{"product_id":"an-american-marriage-the-untold-story-of-abraham-lincoln-and-mary-todd-9781643137346","title":"An American Marriage: The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn enlightening narrative exploring an oft-overlooked aspect of the sixteenth presidents life  An American Marriage reveals the tragic story of Abraham Lincolns marriage to Mary Todd.  Abraham Lincoln was apparently one of those men who regarded connubial bliss as an untenable fantasy. During the Civil War  he pardoned a Union soldier who had deserted the army to return home to wed his sweetheart. As the president signed a document sparing the soldiers life  Lincoln said: I want to punish the young manprobably in less than a year he will wish I had withheld the pardon.  Based on thirty years of research  An American Marriage describes and analyzes why Lincoln had good reason to regret his marriage to Mary Todd. This revealing narrative shows that  as First Lady  Mary Lincoln accepted bribes and kickbacks  sold permits and pardons  engaged in extortion  and peddled influence. The reader comes to learn that Lincoln wed Mary Todd because  in all likelihood  she seduced him and then insisted that he protect her honor. Perhaps surprisingly  the 52 Mrs. Lincoln often physically abused her 64 husband  as well as her children and servants; she humiliated her husband in public; she caused him  as president  to fear that she would disgrace him publicly.  Unlike her husband  she was not profoundly opposed to slavery and hardly qualifies as the ardent abolitionist that some historians have portrayed. While she provided a useful stimulus to his ambition  she often crushed his spirit  as his law partner put it. In the end  Lincoln may not have had as successful a presidency as he didwhere he showed a preternatural ability to deal with difficult peopleif he had not had so much practice at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45495907582005,"sku":"ByrdShop_1643137344","price":30.61,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781643137346.jpg?v=1780903217","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/an-american-marriage-the-untold-story-of-abraham-lincoln-and-mary-todd-9781643137346","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}