Silence. Why should my husbands job or yours prevent us from doing this and being first lady should prevent us from expecting our ideas. She and president gerald ford it discussed her experience with Breast Cancer, and so much of a public life struggled with jargon alcohol dependency and confronting it defined her First White House years. Good evening and working to cspan series, first ladies, influence an image. Well tell you about elizabeth of our president gerald floored, and here is Richard Norton smith. President ial historian and we have one of the academic advisers. We have talked about a number of president ial libraries. Among them the Gerald Ford Library in michigan. You developed a relationship with the fourth, so you bring that to the table. In folders closure, i try to be objective as possible, but i was very fortunate to become friends with the ford. I want to start the story where we left off, which is that night in august where they learned we will be in the white house
Her own husbands assassination. Though her life was filled with tragedy, as lincolns political partner, she also relished in their success. As we focus on the civil war years, one of the defining moments in our countrys history, a look at the life and times of Mary Todd Lincoln, one of the most complex first ladies ever to live in the white house. Thanks for being with us for cspans continuing series on first ladies influence and image. Tonight, as we look at Mary Todd Lincoln, we invite two of our academic advisers, our history advisors for the whole series to be our guests for this program. Let me introduce you to rosalyn terborgpenn. She is a history Professor Emeritus at morgan state university. Richard norton smith, our other guest tonight and at our table again, is the director of five president ial libraries, including the Abraham Lincoln library in springfield, illinois, and a president ial biographer. Thanks to both of you for being here. Mary todd lincoln is and this is a que
Ourselves . I do not believe that being first lady should prevent me from expressing my ideas. Betty ford spoke her mind, pro choice and a supporter of the equal rights amendment, she and president gerald ford openly discussed her experience with Breast Cancer, through much oher familys public life, she struggled with drug and alcohol dependency and confronting it defined her postwhite house years. Welcome to first ladies, influence and image. Tonight, well tell you the story of elizabeth ford, the wife of our 38th president , president gerald ford, and here for the nebs 90 minutes to tell her story is Richard Norton smith, president ial historian. If you have been watching our series, you know him. Hes an academic adviser for the whole project and hes launched a whole number of libraries, among them the gerald r. Ford. Along the way, you developed a relationship with the fords. In the interest of full disclosure, i try to be as objective as possible, but yeah, i was very fortunate to
Found the washington, everything Martha Washington did likewise. It was a business relationship, but not without affection. I think they had deep respect and affection for each other. She was as close to her hometown and she would get. She owned most of this whole block going back a couple of acres, which means she owned a huge chunk of what williamsburg was. There was a lot of tragedy in Martha Washingtons life. She lost her first husband. She was raised a rich woman, what that means an 18th century is now what it means today. When she marriage George Washington, she brings with her to mount for then 12 house slaves and that is really almost an unimaginable luxury. It would take her ten days to travel here to valley forge from mount vernon in her carriage with her slaves and this was a difficult journey. Marthas experience had prepared her to become the first first lady. Born in virginia in 1731, Martha Washington was 57 years old and 1789 when she and George Washington, once again, l
Returning to the table. Norton smith, and karl anthony. Tonight, we will start our program with some film. This is the first time that a president and first lady have ever been captured on film in the United States. This rare footage is of president mckinley and mrs. Mckinley arriving on stage at the pan American Exposition in buffalo new york on september 5th, 1901. The data significant because the very next day, the president would be killed by an assassins bullet. Lets look at the footage. What was it about this exhibition that attracted the president want to go in the first place . It was the worlds fair that cannot have been better time. It was a celebration and some waves of americas new place in the world. And the mckinley presidency was surprising in many ways. Mckinley had been identified throughout his political career through protectionism. He would be the president who took the country on to the world stage next to hawaii in 1898. Fought the spanish american war. From a rep