Considering we just had tons of junk food for Christmas, I did not want to make the most sensible recipe that would go with this book – Mary Todd Lincoln’s White Cake. I then looked at the menu from President Lincoln’s second inaugural ball and found nothing I would want to cook. I did read that Corned Beef and Cabbage was served at a lunch on the day of President Lincoln’s first inauguration. So…that is the route I went. However, I am not a corned beef fan so I went with beef and cabbage that turned into beef and cabbage soup that turned into the recipe for False Cabbage Rolls. Oh well… my family loves any soup that includes beef and cabbage.
The book…
I was told about this book awhile ago. I came across it at Goodwill and decided to buy it. I have to admit, it was not the page turner that I was expecting (at first); however, it was a book that you read with intrigue… I couldn’t help but look up more about this story after reading the book. I did not know much about Mary Todd Lincoln, especially her life after the death of her husband. What a sad, sad story… however… I couldn’t help but see her as a selfish, spoiled lady. It seemed that she abused her friendship with her most trusted confident, Elizabeth Keckley who was also her “dressmaker.” When no thought is given to Keckley’s dressmaking business and when you only think it is about servicing your needs, it just seems that Mary Todd Lincoln was not a very likable person. When Keckley wrote a memoir with good intentions to only help Mary Todd Lincoln’s harmed reputation (one that was done on her own accord) and to help raise money to support her, only to have Lincoln sever all ties with her with no reconciliation…just no words! I know she experienced circumstances that I hope I will never have to endure (loss of three sons and her husband); however, I can’t help but think of the guy who wrote the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul.” Spafford lost majority of his money in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and later lost his four daughters in a shipwreck (with only his wife surviving). His response to this terrible tragedy was drastically different than Lincoln’s response, with his response leading to one of the most well-loved hymns of all time. I know many respond differently to terrible circumstances; however, I contrast these two responses only to show that Mary Todd Lincoln’s loss does not justify (in my opinion, anyway) her treatment of Elizabeth Keckley. Lincoln was the one that accumulated, in today’s equivalent (in one article I read) half a million dollars in clothing debt (all unknown to her husband). By the way, out of curiosity, I looked closely at the 1871 date. Tad Lincoln died a few months before the Great Chicago Fire (in 1871).
Now…I was going to be a rather harsh critic of this book (slow, not a page turner, etc.); however, it is a great book to give you some insight into the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, through the perspective of one of the most famous dressmakers during this time period, from the start to the end of the Civil War. Also, one additional aspect that I loved… Elizabeth Keckley, a slave who bought her freedom, gave perspectives on Northern and Southern people that is very different than how many teach this time period. Keckley knew Varina and Jefferson Davis before they moved back South (sewed dresses for her). Even in their disagreements about secession, Keckley spoke of them kindly. In Keckley’s memoir (the “scandalous” one), she wrote: “Since bidding them good–by at Washington, early in the year 1860, I have never met any of the Davis family. Years of excitement, years of bloodshed, and hundreds of thousands of graves intervene between the months I spent in the family and now. The years have brought many changes; and in view of these terrible changes even I, who was once a slave, who have been punished with the cruel lash, who have experienced the heart and soul tortures of a slave’s life, can say to Mr. Jefferson Davis, “Peace! you have suffered! Go in peace.”
Consider how Keckley responded versus how many teach the Civil War today. I know from experience that Southerners, during this time period, are demonized and basically condemned to hell by those teaching the Civil War. I am not saying this because I am a Southerner but for each of you to consider how one presents groups when studying war. My grandmother was a small child during Hiter’s Germany. Were all Germans bad and Nazis? No. Is it fair for teachers to teach that interpretation when teaching WW2? Absolutely not! Were Germans who were fighting during WW2 condemned to hell and should they be demonized? No. What about SS troops? Yes. There is a difference! The best book to read that helps you consider this is A Higher Call by Adam Makos! You have to read the book to understand the point I am making… teachers have to be careful when teaching war. It is more complicated than saying “good guys versus bad guys.” As a teacher myself, I challenge anyone teaching the Civil War to consider how you teach this in your classroom. If you would like a perspective that is not necessarily geared towards the war but gives you more insight into the relational aspects of individuals divided on the lines of “North” and “South,” then read this book. It is an easy read and one that I think would serve your class well.
