good evening'm jay

barth. i'm the director of the clinton presidential library.school of e clinton presidential library, we welcome you to another offering of the clinton p:residel■4 center presents series. i want very thrilled you're all here. in particular, i wantlcom congressman french hill and martha for being here this eng. our three guests to little rock at the clinton presidential thi evening have committed themselves to right our understanding of the influence of america's presidential spouses on our nation's policy politics and life. from the first textbooks to be used college claoms the of a more general audience text. remember fir lestablish flair at

dedicate it to the study of the evolving roles in traveling the country to really a movement to ■/bring first ladies to the cenr of the conversation about the happenings and presidential ministry issues. as part of thatui ot an hour wih students south lawrence southwest high school. role the first lady this year team at the clinton presidential library is closely with southwest high of arkansas. their classalksy our staff about their work, job shadowing, ce and social media, intern and a social media internship focused on first ladies.th few of those this evening those were introduced to work at apresidenl government servicead of and

public service as southwest.ourt lady's, explores the evolution honoree role of the first lady and its historic on the american presidency. this groundbreaking work shines light on the influential women who broke barriers and made a mark on our country and at times our world during their tenures in the white house. the book argues that first ladies have beene american sociy policy, diplomacyite house profs individual first ladies bring theirlife. readers will learn the developed of the role of the first lady from its origins under martha washington through itsrv current iteration under dr. jill biden. the authors will be around after the to sign copies or remember the first lady's run outside the door are three guests are carlin professor emerita of communications at saint louis university and retired professor of communication studies, the

university of kansas. her research and teaching are in political communication and with an emphasis on womenn politics, first lady's political rhetoric and political. and she continues a very research agenda in the middle. anita, be mcbride is executive in residence, director of the first lady'onal and presidential studies in the school of public affairs. an american. her experience includes service in three u.s. presidential ;administration shows at the white house and department of, state and as chief of staff to first lady laura bush, nancy keegan smith,■! previous serveds director of the presidential materials division of the national archives and records administration. and in that role, she was central the development of the library and museum. she is theresident of the first lady's association for research education flare, which ladies. their documentary, legacy

records. let us welcome our guests. a friend, stephanietreett, executive director of the clinton foundation who had a centrale the first lady transfod that role will moderate. tonight's conversation. stephanie, i'll let you take it away. thank you. 're thrilled to have you here with us this evening. and i'm so thrilled to have you all with for this fascinating i'm just going to dive right in, if that's all right. there are the biographies of first ladies, plus plenty of significant historical documentaries, articles i'd love to knhy you all decided this time to and diane must start with, if i may. all right. well, this book, the read one, started with the blue■hoached ae over three years ago from a

writing a textbook. i could pitch an idea to a coure either an entiree politics, on ladies for 30 years. and i didn't have a and i had to cobble things together. there was a lot out there, but it didn't justice any one book. sot pitched the first lady's book and they loved and i sa, alone. so i proposed to coar d edentials and i said, yeah, i think they're qualified to work on that with you? so. so we, we started with the textbook and our editor what we wanted do was something nothing else was doing. and that was looking at the entire t of the history of the first lady, the role. biographies she's edited volumes on anssue8 owhatever, but we wanted to do something different backgrounds changed over time,

stayed the same over time, and then really look at the position and what each of these women brought to. so that was the textbook editor s so engaged and this isn't read like any textbook i've ever read it's actually ier and so and readable and so you ns it to a book for the general public. so we did that. you know, some technical chapters were gone and it gave stories and humanize some of their experiences as people with families and, how their own individual backgrounds affected them. so that was what happened. and we also haveun know, woven . we, in facne chapters is one one and from marthaions and civil washington all the way through to present. and we wveryum fortunate that dr. biden gave us an interview so have and wrote the foreword the textbook. so it's current is it could can

be as and we're excited to share it with you you need to from your special role as chief of staff to first lady laura bush at the time do you have anything you want to share about important to right now. well i think you know i've been over years at american university is was asked to come to the university to studying ladies. their impact th legacies. and it's the only university in the country that th kind of initiative, but was really ea, an academic literature around this. i mean, we were hosting nf country at presidential libraries, bringing who written about first ladies to have an hour an0 native text like this didn't exist.

so it was a great exercise. to say. i was intimidated about writing a book. i'm glad i had two coauthors to really help me. diana had written■ t so i think the publisher was shocked, wasot at first convinced that three people can write a book. great working relationship and process and i think we'veen a gift to schools and college you and iverd the country to actually have somethingis, st we're on a mission to get it in the hands of as ma students as possible. and i'll just say one last thing. everye we tested this book befoe it was thing. why did we never learnhis? so that's why we know we were on a great takeaway. well, nancy, you and i, the opportunity to work together during the clintonou were trying to get us to get all love from yourts in b.

perspective, having worked at the nationalposed to many diffet ladies, why you think it was book now? well, i really think it is import because these u.s. first ladies have done]> so important things and in teaching in with textbook history, still even. in 2024 remains very would be cy classes and men who didn't we know this befe and so that 'tant legacies were somewhat hidden and weren't showcased;f@u■s they they should be and records at th■presidal libraries are a wonderful way of buttressing

so that was i think, an make the history moren a very, very important group of women. and the modern first ladies have left legacies personal legacies at the high. today, anitaout how much it meant to laura and. initiative? yes. ■and the first lady's legacy wi■2ldflower books. it's very personal cancer and alcohol abuse and chemical dependency. so that's that is good reason, i think. thank you. about the origins of role of the first lady. let's go back to martha washington. abigail adams and dolley

madison. how did they establish important presidents precedence and? nancy, i'm going to start with you on this one. well, i'm to be i'm gotoant. first ladies that we want to talk a lot of subjects. so i'm going to condense down. and then if you have questions on martha, of course set the precedent and martha want to be a first lady. she thought george was going to nd they were going to entertain at mount and then he writes a letter saying surprise and so she comes several months later to to new york and finds that george has■q stopped her re is so important that he has tasked herremonial hostess role but think to ask martha how she woulde hale that. and so she was told that she

could not go to people'sse and , which was of her southern heritage. and th'ly why she wrote that letter that she felt like she was a■ prisoner. but martha balanced, you know, it was a new n as important, regal, not french. and shell. she wore clothes. she was regal. george did receptions for men she did dinners and receptions since in which she entertained george was more informal. and so she set the social entertaining, the that she did. and she did many positive things is that she bring slavery into the white house. her legacy, too. t martha started the long

tradition that some has been followed by every first lady of supporting military and being t. then we get to abigail and abigail, although she was from a different part of thend she wasn éñcongress final minister's daughter and. she was vehemently opposed to slavery, really liked martha and red martha. and when she became first lady, she asked martha for her entertainment. and shed that and abigail wasabsent almost haf john adams term, either because of sickness or because she was takinge sick daughter. but you can document abigail has things, feelings this first ladies in the wonderful

documentation she left which is at the massachusetts historical society the adams. it's an incredible treasure trove of early founding of our nation. so what did abigail do that very policy advisor on and normally she was very good but she advised john0é to support the alien and sedition acts which basically made it a crime to speak out against the jeffersons adams vice president at the time left and went back to monitor he was so upset and many people think that john adams did not get reelected because of and sedition act. she had much good became presidt she wrotethe trade book, w contl

please remember the ladies and be kinder to them than your j,ancestors. so john basically thought that was he■d took in a light tone he didn't take it that seriously. although independent, unambiguous advice. then we get to very interesting first lady and strength. then the entertainment component and made really created enterta. before that.l it s pretty much who was invited to receptions invite dolley so many people they■(me called squishes because you really could hardly move in the room and there receptions anded foes

and and she was very charismatic she would wear turbans she would wear french clothing. she was beautiful. and shet every man thinking that■ which just so wonderful james madison, her husband, who would wear black suits who was shorter than dolley. mind, but not outgoing at all. so she reallyn in getting his policies passed with her outgoing ness and one of madison's opponents said if only he could have run against mr. madison not o of $1 and james so sort of take and she saved t stuart nice right that courageous

the 1814 when the british were invading washington remain madison there very few people there and she made sure that the portrait was r■( and some very important government documents were taken and let the white hously before british entered in. i think you c c the nation's first archivist. i mean she knew that these documents needed to be protected not getting what say exactly. yes really interesting. let's talk a little bit about change andirst develop in really criticaln youe most important developments? one, the creation of, the office of the first lady, and then first lady's kind of evolving

roamerican. well, i'll start withe creationf the office and the structu÷=re around them. first of all, it wasn't until rosalynn carter actually her own office in the east wing, that was an office for the first lady. they all worked up their residence, there was no office for for a first lady. they were workinof their dressing rooms are also were mostly there working■í remotely there. you know there was also no staff other first ten or 11 firsfamilies had had slaves and they tended to their pers allds of course. but it wasn't untilevelt was tht lady to hire the first staff position to thwhite. so we're talking 1901. oh, my goodness. and the position was social.

that was the first position. that woman's she was a local washington kind of known. and this sot was the first professional position because white house with fivet rambunctious children. she was right. and she found her husband six. and so there are you. there you go. and teddy? they asked always doing something and they asked teddy if he couldn'■rt. he said, i can either run the country or control alice and i choose to run the country. do both can do both. but. but the position so this now starts professionalize and the the important too is she got her husband agree that this needed to be in the federal toor this position and it helped mrs. roosevelt now manage the the sar she she was overseeing auction e

house. this is the creation of an the west wing. later there was an oval because. she needed all of that space in. the white house for her family. prior to that, theffresidence w. and change with that and it really changes theuse complex. was that controversial you said itngress. i'm curious like how that was received improved by her husband because it was appropriation form for the white house. i me, ■ think she was another personality that was pretty strong. g to say going to say no. yeah. and then but that, you know, re talking 1901, that's the first time. and then there are other positions but mrs.ññ press relations to manage the press. and this was and this was under

the social office. ' job per se, but her guidance,ess asn altle as possible, but do it in a nice. not engage with the bushe undersod images and. she understood what interesting and needed and valuable. of course know the walk and talk that she did in 1962 of the but but again i would too. and of course, lady bird johnson really professionad secretary a role and then i'll just say againos game in 1978 was the fit time there waset established for the first lady's office through the white house personal personnel authorization act.

staff was a policy director. there were multiple additions to it you really saw it changed the game d an for people like me that came in and be chief oaf have carter to thar setting up my office. and i think it's interesting that rosalynn said it was your biggest fight. jimmy. yes, because jimmy. meant, oh, yes, you got kinds of shoes. yeah, i didn't know. she said they had a terrible because. she came in wanting to talk the budgsaid everybody in the exetig staff and i'm working so hard? i'm she kept going and got it. so that came in. yeah. the communication inside, you know when with probably the first first lady to make

we call this speech on the way she's up when she was in pennsylvania, thanked that, was accompanying her and thanked the crowds that had come out. it was impromptu, but you know, that that was very uncommonpeecn this country until the 1830s a en down the buildings when were doing it, they considered it an unnatural act. so you know the fact that we expect first ladies to be out that didn't happen until the 20tcey■] startg speeches after the civil war. you women doing a lot more of that. but first ladies were very hesitant and they were expected to be model wives, mothers, kind of the and so woman supported her husband. e politics. so and they didn't talk to the prs and julia grant was the first to actually make it statet

was i do not intend to be a also said something about what they were expectin6 at first ladies to do the social to to be ■sut that wasn't where she was going go. but what she did with communication, in to look at the settings d cover her daugh't wing wedding, east roo wedding, so that they felt like they beginning to see the faming the notion of this presidential family and then florence harding, this is the movie era and she began she wouldn't give spches, she wouldn't make official statements, but she would invite the media to everything she and. they could film it, they could talkwas invited to give a speech to a republicanens group, and she sent she sent the speech for somebody to read because she

didn't think it was ar to to bea speech. first lady, to actually give a formal speech was lou henry■ñoover herbert hoover smyth. now, she's the woman to graduate with the degree from stanford, but she couldn't get a job. that's how she met languages and she was very involved in presidr time in the white house. there were a lot of radio. she had her own studio to prticeaddresses a multiple and f whathe've come to think the first lady as a comforter in chief that bush det after 911 when there is a k8/g■o■ know, after some the school shootings to who were going through a tough herbert and then edith eleanor came in and changed the whole game where she called a news

rters. she had her radio show. she's writing a daily column. she's doing magazine stories. she's giving speeches. she's country being his eyes and ears and legs. and so chaedthing. and we kind of backtracked a little they were doing a lot behind the scenes, and jackie kennedy speeches. but then we got lady bird and that's where it all changed again and every since lady bird, we've:? expected to be out campaigning. we've expected them to have a very visible cause and give speeches and really propose that. and she also was doing everything she could to■)■ prome husband's programs. so she choose sites that would help start or his other great society programs and the environment. was her issue. so really, lady bird was one of the big, bigen, we just sort of expect first ladies to be out on

the stump, on their own, to be giving speeches, to be going around a dng many of these same things. yeah, well, that's wonderful. segway to myrecognize the folkse our programs, obviously we're thrilled to have people here in the room that we also have people watching from home. and so we solicited questions and i'm going to ask a few that were came from our audience and i said, this is a great follow up to what you just said. i'd like to know a little bit about when first lady start to develop a policy initiative during their tenure and what have been some of the most successful or of first lady's. well, rolling it on policy, you can start by looking at■ç elean. but the problem eleanor had her fingers in everything civil rights, education women's rights. so she wasn't focused on one issue.

so you sort of flash you go for and focused on been to the white house when she a young girl she saw it needed help and she really wanted to do it and make it an important saying she differed with husband and his staff they■y■[ found ite her look to reach believe godliness and but went forwarand lady bird comes in afterwful assassination so she comes in a ve she didn't want to choose anyand four dayse assassination and mrs. kennedy invites mrs. johnson to tea, she's still in the white house

and she talks to lady bird and. this is the only case we know of about continuingation. she wants her to continue white house restoration. she gives her a seven page, some legal at the johnson for how she's to this she's to set up a make the committee house curator and that is just a because mrs.y was comments how beautiful she looked d jusr her husband bn so. the first initiative which mrs. n ne was doing picking up reston president johnson in march 1964 made an exact set of order that

preservation of the white house permanent. it is permanentay and ent white house curator then this issues that made her heartwas tt was told she couldn't call it environment. it was substantive she'd have to use the word] beautification yeah she campaigned on rights without president johnson asking her to in of 64 and house start80■h and childr's education so she had and and see the usa and the national parks she had olprograms supporting au go on to betty ford and breast cancer and you're very gray

and nixon a formal to foreign co volunteerism michelle obama women's education and hillary clinton i have a whole sectn the back of that so so you get it's de rigu. it becomes de rigueur to have an that firstyou have about. lady's focus a as you know several them betty ford. you know you stop and think about the hazelden betty ford center out inifornia. i mean, that that is incredible. what rosalynn carter health. she continued t caregiving. right. which, you know, became important in her and jimmy's

lives. and that that was a real big also immunizat lady of georgia. she continued to in the white house. house. but no one knew about most of ■1what until she died. and i want to recognize our former first lady of betty bumpers. yes. who worked closely with mrs. carter. yeah, absolutely and and talking about partnerships, rosalynn carter and betty ford became very good friends, though one husband had beaten the other one and tested fired on the health care proposal of hillary clinton. hillary clinton. and they wanted mental health in any kind of health care. so, you know, those have been incredible legacies. you know, you can talk about the laura barbara bush and literacy. in, barbara bush is she launched

within just two months of becoming wow, first lady was bur family literacy really was tackling adult illiteracy in this country still is an enor problem and so that foundation in 1989 is still in existence it's just 33rd or 34th year it's raised 200 and millions of programs that are in all 50 states. and and its taking a personal interest and and passion and turning it into mething that really can help the country. i know going to talk about mrs. clinton butof a long lasting, yu know,■ legacy and something that is still helping women around around the world. so are we have soadies who haved out on an issue that they carmaa big diffe traction.

diane and nina and iusr's first. oh, yes and wrap it+ up and you have a pin on it. yes. yes. sorry i flair pa can join. we'd laugh and and it was very interesting. we were seeing the original conference and segments of was rosalynn carter and betty ford and rosalynn carter was■■s' talg about her her mental health and how hard she wke and she couldn't get the press to focus him because it wasn't sexy. mm. you know, and mr. so treating you as the first lady, you can work hard on these issues, but some of them don't pick up or the people aren't that interested or the house staff fr thewing e have to mention is michelle obama and, what she was doing with educating girls went to

that school in students and she just couldn't that her story would resonate. and you look at what she's doing now amal clooney and with melissa french gates and you hey did a whole cnn program on them. i mean, this is a global 's involved in. think about educating girls and dealing with some of the pushback. so i'd like to add l though, i d she gave a speech in 2016 at the convention and she said i wake up every morning in a house built by slas anthboard of the e historical association and our website site crashed immediately people information about and we really didn't have enough we didn't have anything really and

this launched an entire initiative that took about three years to research■ slavery the president's neighborhood we're still information it's an there in lafayette park stephanie with you remembm where know slaves labored and immigrant labor labored to build the white house and then all of the in the surrounding areas of indicator how do you see house is still you know we have areas preserved that were slavelast remaining se quarters in washin d.c■#. that d an initie is material information history in perpetuity about the building, the white house and the full ory leaders the emeritus or the full story? yes. and i'm goin to personal point of privilege. i'm going shout out a wonderful ■uprogram that the clinton foundation runs.

the george bush presidential center in dallas. and our here. many of you may not know this, but scholars, it's an incredible group of, 60 leaders, the most diversele that you could ever imagine that we assemble through this program rohe country right. and mike, what year was it when? we wer■khe house, the first was 26, team 17, and we do a dinner. the decatur house is across the st and that's where the offices of the white house historical association are. and we having a fabulous tour and. one of our colleagues said, what is? that little closet over here said, oh, those are that's part of the slave. and she said she was just part right. and they're like, no, we don't. i mean, again, it was very to make a very long story short, because of that and because of a lot of what you were just talking about, our presidential scholars got very involved in the fundraising to bringrv that

initiative to life. and now there is a full story about slaves in building parts of the decatur and that part of the decatur house is now part of official tour. it is it's been restored and restored. it's really, really very important that thank you for this nonpartisan, wonderful program that we run together. we do all work together. believe it or not, people might not believe that in this age that was a great legacy. yeah, i'm attention to our screens because we are in th clinton presidential center. and as i mentioned, we are going first lady hillary rodhamthen clinton i'm going to show this more questions.e'll have i gathering in beijing, we are focusing world attention on issues that matter most in our lives, the lives of women and families.

i believeha eve of, a new millennium, it is te to break the silence it is time for us t beijing and for the world toeath accepto discuss women's rightsrom humans rights. it is a violation of human rights. when a leading cause of death worldwide died among ages 49 to 44 is the violence they are subjected to inheir ow. it is a violation of human rights.

are brutalized by the painful and degrading of genital mutilation. it is a violation of. human rights. when women are denied the right to plan their own families and includes being forced to have abortions or being sterilized ag will. if there is one message that echoes forth from this m, let it be that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights once and for all. no, that very powerful.

anita, i' start the questions with you here. i'■z÷cloon secretary clinton anr role as first ladyer efforts really to to promote the white house as a showplace for, the best of americanher goals a, her gn■d save america's treasures. and then also leaning in she leaned into some of president clinton and the administer goals. talk a little bit about that, right? i'll talk thuse.■p impact on the white house. of course, i love thatop■x being the white house. historical a association. again, a legacy of jac was thisr establishing there were never bh government money to ec the way t should be museum standard. s really have felt this obligation to be a the white house, mrs. clinton,

you know, came ins a baby boome, ty cathat's new and modern. andfinity for and so she brought some new idea's a living, breathing museum. it doesn'to in past exhibits of modern sculpture, pottery, modern art, glassware. these were temporary exhibits that in the white house and very, very interesting. but since also was it wasthe hil ■"restoration and renovation of the blue room happened under the clinton administration. then of course they are there on and so the and she brought other

let me mention two pieces of art to and to artists that she brought to the white house. ican artist, henry brought to the whe house in acquisition of, the white house historical association and the first 20th century, ao'keeffe, that she brn that pin hanging in the white house library since that been moved. and thenatve of the millennium, the china that she designed, which is the mos used china to this day. tiful 200th anniversary of the white house. so again, even thoughthink of mk for the of course she's the only first lady to go on to be as a senator or serve as a cabinet officer. rur for president, be

nominee of her party. but she did have this sense, as most first ladies have had this obligation to protect the white house. and she did. and then the save point that year again on the eve of the millennium, a invest it in really of all of our historic sites and how they on them.o have this this was an initiative,ed to lat when laura bush came intoicand o support it and expanded it with the preserve america initiative. these two programs ran in tandem sa america's treasures still exists. and i'd love to invite you all ven't already seen wonderful temporary exhibit. right now which is all abo guesd

it's all about state visits how the president and the first lady those visits because they helped set the table and they take sucn designing that leader and one of the things that then firy controversial.as perceived as she first got there was to bring in chef at the white house right there was a french■ c all state dinners and formal affairs were served with a french zuice where they go around and everybody sort of awkwardly has your get your item your beef and and she really wanted again as said to showcase the best of american culture and cuisine and therefore, she brought an they started serving these formal with american service

plated meals. and i think a lot of people didn't al a real interest in in that part of the role of fst lady. we absolutely the white house craft collection. y ss yeah yeah she went out tond all the way there pieces and is olay here andhe competition in all 50 states because floor there had r been american white house. and so she allevated this art form, having this contest and then displaying that artwork in the white. and then it traveled all over the country and it actually here is in our archives and there's a beautiful book. oh, yeah, the it really, really amazing. to how first ladies,

turning during their tenure that affected their activities and just saw this incredible clip from the then first lady, hillary clinton's speech to1995n women conference that was it put a finer point. iefforts to promote women and it laid of a platform for her future as secretary of state. i diane, if you could maybe commentow sort groundbreaking that was and, i'd love to hear from you all your perspectives. yes. this you know, sheadl trips befd and had talked about some of the her law school days and she was children and her work with marian wright edelman and childr' this was essentially whe was. and you had some slideswe walken

carter going to latin america, pat nixon is really the only first lady who's ever addressed to foreign parliaments on behalf of her husband. andxon had gone to more foreign countries than any othir the time of beijd that is just an incredibly powerful=t speech there are we d tensions withontinues to this day. and we especially had a problem because of their human rights violations. and a chinese american named harry wu had been had gone was e humanprison. and so in order for hillary to >accept invitation, she had to really get past the west wing because i'm sure you you are well aware of what wt onthey d'e could go and do that.

citizen was being imprisoned in china. well, theyntout. and so she you know, it made it a le didn't ease things with china. in fact, the chinese media did not cover that speech. right. the world media did. you heard some of what she said and the saudis walked out during the speech. so this was, you know, her on a age world stage, really that no other first lady had probably was credited with giving probably the statement of the clinton administration on human rights became a turning point was after that, she really took that issue and ran with it. and, you know, prior to that, health issue. but she continuedwork on that. but working through some of the legislation that was going through incremental, incremental change, but she ended up going think to over 50 countries and gave like 70 somehes

basically out of this beijing topic. she did in the senate and what she did as secretary of state a lot of the women's. so it really was a turning point