exploring the american stories. watch american history tv saturdays on c-span2 and find a full schedule on yourroam guide or watch online any time at c-span.org/history. >> if you are enjoying american history tv then sign-up for our newsletter using the qr code on the screen to receive the weekly schedule of upcoming programs like lectures in history, the presidency, and more. sign-up for the american history tv newsletter today and be sure to watch american history tv every saturday or anytinlin at c-span.org/history. >> weekends on c-span2 on intellectual feast. every saturday american history tv documents america stories, and on sdays tv brings you the latest and nonfiction books and

authors. funding for c-span2 comes on these television companies and more including mediacom. >> at mediacom we believe that whether you live here, or right here, our way out in the middle of anywhere, you should have access to fast reliable internet. internet. that's why we are leading the way to taking you to 10g. >> mediacom, along with these television companies, supports c-span2 as a public service. >> and welcome to this program titled in her own words. this is a program brought to you by player in which stands for the first ladies association for research and education. my name is myra gutin, i'm president a a flyer and i'm so happy that you joined us for this are interesting look at four different first ladies and the rhetorical responses. .. lifetime members

american university rider university the white house historical association, the massachusetts historical society and our newest inaugural lifetime institutional member the gerald r ford presidential foundation. we're glad to have you with us. we are glad to have you with us. in the interest of time, i'd like to take a few minutes to introduce people will bern partf the program. we are going to start with nancy, former director and the materials division of the national archives of the administration. she's witnessed, lectured andbl published since the 1980s including lady birdon johnson in the records of modern first ladies. a founding member and lifetime

member, she serves as our vice president. and the communications studies. at the universities can't. she's researched and talk about first ladies and the chapters on lady bird johnson, hillary clinton and michelle obama. adiana is a member and lifetime member and serves the organization as our treasure. communication of the college the early 19th century to the current date. in addition, she's published

several studies of hilly printing and a lifetime member. finally but certainly not least, doctor tammy, associate professor communications and senior associate being college communication at western university. rhetoric of republican motherhood and presidential nominees, 1992 for 2016 and michelle, first lady in a new era and identification walking in contemporary national convention address. tammy is a lifetime member, it's my pleasure to turn it over to nancy.

>> it's a pleasure to be here today and welcome all of our people. often tackled issues as leaders of society. no assigned duties, a podium is there and she chooses to use it. the presidential library of the national archives administration on first lady. these segments and speeches by barbara bush, hillary clinton, laura bush and michelle obama which is had a powerful impact.

a panel of experts will analyze this discussion. we can go to the next slide missus bush's humor and attitude are clearly shown in the she made june 1, 1990. she had not been the first choiced and it caused controvery on campus. [laughter] [cheering] number "the color purple", instead you got me.

known for the color of my hair. [laughter] i hope many of you will consider making special choices, larger than yourself. to get involved of the big ideas of our time, i honestly believe more people could read, write and comprehend we be that much closer to solving the problems in our nation and society. i made another choice which i hope you will make as well whether talking about education, career or service you're talking ndabout life and life doesn't he joy. it's supposed to be fun. one of the reasons i made the most important decision in my life to marry george bush, it

made me laugh. sometimes we left through tears but has been one of our strongest. find the joy in life. [laughter] life moves pretty fast and you don't stop and look around once in a while. [cheering] [laughter] the third choice is to cherish our human connection and family and friends. several years you have impressed upon your career, dedication and hard work and of course that's

true. it is your obligation as a doctor, lawyer, business leader, a human being first. spouses and children, and friends are the most important investments you will ever make. [applause] >> with will go to missus clinton. clearly a first lady with many different public roles one of which was to use her platform as first lady for equal rights for women. let's hear from her. >> it echoes forth from this conference human rights, women's rights and women's rights are human rights once and for all.

[applause] >> among those are to speak freely in the rights to be heard. must enjoy the rights to participate fully in social and political lives of their country if we want freedom and democracy to thrive and endure. it is indefensible women in organizations who wish to participate have not been able to attend or prohibited. [applause] the rights of people to assemble for the late and respecting the

views of those who may disagree with the views of the government. >> unexpected tragedy and a worldwide effort to focus on treatment of women and children during the week will first need to deliver.

i am laura bush and delivering children receiving support will. retreat half the country and the people of afghanistan, especially women and the rest of the world is discovering. young people are now nourished, one in every fourr children past the age of five of healthcare not available.

>> university students missing away to make education a priority and set an example. >> too many young people. today sitting on couches for hours playing video games and watching tv instead of dreaming of being a teacher or lawyer.

and let's be very clear, today getting an education is as important if not more and my husband has said often pleased to reject the plan and trying to reject. [cheering and applauding] in short, be an example of excellence for the next generation and do everything you can to help them t understand te power of a good education. >> we have now heard for segmentsts and has used the podm

on subjects as differential role of a woman in society on television, human rights and the importance of education. i'd like to turn over the panel to my good friend and colleague to start the discussion. >> thank you for joining me. you will see all three of us. as anthony said, probably an example for the speech and elephant, please put your questions, there's an e-mail addressing the question yo' don't have to ask just about these first ladies. when she started, whateverh

pushes beach a lot of controversy and she turned them down in the administration decided. i did a lot of research at the bush library in the papers i found related to they had originally decided they put the invitation in, they weren't aware of what had happened. they weren't even sure because they're going to be in town and she had another commitment in time. when we work on this speech, we worked on it and it wasn't much different. this speech was one of the top

100 speeches of the 20th century as was hillary clinton's speech. george w. bush did not in the top 100 so we aren't usually memorable and don't capture a lot ofti attention where they happen and this one got worldwide attention not to because of controversy but also the message. she was the last of the world war ii generation so why think this captured the attention of these women as they were not excitedo about getting where she was because of who she married?

>> go ahead if you would like to start. i think there are couple of things about the speech that make it worthwhile. one reason itt was captivating was possibly because it was h so unexpected, they have come in with a chip on their shoulder with expectations of what she could possibly say tond us and s built around the question of diversity embracing diversity and different kinds of ways. the conversation she did barbara bush made it so much more relatable to the women in the audience a broader audience because it was unexpected and they didn't think she would deliver much and she got so much of her personality as well and

demonstrated her ability to be thoughtful, engaging, respectful of they were and challenging them to be more in ways that so itnot have expected captivated thehe audience and to use different metaphors and a lot of wonderful lines and they were spontaneous. those moments were so endearing and reinforce the message she was trying to get across and it's a message thatus still endures. believing in something larger than y yourself and cherish humn connection in the way that she delivered it. >> i was alsote interested in te

fact that one thing does the speech is recognized the controversy. we've heard more in the beginning about "the color purple", she makes a joke about the color of her hair but there is a line in the beginning the said if she didn't see where she gets a shouto out to the class president, her new best friend, how she refers to her, you can only imagine -- and nancy, you probably know the answer to this, the question prior to them actually arriving on the scene on the podium tosh deliver the speechch clearly has spoken to e president about this earlier so she's trying toha do is she givs

a gentle reproach. she has this only in a way that barbara bush can do it in terms of her humor and self-deprecating humor and a bit of culture and she's very comfortable and informal but also it's very important that she had missus klobuchar with her.hi

the 21st ladies with her was a bear very powerful visual. in terms of historical memory as well. and things that hillary clinton picks up on and it dictated by whatever political whim of the day is that we are lucky we have these. it is remarkable for all of those reasons. >> she and the class president

had a phone call, she writes about this in her memoir and they had a phone call prior to her arriving and could be in the conversation and she talks about the conversation. >> when they were planning the speech where i was, a community college and when the students found out she was invited, 125 signed wanting it with strong, she asked the president before the diversity started so she did that as a way of deflecting the controversy and had done that ahead of time so they pulled in george bush's beach writers and

said even though we have the basic message that she didn't want to complain, explain or apologize in any way for any of this in one thing at the beginning she did you didn't see, you will have to watch the whole speech but she talked about the fact that she was invited along with her husband than her husband wasn't an ambassador yet but they were open. they jointly spoke and talked about how open and she went on to say you don't necessarily

understanden mine did. >> i was living/buildup.n [laughter] and she talked about what was originally whoever wanted to get married, they were getting married and they were getting the rs and the first company and she said now which of you will

achieve your personal societies? she said in one day you may be listening to another presidential staff and i wish him well and that got the standing ovation. >> a couple of quick notes, when she finishes, may your future be worthy of your dream, not societyso streams and enjoyed about the speech and read it and bubble up out of it each and every time it's a wonderful experience we had barbara bush

and hillary is the two potential the first ladies and they came up with barbara butch in the speech in the campaign and earlierr than half in response. >> workingng for secretary of state hillary clinton at the time she had one in middle school and one in high school and women cannot have it all.

i think of the speech, a woman of the state department and 20 years later was saying basically only have to t be your choice. then we get to hillary clinton and the scott reviews worldwide and does was a speech that set her on a path for independent careers and independent thinking and her own stage on world seems so what are your reactions? >> one thing about hillary is

she had sympathetic, i guess you would say internationally when she did domestically she did spend a lot of time after that helped and we could go into the but after that, they were referring to the fact that she is making herself publicly availableti the time before the healthcare fell apart but she started with albright, known as vital voices, one of the main things they did was call

attention to women seeking ways out of poverty and getting through education and also small business loans and modeling albright did a terrific team would go into a country and give a speech and get people excited about this and they set up this program to givecr to women evens small as $100, if that's what a particular woman in a particular place needed, access to a bank account, she did that for several years. i think close to four between

the two terms her husband was in office. this was minimal coverage wasn't paying attention to her and what she's doings, internationally. yes, china, signature speech for women's rights and international trelations she set out to accomplish these things on her way there, one was to call attention to the miserable record on human rights and that freedom she had but she had an audience that was sympathetic

and delivered the 20th century on that occasion. >> to jump in, one thing i thought interesting, the coverage of this particular speech and many people said she could not stay because of the rocky relationship going on between u.s. and china. enacting the rights timing for everyone and the line, the right to be heard so for her to say that, not t supposed to be able was even more moving.

it was just about perfect, i can't imagine how she could have delivered it any better in terms of reinforcing the notion of what feels they should be the common notion of women's rights or human rights, women are human and to have to say it has to be frustrating and to say it when you're not supposed to has to be liberating so part ofr why this speech resonated beyond the moment. >> in the review of the coverage of the speech how little there was in the united states,

regular press coverage, it's not until u later it becomes such a defining moment for her. >> definitely after the fact. >> the 20th anniversary there were articles and stories on major networks and at 25 years therefore more so this deserves to be a top 100 everybody thought this was just about women, it should something women wantedde and that declaration hs

never been said and that kind of way so let me ask a couple of other questions, one thing first ladies can do is speak about something in way many presidents cannot and this was one of them, can you think of other examples where first ladies talk about something they have this role for? >> i know laura bush, especially toward the end of her husband's second term, she went out on her own and spoke on issues that were not traditionally affiliated with her such as a

woman's right to choose, i don't think she ever came out and advocated for that but certainly her work with skinny women she definitely pushed the boundaries george was not able to. t the other thing about laura bush and having this ability and it's the fact that she's the mother of two young women experiencing a lot of things for the first time, college choice and once in college barbara bush junior enjoyed her time in college and

was a little b more serious but she had that experience and could talk about young women in their choices so that is one example. >> i would add to that,al barbaa bush when she started to talk about finally finding her voice because she was so reserved about sharing her political opinion and in theta 1992 campan to started to do things like reframing the notion of family values when her husband could only stick to traditional family values because that's what the republican party was talking about, barbara bush started to weeping family is the kind of family you are part of so she extended the notion of what family could mean an extended the idea what traditional family values should mean outside of

the traditional values and that's where barbara bush credibility to expand the conversation. >> hillary could do some things her husband couldn't do one of the things first ladies do, an excellent example but the relationship in the speechh and with bill clinton's foreign policy. >> hillary was an asset to fill especially second term in so many ways not the least of which was in his foreign policy. has never been n shy taking of s

admiration for how sharp she is politically and intellectually and i think suspicion was made, obviously have to spend more time researching but the decision was probably made that she had made herself, she talked about this in her first book, the decision, and people at home are not appreciative of her intellect, political will and all of that, she would go out there and as i said, a lot more sympathy and understanding

outside the unitedte states than she did within especially second term and we know second term is where clinton's credibility is it related to the impeachment, hillary is creating this wonderful thing to herself and setting herself up to be an effective secretary of state developing relationships and establishing her image learning more about different cultural norms, cultivating her own position even though she may not

have thought about it as secretary of state but thinking about where she was going next so probably a good thing she did but it's an excellent she did. >> the speech got attention up until a few yearsut ago and whas happening in afghanistan which brings us to laura bush and when i listened, why do you think they selected her to give the speech done before thanksgiving and the latter part of the speech she talks about that and it's maternal to where we are postst 9/11 so they selected her to do this address. >> laura bush was a well-liked

first lady and a very relatable personon. we would they buy identification, she was very relatable. her husband's campaign for each election cycle, people liked her and felt her compassion after 9/11 and before that, she came across as genuine so this particular speech she has the credibility of being a maternal figure from the nation and the credibility of having established herself so having her draw attention from personal to her, a strong personal

interest in that comes pouring out of her the way that she talkser in other instances about the situation in the great decision to have her address the nation and mostly based on who she was. >> i think particularly the fact that it was so close to thanksgiving and we are talking about the first major quote family holiday were facing americans at the time and bush had pretty much stuck to the background while george bush got through those first few weeks after the attacks on 9/11 but when she stepped forward again, she stepped forward as partner

and spouse and it was a persona she established as good choice on this part. and continued since they left office. it's given her the ability to speak out since we have two withdrawal and there are so many first ladies because they established those connections and it is for some reason.

you have a question or comment, these send it to the questions, all of one word. fla re --@gmail.com. you talked about the maternal peace laura bush used that effectively and michelle obama came in, harvard educated major law firm and move things

forward. military families and children. what about this particular speech, why was the only at shel nexth only michelle obama could give the speech. >> it was a very powerful speech to a specific audience, already recognizing it's going to be a speech by past, and an enormous amount of speaking but she was

speaking to black college grads and it was really important for her and only a speech she could give as the first black first lady. almost as i mentioned barbara bush, it's almost as if she is chiding them, her audience. we cannot equate a black child to black and white. some of themt bold and i don't think first lady could have delivered those. she recognized her audience in a

very powerful way. >> i think it's interesting in that i understand, i think she is chiding the broader audience. i just graduated from college and you have a space in this world. and they are and it's interesting and i was reading through youtube responses and

they were able to give the speech, the actual speech itself and people commented on that where it got real. fast-forward to this and what she was saying and the passion behind it and i think it's one thing michelle obama was very good at saying what she feels in a way that lets everybody feel in this particular speech. the kind of hope and reassurance in the specific audience in the broader audience and michelle

obama was an effective speech or. >> they were reading books are going to college or getting ati degree so able to identify, they could definitely identify. especially to the state or a high school, african-american high school was her own story of a counselor telling her she wasn't good enough. she says don't let anyone do that to you and it's a common message, she doesn't shy away

and she did it very effectively. before we bring this back one of the other things interesting about michelle obama's she didn't rely on traditional media to get her story out. she used nancy reagan started showing up on different strokes and she was doing cameos on multiple running forces, how many times does a wonderful video of sending out a first tweet and she was everywhere.

she sidestepped and was able to tell her story and create her need narrative. >> i have found it interesting you bring that up because the most recentce thing published ws looking at her relationship with her secretary's in a different term and early on first term, one of her press secretaries of the time wanted her to do exactly those kinds of things like nancy reagan. one thing she wanted hillary to do was i think it was tool time, i think that was the end, tool

time was tim taylor, a very popular sitcom at the time. a fascinating document in the slibrary this whole media strategy using popular culture, of course it wasn't instagram or facebook when hillary was first lady but the idea of going around mainstream media to create a more likable image both president and first lady elected officials have done. >> are first lady supported appropriate coverage by media?

>> i think it depends on the first lady becausest some go bak to their lives. first ladies don't always choose this position, they choose how they connected but women who have been in this position for a while have on them so some don't necessarily want to be in the limelight "afterwards" to they take some time away. and able to garner and use it for a lot of kinds to draw attention to the issues and chapter and was more attention during trump's time doesn't have any problem after leaving the

whitee house in some argue she didn't receive enough attention because of the argument. >> the coverage of first lady is not the same white house communications it does not cover consistently first lady speeches or appearances. we are wondering whether isn't the reference picking it up from news media i think it's interesting over time speeches

have powerful effects and it's pointed out it would be nice to have a more formal process of what was covered sort of like the papers and first lady. part of that is coverage. >> i think we have another possible program here, first ladies have used media and she would make comments and she created that. the first radio address hinted several of them and eleanor

roosevelt did agree have battles and we have about four minutes. and it was george bush's suggestion to be addressed on the topic of afghan women. president bush was the one who thought was right. michelle obama's beach in new hampshire in response to the hollywood access. >> when they go below, we go hi speech, i had an incredible opportunity to watch that speech, communication and gender

and everyone was talking about it. we watched it later on and it was great. in talking about michelle obama and you probably remember that that was something only michelle could have given at that time. talk to african-americans, the south and covered more

mainstream groups so the user forr specific reason in that campaign. >> i want to make three quick points. i asked if she ever considered not going because of the controversy she said no, absolutely not. it never went through my mind. never. the same speech was given at the university of pennsylvania but there wasn't that level of interest at that time. i had a teaching colleague in the audience and she said, you

may remember this, the location of the speech was moved the day of the speech so they couldn't cover it. with media being shunted away and my third, betty ford ends up saying things her husband could never have said. i think she is a good example. i enjoyed all of your comments, they are spot on and the first lady and her coverage.. >> who decided to move the

location? >> according to my colleague, it was an official decision by some level, this comic mindset there was no mention of missus clinton's speech in the coverage in china, nothing. >> we've reached 530 and we promised to let you out in an hour but thank youne for everyoe who has joined us. ...

and if you click onth that it will take you and all of our programs will be on there. you can also find it a lot about what we're doing with flair, a lot of educational material on there, a lot of interesting information.ha we also hope you might consider becoming a member. thank you for putting the speeches together. goodbye to everybody. >> thank you very much. >> goodbye. >> american history tv saturdays on c-span2, exploit the people and events that tell the american story. 7 p.m. eastern best-selling author david grant shares his book the wager about the mid-18th century battleship of

the court-martial that followed. at 10:30 p.m. eastern south dakota republican governor kristi noem on the presidency of calvin coolidge and the lessons she sees for contemporary politics. exploring the american story. watch american history tv saturdays on c-span2 and find a full schedule under progr guide our watch online anytime at c-span.org/history. >> if you're enjoying american history tv then signed up for newsletters using the qr code on the screen to receive the weekly schedule of upcoming programs, like lectures in history, the presidency, and more. sign-up for the american history tv newsletter today and be sure to watch american american history tv every saturday or anytime online at c-span.org/history. >> weekends on c-span2 on intellectual feast.