. Mary Todd Lincoln was convicted in a peculiar trial held in Chicago on May 19, 1875, a little more than ten years after her husbands death. After being surprised at her residence that morning by two detectives she was hurried off to court. She was given no opportunity to prepare any defense. Following testimony about her behavior from various witnesses, the jury concluded: Mary Lincoln is insane, and is a fit person to be in a hospital for the insane. After three months in a sanitarium in Illinois, she was released. And in court actions a year later she successfully had the judgment against her reversed. But she never really recovered from the stigma of her own son instigating a trial at which she was declared insane. Mary Todd Lincoln spent the final years of her life as a virtual recluse. She seldom left the house where she lived in Springfield, Illinois, and died on July 16, 1882.

How Mandela Was Born Into The Madiba Clan - 2641 Words

Rolihlahla Mandela was born into the Madiba Clan on July 18th 1918 in the village of Mvezo, Treanskei. His mother was Nonqaphi Nosekeni and his father was Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela, principal counsellor to the Acting King of the Thembu people, Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Mandela was 12 years old, when his father died in 1930 and he became a ward of Jongintaba at the Great Place in Mqhekezweni 1 . While living here in Mqhekezweni, he will listen to the elders’ stories about his ancestors’ valour during the wars of resistance, he dreamed also of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people. Mandela attended primary school in Qunu where his teacher Miss Mdingane gave him the name Nelson, due to the fact that custom mandates all school children be given â€Å"Christian† names. He went on to complete his Junior Certificate (elementary school)at Clarkebury Boarding Institute and went on to Healdtown, a Wesleyan secondary school and graduated. While studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University College of Fort Hare, he got expelled for joining in a student protest. Upon his returned to the Great Place at Mqhekezweni, the King was furious about his expulsion from college and demanded he he returns or he would arrange wives for him and his cousin Justice who was also expelled from the college? Instead they ran away to Johannesburg where they worked as a mine security officers. A two-year diploma in law on top of his BA allowed NelsonShow MoreRelatedNelson Mandela was the Man Who Changed South Africa Essay814 Words   |  4 PagesHow could a man become president of such a strong country after being imprisoned for nearly three decades and being a minority race? His name was Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. He is a true inspiration to those who hear his story. 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Muralism and the Cosmic Affect Free Essays

03/17/13 Muralism and The Cosmic Race In the Cosmic Race written by Jose Vasconcelo, Vasconcelo writes about the definition of Latin American people and their divine mission in America, while also briefly comparing them to other races such as the Europeans. Vasconcelo states that there are 4 racial trunks, the Blacks, the Indians, the Mongols, and the Whites, while expanding detail with the Whites who he described as organizing themselves in Europe, and becoming invaders of the rest of the world. Vasconcelo gives an example as the Spaniards conquered Latin American, however he believes that their role was just to reintegrate the red world, which he describes as a bridge which has brought the world to a state at which all human types and cultures can fuse together. We will write a custom essay sample on Muralism and the Cosmic Affect or any similar topic only for you Order Now According to Vasconcelo the faithful Latin-people are those called upon to this divine mission after they have gained freedom. It is safe to say Vasconcelo easily inspired and influenced several aspects of Diego Rivera’s artwork. While Mexico was under similar circumstances after the Mexican Revolution as Latin America, Deigo Rivera used some of Jose Vasconcelo’s ideas to impart social and political messages. In Diego Rivera’s â€Å"El Hombre en Cruco de Caminos† located in Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, one can see a man who appears to be in control of the Universe with a variety of people in the backgrounds. At one point Vasconcelo states that every ascending race needs to constitute its own philosophy to get to its own success, rather than just learn and copy from the others. This idea is expressed in Rivera’s Mural by the man in the middle who is controlling what seems to be the entire universe. It seems that both of these men understood the ideathat it was time to control themselves. Although Diego was focused on the â€Å"spiritual† liberation of Mexico from its Colonial obsession, the idea of creating and controlling your own ideology and destiny is shared by Rivera’s painting and Vasconcelo’s, The Cosmic Race. How to cite Muralism and the Cosmic Affect, Papers

Strategy Development and Strategy Execution †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Strategy Development and Strategy Execution. Answer: Porters Competitive Forces Porters competitive forces shape every industry by determining the sectors weakness and strength. The first of these forces is the competition in the industry. Here, the number of competitors and products they offer is determined. A presumption is made as the larger the number, the higher the chances of the competitors being a threat as both buyers and suppliers seek attractive deals. The second force is the potential of new entrants into an industry (Tang, 2014, pp. 108). The weakening of a companys position is significant if it uses more money and time to get into a market compared to its competitor, thus affecting the companys power. The third force is the power of suppliers. When a client has over-dependence on a provider because the vendors available are few, the providers tend to hold more power. Providers of the major entertainment, goods and services than raise prices. The fourth force is the power of customers. When the number of clients is less, and each of this buyer is significant to the company, the customers then hold power and can drive prices down (Porter and William, 2016, pp.201). The fifth force is the threat of substitutes. The power of a business weakens when buyers find a substitution for the entertainment goods and services they are offering from its competitors. Generic Strategies Home entertainment business adapts generic strategies to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors in the market (Merchant, 2014, pp.306). These policies help to provide a high value of products and prices to its customers. In the home entertainment, adapting differentiation focus as a strategy is key. Product development gives uniqueness to products when made attractive by way of integration of new features. The integrated features in goods such as the PlayStation by Sony make it stand out in the market. The production cost reduces and the profits made by the business continuity. The second generic strategy is differentiation leadership. This approach helps in market penetration, the uniqueness of home entertainment products such as the Sony branding boosts the companys market penetration and offer competition against its competitors. The company also holds marketing campaigns to enable it to penetrate the market for business to grow and increase its market sales. The third generic strategy in the home entertainment business is cost leadership that helps in market development. The company aims to be a lowest-cost producer (Spry and Lukas, 2016, pp.866). It releases its products to new markets where it is not well established and enjoy the best profits. Capital used is well utilized, and technology employed in the production process is efficient. Cost focus is the fourth strategy. Home entertainment companies concentrate on low-cost products and services they offer in a limited number of markets. While their competitors offer the goods at a higher cost. Bibliography Merchant, H., 2014, Configurations of governance structure, generic strategy, and firm size. Global Strategy Journal, 4(4), 292-309 Porter, T. and Williams, R., 2016. States, markets and regimes in global finance. Spry, A., Lukas, B. A., 2016, Brand Portfolio Architecture and Firm Performance: The Moderating Impact of Generic Strategy. In Looking Forward, Looking Back: Drawing on the Past to Shape the Future of Marketing. Pp. 866-867. Springer International Publishing. Tang, D., 2014, Introduction to Strategy Development and Strategy Execution.