Mary Lincoln's Insanity Case : A Documentary History
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| Title: | Mary Lincoln's Insanity Case : A Documentary History |
|---|---|
| Description: | In 1875 Mary Lincoln, the widow of a revered president, was committed to an insane asylum by her son, Robert. The trial that preceded her internment was a subject of keen national interest. The focus of public attention since Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860, Mary Lincoln had attracted plentiful criticism and visible scorn from much of the public, who perceived her as spoiled, a spendthrift, and even too much of a Southern sympathizer. Widespread scrutiny only increased following her husband's assassination in 1865 and her son Tad's death six years later, after which her overwhelming grief led to the increasingly erratic behavior that led to her being committed to a sanitarium. A second trial a year later resulted in her release, but the stigma of insanity stuck. In the years since, questions emerged with new force, as the populace and historians debated whether she had been truly insane and subsequently cured, or if she was the victim of family maneuvering. In this volume, noted Lincoln scholar Jason Emerson provides a documentary history of Mary Lincoln's mental illness and insanity case, evenhandedly presenting every possible primary source on the subject to enable a clearer view of the facts. Beginning with documents from the immediate aftermath of her husband's assassination and ending with reminiscences by friends and family in the mid-twentieth century, Mary Lincoln's Insanity Case: A Documentary History compiles more than one hundred letters, dozens of newspaper articles, editorials, and legal documents, and the daily patient progress reports from Bellevue Place Sanitarium during Mary Lincoln's incarceration. Including many materials that have never been previously published, Emerson also collects multiple reminiscences, interviews, and diaries of people who knew Mary Lincoln or were involved in the case, including the first-hand recollection of one of the jurors in the 1875 insanity trial. Suggesting neither accusation nor exoneration of the embattled First Lady, Mary Lincoln's Insanity Case: A Documentary History gives scholars and history enthusiasts incomparable access to the documents and information crucial to understanding this vexing chapter in American history. |
| Authors: | Jason Emerson |
| Resource Type: | eBook. |
| Subjects: | Presidents' spouses--United States--Biography, Newspapers--History--19th century--Sources, Mental illness--United States--Case studies |
| Categories: | BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Women, FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Death, Grief, Bereavement, HEALTH & FITNESS / Diseases & Conditions / Nervous System (incl. Brain), HISTORY / United States / 19th Century |
| Database: | eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) |
| FullText | Links: – Type: ebook-pdf Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: nlebk DbLabel: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) An: 569531 RelevancyScore: 1044 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: eBook PubTypeId: ebook PreciseRelevancyScore: 1044.26904296875 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Mary Lincoln's Insanity Case : A Documentary History – Name: Abstract Label: Description Group: Ab Data: In 1875 Mary Lincoln, the widow of a revered president, was committed to an insane asylum by her son, Robert. The trial that preceded her internment was a subject of keen national interest. The focus of public attention since Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860, Mary Lincoln had attracted plentiful criticism and visible scorn from much of the public, who perceived her as spoiled, a spendthrift, and even too much of a Southern sympathizer. Widespread scrutiny only increased following her husband's assassination in 1865 and her son Tad's death six years later, after which her overwhelming grief led to the increasingly erratic behavior that led to her being committed to a sanitarium. A second trial a year later resulted in her release, but the stigma of insanity stuck. In the years since, questions emerged with new force, as the populace and historians debated whether she had been truly insane and subsequently cured, or if she was the victim of family maneuvering. In this volume, noted Lincoln scholar Jason Emerson provides a documentary history of Mary Lincoln's mental illness and insanity case, evenhandedly presenting every possible primary source on the subject to enable a clearer view of the facts. Beginning with documents from the immediate aftermath of her husband's assassination and ending with reminiscences by friends and family in the mid-twentieth century, Mary Lincoln's Insanity Case: A Documentary History compiles more than one hundred letters, dozens of newspaper articles, editorials, and legal documents, and the daily patient progress reports from Bellevue Place Sanitarium during Mary Lincoln's incarceration. Including many materials that have never been previously published, Emerson also collects multiple reminiscences, interviews, and diaries of people who knew Mary Lincoln or were involved in the case, including the first-hand recollection of one of the jurors in the 1875 insanity trial. Suggesting neither accusation nor exoneration of the embattled First Lady, Mary Lincoln's Insanity Case: A Documentary History gives scholars and history enthusiasts incomparable access to the documents and information crucial to understanding this vexing chapter in American history. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jason+Emerson%22">Jason Emerson</searchLink> – Name: TypePub Label: Resource Type Group: TypPub Data: eBook. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Presidents'+spouses--United+States--Biography%22">Presidents' spouses--United States--Biography</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Newspapers--History--19th+century--Sources%22">Newspapers--History--19th century--Sources</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+illness--United+States--Case+studies%22">Mental illness--United States--Case studies</searchLink> – Name: SubjectBISAC Label: Categories Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22BIOGRAPHY+%26+AUTOBIOGRAPHY+%2F+General%22">BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22BIOGRAPHY+%26+AUTOBIOGRAPHY+%2F+Women%22">BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Women</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22FAMILY+%26+RELATIONSHIPS+%2F+Death%2C+Grief%2C+Bereavement%22">FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Death, Grief, Bereavement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22HEALTH+%26+FITNESS+%2F+Diseases+%26+Conditions+%2F+Nervous+System+%28incl%2E+Brain%29%22">HEALTH & FITNESS / Diseases & Conditions / Nervous System (incl. Brain)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22HISTORY+%2F+United+States+%2F+19th+Century%22">HISTORY / United States / 19th Century</searchLink> |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Classifications: – Code: 973.7092 Scheme: ddc Type: prePub Languages: – Code: eng Text: English Subjects: – SubjectFull: Presidents' spouses--United States--Biography Type: general – SubjectFull: Newspapers--History--19th century--Sources Type: general – SubjectFull: Mental illness--United States--Case studies Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Mary Lincoln's Insanity Case : A Documentary History Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Jason Emerson – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Jason Emerson IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2012 – D: 04 M: 02 Type: profile Y: 2014 Identifiers: – Type: isbn-print Value: 9780252037078 – Type: isbn-print Value: 9780252081262 – Type: isbn-electronic Value: 9780252094170 Titles: – TitleFull: Mary Lincoln's Insanity Case : A Documentary History Type: main |
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