Abraham Lincoln’s ties to Thanksgiving go beyond the 1863 proclamation that declared the last Thursday in November to be “set apart…as a day of Thanksgiving.” In fact, it was the 16th president of the United States’ youngest son, Tad, who played a pivotal role in one of the holiday’s beloved traditions and helped inspire President Lincoln to embrace a spirit of forgiveness and unity during a very challenging time in our nation’s history.
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But the story, which is the focus of author and journalist Raymond Arroyo’s new book, “The Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln,” isn’t without its difficult moments.
“[Lincoln] hoped to unite the nation and Thanksgiving was meant as a season of forgiveness and unity,” Mr. Arroyo recently told the Washington Times’ Higher Ground. “I think that was driven in part by what was happening in his personal life and his professional life. And that’s the story we really tell here through the eyes of this young boy who was instrumental in all of it, and certainly present for so much of it.”
In the early months of 1863, Abraham Lincoln was a broken man. Not only was he still grieving the death of a beloved son, but he was trying to figure out how to lead a divided nation that was in the midst of a deadly Civil War. The one constant President Lincoln had was the presence of his rambunctious, tender-hearted son, Tad.
“[Abraham and Tad] went everywhere together — to review troops, to major addresses, when he traveled to see the Civil War front. Tad Lincoln was always at his side,” Mr. Arroyo said. “And I started asking myself why, and as I dug into that, it helped me not only understand this bond between father and son that I think we all can profit from, but the importance of a child. Not only in the life of a family, but in the life of a nation.”
Despite many of the White House staff taking issue with Tad and his wild ways, the president was happy to let his son fully embrace his childhood. From interrupting cabinet meetings and exploiting unsuspecting White House visitors to raise for his favorite charity, to riding goats through the East Room and demanding a pardon for his pet turkey, Jack, which helped inspire a timeless holiday tradition, Tad brought joy and love into Lincoln’s life when he needed it most.
“Lincoln needed this boy in his life as we need our children in our lives because they are reminders that God has not abandoned us, and they’re reminders of joy and light in the midst of darkness and chaos,” Mr. Arroyo explained. “I think that’s why Lincoln encouraged [Tad] to run the halls and do what he wanted… because it was a spark and moment of normalcy and happiness in the midst of a political collapse and a country literally coming apart.”
That’s the lesson Mr. Arroyo hopes families will take away from “The Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln,” especially with the Thanksgiving holiday nearly upon us.
“Thanksgiving and that tradition that Abraham Lincoln and Tad Lincoln created together are the living monuments of that love they shared as father and son,” Mr. Arroyo said. “And a reminder of the unity that’s still possible despite the political differences, even the cultural differences that divide us today.”
Watch the rest of the interview here.
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Marissa Mayer is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her work has been featured in Christian Post, The Daily Signal, and Intellectual Takeout. Mayer has a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Arizona State University.
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