Roles of the First Lady
Classroom Resource Packet
The Constitution provides guidance for the responsibilities of the president, but what about the first lady? No founding document exists that explains the duties of the first lady. Instead, generations of women have shaped how the modern Office of the First Lady formed, and the roles of the president's spouse. Learn the usage of the title First Lady and explore the ways various first ladies throughout history used this position to effect changes at the White House and across the country.
Share
You Might Also Like
-
-
-
Page
The First Ladies: Fifty Years of Fashion and Style, 1960-2010
Read Digital Version Foreword: Beyond the Sparkle by Marcia Mallet AndersonJean Louis Mazéas Hairstylist to First Ladies and White House Brides by Lauren McGwinSeduced by Style: Lady Bird Johnson's White House Fashion by Kimberly Chrisman-CampbellFrom Hollywood to the White House Nancy Reagan's Style: Her Lasting Collaboration with James Galanos by Rebecca Durgin KerrThe Silver Fox: Barbara Bush and Her S
-
Page
Mid-Century Fashion and the First Ladies: From Ready-to-Wear to Haute Couture
Read Digital VersionForeword, William SealeThe Style of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt: Fashion and Frugality in Times of Depression and War, Morgan BlattenbergThe Mamie Look: The Americanness of First Lady Mamie Eisenhower’s Off-the-Rack Fashions, Kristen A. HunterThe Jackie Look: Oleg Cassini and the Creation of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s Signature Style, Haley M. RiveroTeardrops of the Moon: Memories of Desi
-
Page
The First Ladies Symposium Schedule
May 6, 2021This program will be virtual9:00-9:15amWelcome and Overview Jill Biden, First Lady of the United StatesAnita McBride, Director of American University’s First Ladies Initiative and White House Historical Association Board MemberFrederick J. Ryan Jr., Chairman, Board of Directors, White House Historical Association Sylvia Burwell, President, American University9:15-10:35amFirst Ladies and GenderIntroduced and moderated by Colleen Shogan, Se
-
Page
The First Ladies Symposium Contributors
Jill BidenJill Tracy Jacobs Biden was born on June 3, 1951, in Hammonton, New Jersey. Growing up in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, she graduated from Upper Moreland High School in 1969. She attended the University of Delaware, receiving a bachelor’s degree in English in 1975. That same year, she met Senator Joseph R. Biden of Delaware. On June 17, 1977, they were married in New York Ci
-
Page
First Ladies' Private Lives
In the early decades of the republic a president's wife, like other wives, seldom displayed her private life to the eyes of the public. Few images of first ladies in recreational roles appeared until the early twentieth century, when American women gained new status and freedom in a fast-changing society. Today along with the title first lady, the president's wife
-
Page
The First Ladies
Read Digital EditionForeword, William SealeThe Office of the First Lady: Managing Public Duties, Private Lives, and Changing Expectations, Anita B. McBrideThe Lady Bird Special: The Power of a Whistle-stop Campaign, Linda J. HoldenFirst Lady Lou Henry Hoover and the First White House Catalog, Elizabeth DinschelWhite House Furnishings, Prepared for Lou Henry Hoover by Dare Stark McMullin, December 1932Mary Lincoln: A
-
Podcast
U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies
Featuring Anita McBride, founding member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education and co-author of U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies
-
Collection
The Carter White House 1977 - 1981
On January 20, 1977, Jimmy Carter was inaugurated as the thirty-ninth president of the United States. During his time in the White House (1977–81), President Carter made many decisions guided by his fundamental commitment to peace and democratic values, emphasizing human and civil rights above all else. Putting these ideals into practice, President Carter negotiated the Camp David Accords, secured the release of Am
-
Collection
Animal Ambassadors
Animals, whether pampered household pets, working livestock, birds, squirrels, or strays, have long been a major part of White House life. Some pets provided companionship to the president and his family. Others gained fame for a role in shaping the president's image. No matter what job was bestowed upon them, pets at the Executive Mansion did it well.This collection
-
Collection
The Nixon White House 1969 - 1974
On January 20, 1969, Richard Nixon was inaugurated as the thirty-seventh president of the United States. During his time in the White House (1969–74), President Nixon sought to unite a divided nation after the social, political, and cultural turbulence of the 1960s. Before becoming president, Nixon served in the U.S. Navy, the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and as
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-