Father Abraham - Lincoln and his Sons

[Gene C]

Good Book. Written by Harold Holzer. About 200 pages with about half of it photos and illustrations. Written for teenagers, its good for adults too. Easy to read, flows well.

Lots of interesting facts about Lincoln as a parent, and little known events about his children, like this about Lincoln's farewell reception..."The house grew so crowded that some guest had to wait twenty minutes just to get through the front door. Willie and Tad viewed the event merrily, causing havoc wherever and whenever they could but earning no reprimand from their parents, as usual. But when Bob managed to squeeze into the receiving line in the parlor, he had far worse luck trying to amuse his parents. Attempting a joke, Bob greeted his father as if he were a stranger "Good evening Mr. Lincoln!" he announced gravely. For this, in front of all the guest, "his father gave him a gentle slap in the face". Lincoln and his elder son clearly becoming strangers to each other."


I borrowed this from the library, but I'm going to get my own copy.
I think it's that good.

Amazon book info: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590783...BP0AJDX3RZ

[LincolnMan]

Lincoln slapped his son Robert? Could that account be the basis for the slap as seen in the movie Lincoln? Interesting tidbit, indeed.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Regarding Robert's relationship with his father and v.v., what would you think of this incident?

"In 1859-1860, Mr. Lincoln's eldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, attended Phillips Exeter Academy while preparing for entry to Harvard College. Robert was asked to read the Declaration of Independence at an Independence Day celebration, but declined to do so without his father's permission. Friend Frank Fuller wrote Robert's father asking for the permission and claimed to have received a reply from Springfield: 'Tell Bob to read that immortal document every chance he has, and the bigger the crowd, the louder he must holler.'"

...if it actually happened (???). I read it here:

http://www.mrlincolnandthefounders.org/i...ubjectID=2

The source given on the site is:
Gabor S. Boritt, editor, The Historian’s Lincoln: Pseudohistory, Psychohistory, and History, p. 132 (Glen E. Thurow).

Does anyone know the original source? I've never read it before and it's not in any of the books I have.

Why should Robert have feared reading the DOI (which his father so favored much) without permission? Abraham Lincoln was said having been an indulgent father and not one to fear at all.

[Rogerm]

Maybe Robert Lincoln was more bashful than his father in front of a crowd and did not enjoy public speaking so much.

[L Verge]

Perhaps he felt that his reading of it could be perceived as politically motivated since his father was campaigning for the Presidency?

[Donna McCreary]

"Good evening Mr. Lincoln!" he announced gravely. For this, in front of all the guest, "his father gave him a gentle slap in the face". Lincoln and his elder son clearly becoming strangers to each other."

Robert was making a joke. It was a gentle slap (like a loving pat) not a slap made in anger. I do not read this to indicate the relationship was growing distant, but that they had a closeness and teased one another.