No one could envy the life Mary Todd Lincoln led. She endured the deaths of three of her four children and witnessed her husband’s murder. After Lincoln’s death, Mary struggled to escape the sorrow that left her hopeless and lost. Even turning to her last surviving son, Robert, didn’t help. He did his best to comfort her, but her mental illness made him fear she might harm herself, so he had her institutionalized. Mary didn’t take this lying down—she fought to regain her freedom and succeeded. She later turned to spiritualism, seeking comfort in the past and trying to reach her dead sons and husband.

Thanks to Mike Meyers for the theme music, you can follow him on X @themikeshow42.

(Ambient) Breath, Kirk Osamayo, Free Music Archive, CC BY, https://tinyurl.com/ambientbreathkirk

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