Behind the scenes Elizabeth Keckley
Primary Source Review- Behind the Scenes by Elizabeth Keckley
When was this document written? Who was the author and who was the intended audience? Behind the Scenes was published in 1868, written by Elizabeth Keckley. Elizabeth would go from being a general slave to the modiste and confidant of Mrs. Lincoln. Elizabeth 7would be between 40-50 years of age at the time of writing the document. I believe that Elizabeth’s audience was anyone who thought ill of Mrs. Lincoln. Elizabeth initially wrote the book with hopes of a financial gain to help Mrs. Lincoln pay off her debts. This plan would be the collapse of the friendship between Elizabeth Keckley and Mary Lincoln. After this book was released for the whole world to read, Mrs. Lincoln felt betrayed and would hardly correspond with Elizabeth again.
Why was this document written (i.e. what were the author's purposes)? What basic assumptions does the author make? The purpose in Elizabeth writing this was to inform the general public of Mrs. Lincoln’s hardships and to justify the reasoning of Mrs. Lincoln selling her things. The public did not believe that Mrs. Lincoln should sell her things she obtain while her husband was alive. Elizabeth worked and sacrificed so much of her career to clear Mrs. Lincoln from debt. I feel she was reaching out to the public to pursue them to give Mrs. Lincoln approval. Elizabeth wanted the country to know the reasoning behind Mrs. Lincoln’s “clothes scandal” and how Congress had failed the first lady. They failed her by not offering any kind of financial or emotional support by brushing her aside after the assassination of President Lincoln. The closeness of Elizabeth’s relationship to Mrs. Lincoln would also be stressed in hopes that the public would find her to be a credible source to the Lincoln family. Elizabeth wanted the public to not just know her as Mrs. Lincoln’s dressmaker, but that she was a former slave who overcame many obstacles. Obstacles those of us today cannot
When was this document written? Who was the author and who was the intended audience? Behind the Scenes was published in 1868, written by Elizabeth Keckley. Elizabeth would go from being a general slave to the modiste and confidant of Mrs. Lincoln. Elizabeth 7would be between 40-50 years of age at the time of writing the document. I believe that Elizabeth’s audience was anyone who thought ill of Mrs. Lincoln. Elizabeth initially wrote the book with hopes of a financial gain to help Mrs. Lincoln pay off her debts. This plan would be the collapse of the friendship between Elizabeth Keckley and Mary Lincoln. After this book was released for the whole world to read, Mrs. Lincoln felt betrayed and would hardly correspond with Elizabeth again.
Why was this document written (i.e. what were the author's purposes)? What basic assumptions does the author make? The purpose in Elizabeth writing this was to inform the general public of Mrs. Lincoln’s hardships and to justify the reasoning of Mrs. Lincoln selling her things. The public did not believe that Mrs. Lincoln should sell her things she obtain while her husband was alive. Elizabeth worked and sacrificed so much of her career to clear Mrs. Lincoln from debt. I feel she was reaching out to the public to pursue them to give Mrs. Lincoln approval. Elizabeth wanted the country to know the reasoning behind Mrs. Lincoln’s “clothes scandal” and how Congress had failed the first lady. They failed her by not offering any kind of financial or emotional support by brushing her aside after the assassination of President Lincoln. The closeness of Elizabeth’s relationship to Mrs. Lincoln would also be stressed in hopes that the public would find her to be a credible source to the Lincoln family. Elizabeth wanted the public to not just know her as Mrs. Lincoln’s dressmaker, but that she was a former slave who overcame many obstacles. Obstacles those of us today cannot