Historical Criticism of Alleged Lincoln-Rutledge Relationship
Several historians have claimed that the evidence of a love affair between Lincoln and Rutledge is tenuous at best. In his Lincoln the President, historian James G. Randall wrote a chapter entitled "Sifting the Ann Rutledge Evidence" which cast doubt on the nature of her and Lincoln's relationship.
Lewis Gannett, writing in the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, claims that "Nearly sixty years after James G. Randall delivered a seeming coup de grâce to the Ann Rutledge legend, the legend may be nearing a second death." However, since William Herndon was not the only witness to the Lincoln-Rutledge relationship, efforts to minimize her role in Lincoln's early life have so far failed. (Ironically, many of those who wish to minimize Rutledge's importance to Lincoln are gay-rights activists who are quick to point to statements alleging the prominent role of Joshua Speed in Lincoln's emotional life, yet the majority of these statements also come from William Herndon.)
Read more about this topic: Ann Rutledge
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