Videos

From the earliest slave-holding first ladies to later champions of civil rights, there is a complicated history of American first ladies and race relations. The White House Historical Associ…

First lady Jacqueline Kennedy gave Americans a televised tour of the restored White House public rooms on Valentine’s Day 1962. A reported 56 million viewers tuned into the CBS broadcast. Ja…

How have first ladies shaped history as presidential advisers and as advocates for societal change? That was the question before a panel of scholars convened by the White House Historical As…

Jay Hakes and Grace Hale talked about the life and influence of first lady Rosalynn Carter and responded to telephone calls and electronic communications. They discussed her high level of in…

A panel of first ladies scholars talked about the work of Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, and Pat Nixon to preserve the historic nature of the White House -- and how that work reflect…

Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty talked with White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin about reconsidering Nancy Reagan’s legacy. Ms. Tumulty is the author of The …

Susan Ford Bales, daughter of President Gerald Ford and Betty Ford, talked about the Ford family’s time in the White House with former ABC News White House correspondent Ann Compton. They fo…

From the days of Martha Washington, America’s first ladies have been public figures. Betty Boyd Caroli talked about how Mrs. Washington and her successors defined their unique position. She …

The National Portrait Gallery’s senior historian Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw provided an overview of their exhibit, “Every Eye is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States.” She discussed how pai…

First ladies scholars answered the questions, “Why do first ladies have such powerful voices?” and “How have they wielded that power?” This panel was from a daylong symposium co-hosted by Am…

First ladies scholars reconsidered the lives and legacies of Sarah Polk, Mary Lincoln, and Lady Bird Johnson. They looked at how the women were viewed in their own times, and how history rem…

The was first panel from a daylong symposium co-hosted by American University’s First Ladies Initiative and the White House Historical Association, which provided this video. The conversat…

Annette Dunlap and Taylor Stoermer talked about the life and influence of first lady Frances Cleveland. The youngest first lady, she was the only one to be married in the White House. Her po…

Guests talked about the life and influence of First Lady Dolley Madison, focusing on her role in Washington society, her years as first lady (1809-1817), and activities in Washington after h…

Richard Norton Smith and Rosalyn Terborg-Penn talked about the life and influence of first lady Mary Lincoln and responded to telephone calls and electronic communications. Topics included h…

Paul Finkelman and Conover Hunt talked about the life and influence of first ladies Sarah Polk, Margaret Taylor, and Abigail Fillmore. They responded to telephone calls and electronic commun…

Miller Center presidential studies director Barbara Perry discussed Jackie Kennedy’s time as first lady. Ms. Perry argued that as an ambassador and style icon Jackie Kennedy actively develop…

Carl Sferrazza Anthony, author of “Florence Harding: The First Lady, the Jazz Age, and the Death of America’s Most Scandalous President” discussed the life of President Warren G. Harding’s w…

Pat Nixon entered the White House as first lady 50 years ago in January 1969. A panel discussed her work, interests and contributions to the Nixon administration. The White House Historical …

Historian Douglas Brinkley discussed Jacqueline Kennedy’s tenure and legacy as first lady with businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein. They focused on her historic preservation and …