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FLARE Focus on Mrs. Lincoln and Mental Health: A Short Apology

Haley Gray

Research reveals that First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln was very different as a child from who she evolved into as an adult. Mrs. Lincoln, as noted by many childhood friends, was the embodiment of joy and spontaneity; she was described as "the very creature of excitement" by a young lawyer in 1840. Later tales of Mrs. Lincoln depict a woman who was struck by tragedy, emotionally hurt, and mentally destroyed by the time of her death in 1882. She had no ability to take her case to social media or to engage with mental health awareness organizations. Instead, her life devolved partly through lack of understanding by the medical community, the courts, the people around her, and public opinion. Today, seven score and one year later, Mrs. Lincoln is deserving of compassion, care, and an apology.

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