there because they want to enhance people's reputations, but there is not any evidence whatsoever. >> abigail fillmore died in the famous willard hotel just very shortly after the inauguration of their successor, franklin pierce. tweets about the barbara bush connection, telling us her name was actually per se. weekpierce. was thanks to both of our guests for being here. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013]

>> next week, first ladies features and jayne pearce, the wife of franklin pierce. jane per se's time in the white house was defined by her grief over the deaths of her three sons, the last killed while sitting with his parents at a train derailment. we'll see how that affected her life and her husband's presidency. harriet lane was a frequent hostess, a fashion trendsetter,

and a strong lobbyist for native american rights. on more on jane pierce and , live monday at 9:00 p.m. eastern. our website has more about the first ladies, including a special section, welcome to the white house. it chronicles life in the executive mansion during the tenure of the to the first ladies. we are offering a special edition of the book, first ladies of the united states of america, presenting a biography and portrait of each first lady. for theailable discounted price of $12.95 plus shipping that c- span.org/products.

>> c-span, created by america's cable companies in 1979, brought to you as a public service by your television provider. >> up next, remarks from former secretary of state and first lady hillary clinton. obama was in connecticut today, talking about gun violence and gun legislation. you can watch our first lady's program again tonight at midnight eastern. >> in a speech friday, elrich lynn talked about women's education and business initiatives in developing countries. the former first lady and york center spoke at the women and world summit in new york city. she was introduced by tina brown. this is 35 minutes. [applause] >> welcome everybody to the

women of the world summit. [applause] incredible night last night with meryl streep and angelina jolie, and those amazing women from pakistan. today we will bring you some extraordinary women telling extraordinary stories. of course, the most extraordinary of all is standing right next to me. [applause] she lets you hear her amazing words today, i want you to conjure up an image. this image of a solitary woman in a house in rangoon. throughout her long years under house arrest in burma, separated from her husband and her two young boys, the heroic dissidents aung san suu kyi was sustained by poster she put up

on her wall. was a poster from the 1995 united nations first world conference on women in beijing. it was signed by the woman whose words at that conference served to motivate millions of others. you know those words first uttered by hillary clinton wearing that pink first lady suit at the podium in beijing. she said it there is one message that echoes from the conference, let it be that human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights, once and for all. applause]d hillary clinton spoke those words, killed in the patriarchal power struggle were ready to hear them. there were still were prepared

for the earth words to reverberate through to succeeding decades. we hear there and go in the voice of one of our co hearst's, the fearless somali doctor who has created a safe and peaceful civil society on her family's lanford tens of thousands of internally displaced people. from a woman who survived rape and testified against the evils of rape. heart wrenchingly vulnerable, gets the lead malala, who had not even been born when hillary spoke in somalia. how dare the taliban and take away my basic right to education? hillary rodham clinton spoke truth to power, but she did not leave it that. she has worked to recast the

conversation in both work and deed. so often she was working unseen, and private, individual groups of women in the world's most challenging places. -- ultimate old boys' club one of the finest minds of the 12th century. as america secretary of state, she made women's rights and therefore human rights a central focus. not a afterthought, sidebar -- central. she issued directive to all embassies of the strategic imperative of advancing women's equality. well in 2011, when we liberate the economic potential of women, we elevate the economic performance of nations and the world.

refrained at the whole conversation about the advancement of women. first establish that women's rights are human rights, then explained that i and shackling women is just good business. the big question about hillary is, what is next? [applause] >> i did not mean that in the way that every political handicapper me that, of course. will her agenda for women maintain its momentum now that she has moved on from the state department? what is next, for all of us here today, and the millions that she has inspired? hillary's words in beijing jolted the 17 years ago. they seem obvious now, but

aren't all eternal truths self evident once someone has the work to speak them echoed and so it is with great pride that i welcome to this podium the woman who spoke the truth that all men and women are created equal, the honorable hillary rodham clinton. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you so much. what a wonderful occasion for me to be back here, the for the women in the world conference that i have been privileged to attend, introduced by the founder and creator and my friend, tina brown. when one thinks about this annual conference, it really is

intended to -- and i believe has -- focused attention on the global challenges facing women from equal rights and education to human slavery, literacy, the power of the media and technology to affect change in women, and so much else. for that i thank tina and a great team that she has worked with in order to produce this conference and the effects it has created. it has been such an honor to work with all of you over the years, although it is hard to see from up here and out into the audience. i did see some places and i know that this is an occasion as well for so many friends and colleagues to come together and take stock of where we stand and what more needs to be done in advancing the great unfinished

business of the 21st century, the rights and opportunities for women and girls. now this is an unfinished war around the world. this is an unfinished around the world. many women are treated at best as second-class citizens, and at worst as some kind of subhuman species. those of you who read their last night's all that remarkable ,ilm that interviewed men primarily in pakistan, talking very honestly about their intention to continue to control the women in their lives and their reach. but the business is also a unfinished here at home in the united states. we have come so far together, but there is still work to be done. believed thatays victims, we are

agents of change. we are drivers of progress. we are makers of peace. [applause] all we need is a fighting chance. and that firm faith in the untapped potential of women at hond rauworld has been at the heart of my work i entire entire life, from college and law school, from arkansas to the white house to the senate. when i became secretary of state, i was determined to weave this perspective even deeper into the fabric of american foreign policy. i coulded to do that not just preach to the usual choir. that we had to reach out, not only to men in solidarity and recruitment, but to religious

communities, to every partner we could find. to theto make the case whole world that creating opportunities for women and girls advances security and prosperity for everyone. the empiricaln research that shows that when women participate in the economy, everyone benefits. with women -- when women participate in peacemaking and peacekeeping, we are all sacred and more secure. and when women participate in the politics of their nation, they can make a difference. but as strong a case as we have made, to many otherwise thoughtful people continue to see the fortunes of women and from as somehow separate society at large. smile, and then

they relegate these issues, once again, to the sidelines. i seen it over and over again. -- i have seen it over and over again. i have been kidded about it. i have been ribbed, i have been challenged in board rooms and official offices across the world. to give women and --ls a fighting chance is it is not a nice thing to do. luxury that we get to when we have time on our hands. -- turn to spend doing that. this is a core imperative. for every human being and every society. thee do not continue

campaign for women's rights and opportunities, the world we want to live in, the countries that we all love and cherish will not be what it should be. it is no coincidence that so many of the countries that threaten regional and global peace are the very places where women are deprived of dignity and opportunity. think of the young women from northern mali to afghanistan whose schools have been destroyed, or the girls across africa, the middle east, and south asia who have been condemned to child marriage. or the refugees of the conflicts who eastern, go to syria endured rape and deprivation as weapons of war.

it is no coincidence that so many of the countries where the rule of law and democracy are struggling to take root are the same places where women and girls cannot participate as full and equal citizens. like in egypt, where women stood on the front lines of the revolution but are now being denied their seats at the table , and face a rising tide of sexual violence. it is no coincidence that so many of the country's making the leap from poverty to prosperity are places now grappling with how to empower women. i think it is one of the of unanswered questions of the rest of this century as to whether countries like china and india can sustain their growth and a true global economic

powers. much of that depends on what happens with women and girls. now, none of these are coincidences', but instead, they demonstrate -- and your presence here today confirms -- that we are meeting at a remarkable moment of confluence. because in countries and communities across the globe where, for generations, violence against women has gone unchecked, opportunity and dignity virtually unknown, there a a powerful new current, grass-roots activism stirring. events tooby outrageous to ignore, and enable by new technologies that give women and girls voices like never before. [applause] to seizehy it we need

this moment, but we need to be thoughtful and smart and savvy about what this moment really offers to us. many of us have been working, advocating, and fighting for women and girls more decades and we care to remember. think we can and should be proud of what we have achieved. conferences like this have been part of that progress. but let's recognize much of our advocacy is still rooted in a 20th century, top-down frame. the world is changing beneath our feet, and it is past time to embrace a 21st century approached to advancing the rights and opportunities that women and girls at home and across the globe. [applause] about it. you know, technology, from

satellite television to sell bonds, from twitter to tumblr, is helping to bring abuses out of the shadows and into the center of global consciousness. think of the wyman in that blue bra been in tahrir square. think of that 6-year-old and afghanistan about to be sold into marriage to settle a family debt. ,ust as importantly technological changes are helping inspire, organize, and empower grass-roots activists. isave seen this, and that where progress is coming from, and where our support is needed. we have a tremendous stake in the outcomes of these efforts. today more than ever, we see clearly that the fate of women and girls far from here is tied

up with the greatest security and economic challenges of our time. consider pakistan, a proud country with a rich history that recently marked a milestone in its democratic development and a civilian government completed its first full term. for the very first time. thatt is no secret pakistan is played by many ills. violent extremism, sectarian conflict, poverty, energy shortages, corruption, weak democratic institutions. it is a combustible mix, and more than 30,000 pakistanis have been killed by terrorists in the last decade. of women inon pakistan exacerbates all of these problems.

more than 5 million children do not attend school, and two- thirds of them are girls. the taliban insurgency has made the situation even worse. has set and reminded us, we live in the 21st century. how can we be deprived from education? she went on to say, i have the right to play. i have the right to sing. i have the right to talk. i have the right to go to market. i have the right to speak out. wouldny of us here today have that kind of courage? the taliban recognized this young girl, 14 at the time, as a serious threat. and you know what? they were right. she was a threat. [applause]

extremism bribes amid ignorance and anger -- tribes of mid ignorance and anger, intimidation and cowardice. said, if this new generation is not given pens, they will be given guns. but the taliban miscalculated. they thought if they silenced her, and thank god they didn't, that not only she but her cause would die. but instead, they inspired millions of pakistanis to finally say enough is enough. you heard it directly from those two brave young pakistani women yesterday, and they are not alone. people marched in the streets. they signed petitions demanding that every pakistani child, boys and girls alike, have the opportunity to attend school. that in itself was a rebuke to

extremist and their ideology. i am well aware that improving life for pakistani women is not a panacea. but it is impossible to imagine making real progress on that country's other problems, especially violent extremism, without tapping the talent and addressing the needs of pakistan's women, including reducing corruption, in the culture of impunity, expanding access to education, to credit, to all the tools that give a woman or a man the chance to make the most of their own life and dreams. none of this will be easy in pakistan or anywhere else, but the grassroots response to malala's shooting gives us hope for the future. again and again we have seen women drive progress. in northern ireland, catholic

and protestant women like i am as mccormack came together to demand an end to the trouble and helped usher in the good friday accord. in liberia, women marched in protest it until the country's warlords agreed to in their civil war. to, prayed the devil back and they twice elected ellen johnson is our lead as the first woman president in africa. an organization called sisters against violent extremism now connects women in more than a dozen countries who have risked their lives to tell the terrorist that are not welcome in their community. so the next time you hear someone say the fate of women and girls is not a core national security issue, it's not one of those hard issues that really smart people deal with, remind , the extremist understand

the stakes of this struggle. they know that when women are liberated, so our entire societies. we must understand this, too, and not only understand it, but act on it. -- doruggles to not end attemptwhen countries the transition to democracy. we have seen that very clearly the last few years. many millions, including many of us, were inspired and encouraged by the way women and men work together during the revolutions in places like egypt, tunisia, and libya. but we know that all over the world, when the dust settles, too often women's gains are lost to better organized, more powerful forces of repression.

we see women still marginalized and shut out of decision making. activists being targeted by organized campaign of violence and intimidation. but still, so many brave activists, women and men alike, continue to advocate for equality and dignity for all egyptians, two nations, and libyans. they know the only way to realize the promise of the arab spring is with and through the full participation of half the population. [applause] true in politics is also true in economics. in the years ahead, a number of rapidly developing nations are poised to reshape the global economy, live to millions out of poverty and into the middle class. this will be good for them and good for us. it will create vast new markets

and trading partners. but no country can achieve its full economic potential when women are left out or left behind. a fact underscored the day after day, and most recently to meet, so tragically in india. concerning leon, 23-year-old woman brutally beaten and raped on a delhi bus last december. she was from a poor farming family, but like so many women climbn, she wanted to that economic ladder. she had aspirations for her life. she studied all day to, physical therapist. then she went to work at a call center in the evening. she slept two or three hours a night. the president of india described

newas a symbol of all that india strives to be. theif her life embodied aspirations of a rising nation, her death, her murder, pointed to the many challenges still holding it back. a culture of rape is tied up with a broader set of problems, official corruption, illiteracy, inadequate education, loss, tradition, customs, culture that prevent women from being seen as equal human beings. places,ion, in many india and china of being the leaders, a skewed in gender balance with many more men than women, which contributes to human trafficking, child marriage, and other abuses that dehumanize women and corrode society. so millions of indians took to the streets in 2011.

they protested corruption. in 2012, after the delhi gan rape, the two causes merge. demands for stronger measures against break were caused -- called for better policing for and india that could protect all of its citizens and deliver the opportunities they deserve. the have called that indians' spring. as the protesters understood, india will rise or fall with its women. it has had a tradition of strong women leaders, but those women leaders, like women leaders around the world, who become presidents or prime ministers or foreign ministers or heads of corporations, cannot be seen as tokens that give everybody else in society the chance to say, we have taken care of our women. [applause]

so any country that wants to rise economically and improve productivity needs to open the doors. america and the caribbean have steadily increased participation since the 1990's and account for more than half of the workers. the world bank estimated that extreme poverty has decreased by 30% as a result. in the united states, american women went from holding 30% of jobs 40 years ago to nearly 48% today. the productivity gains attributed to this increase account for more than $3.50 trillion in gdp growth under those four decades. similarly, a fast-growing asian economies could boost their per- capita income by as much as 14% by 2020 if they brought more women into the workforce.

old and traditions that black women hold back entire societies. -- that hold back women hold back entire societies. since i started talking about this using great data from the world bank and private sector analyses, there were doubters. that debate is over. opening the door to one's economy for women will make a difference. i want to conclude with the unfinished business we face here at home. challenges and opportunities i have outlined today are not just for people of the developing world. too, ifmust face them, we want to continue leading the world. traveling the globe over the last four years reaffirmed and deepened my pride in my country

and the ideals we represent. it also challenged me to think about who we are and the values we are supposed to be living here at home in order to represent a broabroad. prosperity, freedom, and equality is not a birthright. it must be earned by every generation. [applause] yes, we have american women at the high levels of business, academia, government, but as we have seen in recent months, we are still asking age-old questions about having to make a woman's way in a male-dominated field. the economist magazine recently published what it called a glass ceiling in >>.

-- index. ranking countries with equal pay. the united states was not even in the top 10. recent studies have found that on average, women with shorter lives -- live shorter lives in america than any other industrialized country. think about that for the minute. we are the richest and most powerful country in the world but many american women are living shorter lives than their mothers, especially those with the least education. that is a historic reversal that rivals the decline in life expectancy for russian men after the disintegration after the sovietof the soviet union. prescription drug overdose has

spiked, smoking, obesity, poverty. for too many women, the dream of upward mobility, the american dream remains elusive. that is not the way it is supposed to be. i think of these extraordinary sacrifices that my mother made to give me not only life, but opportunity along with love and inspiration. owni am very proud of my daughter. i look at all these young women that i am privileged to work with or no through chelsea -- know through chelsea. it is hard to imagine turning the clock back on them. in america, the clock is turning back. but we have work to do.

reeling vitality and strengthening leadership will take the energy and talent of all our people, women and men alike. we need to learn from the women of the world that have blazed a new path and develop solutions on everything from economic development to education to environmental protection. if america is going to lead, we need to catch up with so much of the rest of the world and ratified the u.n. convention on the elimination of all discrimination against women. [applause] if america is going to lead, we need to stand by the women of afghanistan after our combat troops come home. [applause] for all thespeak up women working to realize the promise of the arab spring. we need to do more to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of mothers that die every year

through preventable causes and so much more. if america is going to lead the way, we expect ourselves to empower women at home. to participate fully in the economy and society. we need to make equal pay a reality. we need to expand family and medical leave benefits to more workers. we need to encourage more women and girls to pursue careers in math and science. we need to invest in our people. that is how america will lead in the world. let's live up to the wisdom of every mother and father. there is no limit of how big she can dream and how much she can achieve. this truly is the unfinished

business of the twenty first century. and it is the work that we are called the dew. -- to do. i look forward to being your partner in the days and years ahead. let's fight for opportunity and dignity. let's fight for freedom and equality. let's keep fighting for full participation and let's keep telling the world over and over again that yes, women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights. once and for all. thank you all so much. [applause] khank you, thank you, than you. thank you. >> we like to think it is an

important book in a sense of how the court works. what is the process? how do they go about this? what are they saying to one another? these cases that split the court 5-4, what do they really think? it is not just about capital punishment, it is about how the court operates. >> when you dig into the notes of the library of congress, the notes back and forth between the justices are available. i am a lawyer, i plead not guilty or whatever you guys do. the reservations about capital punishment. >> martin clancy added jim o'brien on the capital punishment cases that have been assigned to the supreme court. part of book tv this weekend on

c-span to. president obama traveled to connecticut on monday to talk about gun legislation. last week, connecticut gov. dan mollet aside new gun legislation in the state. president obama urged an up or down vote on the gun bill in congress. the president is introduced by the mother of a boy killed in the school shooting. this is about 30 minutes. >> good afternoon. my name is nicole hockley. stan in with me is my husband dan. we have two sons. jake is eight years old and a third grader at sandy hook elementary school. our younger son was murdered in his first grade classroom less than four months ago. 12/14, you would find

me preparing dinner for my boys. helping them with homework or taking them to karate class. my world changed completely that day. 20 of our children, six of our educators, gone. for some in our country, the wave of that initial in english may appear to have diminished. but the ripples continue to be felt in connecticut and across the united states. before and since, will have died from gun violence. what law-abiding citizen whether they are a gun owner or not does not want to address this and save lives? when i used to see terrible tragedies, i would be upset and wonder what i could do. and if i became focused again on the details of my life, i would start to forget and i would turn

away. that is my daily routine. now there is no going back. for me, there is no turning away. if you want to protect your children or avoid this law, you will not turn away either. do something before our tragedy becomes your tragedy. now is the time to speak and make your voice heard. there is much we have to do to prevent catastrophes like the one at sandy hook. to encourage mental health and help strengthen families and communities. the task before us this week is to convince the senate to come together and pass common sense about responsibility legislation that will make our communities safer. [applause]

before last month, i had never made a case for the legislature. we approached the connecticut legislature with love and logic. and they listened. they responded with respect and the strongest gun responsibility legislation in the nation. [applause] my expectations for congress are high. i believe that with that same approach of love and logic, congress will be persuaded to act. for days after dillon was killed, i was filled with a grief.- with hollow and empty from the shock of losing my precious boy and there are still days where i

feel like that. but sometimes the waves of sadness are so great, they threaten to drown me. i ask you to stand with me. those in sandy hook and those of .ll the other towns let this be the moment when real change begins. let this be the beginning of turning tragedy and the transformation. that is what the president is doing. [applause] that is what the president is doing and that is why it gives me great pleasure to introduce him now. the president of the united states, barack obama. [applause]

>> hello, conn. ecticut. well, thank you so much, everybody. let me begin by thanking nicole for your brave words. [applause]

i want to thank them and all of the new town families that have --e here today, including nobody could be more eloquent. than nicole and the other families on this issue. we are encouraged by their willingness to share their stories again and again, understanding that nothing will be more important in making sure that congress moves forward this week. i want to thank all of the hooktors from sandy

elementary that have come here as well. [applause] the survivors -- i love you back. still mourn and grieve and are still going to work every day to love and raise those precious children in their care. malloyto thank governor for his leadership. i am very proud of him. i want to thank the university of hartford. applause]d and i want to thank the people

of connecticut for everything you have done to honor the , you are part of their family as well. was a your recent alumni behavioral therapists. alumni from the performing arts school lost their daughter. an incredible and vibrant young girl that looked up to them by singing before that she could she could talk. every family was shaken. it we hug our kids more tightly and wondered what we could do as a society to make sure that we prevent that from happening again. theecided that we have

change. he we must. i noticed that nicole and others refer to that day as 12/14. for these families, it was the day that changed everything. many have you wondered if the rest of us would live up to the promise that we made in those dark days. change or once the television trucks left and once the teddy bears were gathered up, that the country would somehow move on to other things. francine lost her son that day. in the months since the tragedy, it might feel like a brief

moment and it feels like years. she is determined to not let what happened that day fadeaway. we are not going anywhere. we're going to be here. i know that she speaks for everybody that was impacted. we want you to know that we are here with you. we will not walk away from the promises we made. we are determined as ever to do what must be done. i am here to ask you to help me show that we can get it done. we are not forgetting.

[applause] we can't forget. your family is grieving in a way that most of us can't comprehend. but so much of you have used that brief to make a difference. not just honor your run children but to protect the lives of all of your children. just to honor your own children but to protect the lives of all of our children. as citizens determined to write something -- right something gone wrong. your conn leaders responded. at the legislature passed new measures to protect more of our children and our communities from gun violence. and governor malloy sign that legislation into law. [applause]

i want to be clear. you, the families of newtown, people across connecticut, you helped make that happen. your voices and determination made that happen. obviously, the elected leaders didn't extraordinary job moving it forward, but it could not have happened if they were not hearing from people who in their respective districts. people all across the state. voice. the power of your by the way, connecticut is not alone. n.y., colorado, maryland, they all passed common-sense safety reforms as well. [applause] shareare all states that

familiarity with gun violence, whether it is the horror of mass killings or street crimes that is to, in every neighborhood. -- that is too common in every neighborhood. got ownership and sport hunting have been part of the fabric of people's lives for generations. conn realized we can protect citizens from gun violence while still protecting our second amendment rights. those two things don't contradict each other. we just pass common-sense laws to protect our kids and protect our rights. connecticut has shown the way. now was the time for congress to do the same. time for congress to do the same, this week.

it is time for congress to do the same. [applause] back in january, just a few months after the tragedy in series of announced a executive actions to keep our kids safe. and i put forward common-sense proposals much like those the past here in connecticut for congress to consider. remember my state of the union address. i urge congress to give those proposals a vote. that moment is now. as soon as this week, congress will begin debating these common-sense proposals to reduce

gun violence. your senators dick blumenthal and chris murph yar ehere. -- murphy are here. your representatives are all pushing to pass this legislation. [applause] but much of congress is only going that act if they hear from you, the american people. here is what we have to do. i appreciate that. here is what we have got to do. we have to tell congress is time to require a background check

for anyone who wants to buy a gun so that people who are dangerous to themselves and others cannot get their hands on a gun. let's make that happen. we have to tell congress is time to crack down on gun trafficking so that folks will think twice. let's get that done. we have to tell congress it is time to restore the ban on military style weapons to make it harder for a gunman to fire

bullets in less than five minutes. let's put that to a vote. [applause] we have to tell congress is time to strengthen school safety and help people get the treatment they need before it is too late. i know some of these proposals inspire more debate than others. but each of them has the support of the majority of the american people. all of them are common sense, all of them deserved a vote.

consider background checks. background checks have kept more than 2 million dangerous people from getting their hands on a gun. a group of police officers told me that the next to background checks, they have been able to stop convicted murderers, folks under restraining orders for committing violent domestic abuse from buying a gun. in some cases, they have actually are rest of the person as they were coming to purchase a gun. we know the background checks can work. loopholes led some many people avoid background checks altogether. that does not make sense. if you are a law-abiding citizen

and you go through a background check, wouldn't you expect other people to play by the same rules? abiding guna law- seller, wouldn't you want to know you are not selling your guns to someone who is likely to commit a crime? may get harder, not commit --r someone convicted of domestic abuse to get his hands on a dime? gun? 90% of americans think so. 90% of americans support universal background checks. 90% of americans agree on anything? and yet, they agree on this.

80% of republicans, more than 80% of gun owners, more than 70% of nra households. it is common sense. and there is only one thing that can stand in the way of change. that is politics in washington. you would think that with those numbers, congress would rush to make this happen. that is what you would think. if our democracy is working the in theis supposed to, wake of a tragedy, you would think this would not be a heavy lift. yet, some folks in washington are floating the idea that they may use political

stunts to prevent votes on any of these reforms. think about that. they are not saying they will vote no on ideas, they are saying that they will prevent votes on these provisions. they are saying your opinion doesn't matter. we need a vote. >> we want a vote ! we want a vote! [chanting] >> we need a vote. i have also heard some in the

washington press suggest that what happens this week will either be a political victory or defeat for me. this is not about me. this is not about politics. this is about doing the right thing for all the families that are here had torn apart by gun violence. it is about all the family is going forward so we can prevent this from happening again. that is what is about. the law officials putting their lives at risk. that is what this is about. this is not about politics. [applause] this is not about politics.

this is about these families, and families all across the country. make it aaying let's little harder for our kids to get guns. when i said that these proposals deserve a vote, the families of newtown, aurora, tucson, and a former member of congress, they all deserve a vote. virtually every member of that chamber stood up and applauded. now they will start denying your families a vote when the cameras are off and the lobbyists work what they do? you deserve better than that. you deserve a vote. we knew that change would not be easy.

we knew that there would be powerful interests that are very good at confusing the subject. they are good at amplifying conflict and extremes. they're good at rational debate, getting irrational fears that stand in the way of progress. if history teaches us anything, it is up to us, the people, to stand up to those that say we can't or we won't. stand up for the change that we need. and i believe that is what the american people are looking for. when i first ran for this office, i said i did not believe our country is as divided as the politics suggests.

cablemes when you watch news or talk radio, you browse the internet, you think that everybody hates each other. everybody is at each other's throats. that is not how most americans think about these issues. there are good people on both sides of every issue. if we are going to move forward, we have to listen to one another. tot is why they are able pass bipartisan legislation. [applause] i've got stacks of letters from gun owners that let me know that they care passionately about their right to bear arms. i appreciate everyone of those letters and i have learned from them. they are not just gun owners, their parents, police officers,

veterans, and they agree that we can't stand by and keep letting these tragedies happen. there are responsibilities and obligations. we can't think about us. we think about the people. i was in colorado and told the story about michelle that back from iowa. sometimes it would be miles between farms. coming back, i can understand why somebody would want a gun for protection. if somebody drove up into the driveway and you were tomn't ho, i'd want that security. she can understand what it might be like for wanting that kind of security. i spoke to a hunter last week that said my experience with

guns has been positive but i realize for others, their experience has been negative. the mom who's son was killed in a random shooting, she told me, i hate it that my son was in the wrong place at the wrong time. he was on his way to school. he was exactly where he was supposed to be. and he still got shot. wereids at sandy hook where they were supposed to be. so were the moviegoers in aurora. so were the worshipers and gaby listening to the concerns of her constituents. they were exactly where they were supposed to be. they were also exercising their rights.

efully.ing peac shipping freely and safely. exercising their rights for life and liberty, the pursuit of happiness. reconcile those two things. have toamerica doesn't be divided between rural and urban and a democrat and republican when it comes to something like this. if you are an american that wants to do something to prevent families from knowing the a measurable anguish that these weilies have gone through, have to act. now is the time to get engaged. now is the time to get involved, push back on fear, frustration, misinformation. it is time to make your voice heard from every state house to the corridors of congress.

i am asking everyone listening today to find out where your member of congress stands on this. if they are not part of the 90% of americans that agree on background checks, ask them why not? why wouldn't you want to make it easier for law enforcement to do their job? why wouldn't you want to make it harder for dangerous people to get their hands on guns? what is more important to you? fromhildren or an a-grade the gun lobby? [applause] heard nicole talk about what her life has been like since dillon was taken from her

in december. one thing she said struck me. toery night, i beg for him come to me in my dreams so i can see him again. i focus on what i need to do to honor him and make change. can summon the courage to do that, how can the rest of us do any less? how can we do any less? if there is even one thing we can do to protect our kids, don't we have the obligation to try? if there is one step we can take to keep somebody from murdering innocents,en shouldn't we be taking that step? [applause] thing weis just one

can do to keep one father from having to bury his child, isn't that worth fighting for? to tell you, i've had tough days in the presidency. i have said this before. the day newtown happened was the toughest day of my presidency. if weot to tell you, don't respond to this, it will be a tough day for me, too. got to expect more from ourselves. we have got to expect more from congress. we have got to believe that every once in awhile, we set politics aside and do what's right. we have got to believe that.

and if you believe that, i am asking you to stand up. if you believe in the right to bear arms like i do, but we should protect and irresponsible view from inflicting harm, stand up. stand up. if you believe that the families of newtown an aurora at tucson and virginia tech had thousands of americans that have been gunned down in the last four months, we all have to stand up. if you want to show an iota of courage that they showed, we will all have to stand up. that operations

and common sense will prevail and we will find a sensible and intelligent ways to make this country stronger and safer for our children. let's do right by our kids and let's do right by these families. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. [applause] ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> on our next washington

journal, we are live at the naval academy at annapolis, md., looking at the history and role of the academy. we will be joined by vice admiral michael miller. that academic dean and provost and reflects on changes in the educational program changes over the years. after that, senator john mccain and midshipmen first-class caitlin foran. we will also talk to captain steven trainer about training for midgetman. and later, navy secretary ray mavis. we will also take your calls, e- mail's, and tweets. 7am easter on cspan. anight on first ladies, conversation on the lives of three first ladies. we will look at the political partnership between sarah palin and her husband james polk.

[applause] thank you. thank you very much. thank you. mr. president, mr. speaker, statewide elected officials, family, friends. it is my privilege to stand before you again before we start remarks. i will ask that you join me in a moment of silent prayer for a friend of ours. i was on the phone with senator john smith. i know he wants to be with us. he is with us in spirit and he is making a speedy recovery. i know you join me in this moment of prayer for him and his family that he makes that recovery so he can join us in the senate chamber just as quickly as doctors allow him to do that. join me in a moment of silence for john smith.

amen. thank you. t is indeed my honor and privilege to stand before you again as i have done each of the five years before to start this session of the regular session of the legislature. i want to thank you. we have worked hard these last five years to address the challenges confronting our state. we confronted the big task to make louisiana and even better state. when i ran for governor, i said we would do everything we could to make louisiana a place for sons and daughters to pursue dreams instead of leaving home to provide good-paying jobs. we followed it up by getting rid of burdens on that, equipment, and utilities. year andme back last worked to get historic education reforms, to get every student a chance to get a great education.

you want to make louisiana of great place for the sons and daughters. business leaders said the most important things we can do is to crack down on corruption. we enacted some of the toughest ethics laws, sending out word of the world that who you are is no longer more important when it comes to doing business in louisiana. we got rid of burdensome business taxes because they did not charge taxes on new equipment and utilities. took on workforce development and k-12 education, 70% of the companies want to move here and expand here. one of the top two concerns is finding skilled workers. he said that we could not do it time and time again.

the victories were for the people of louisiana. the people that sent us here and can bring us back home. to see morening kids graduating from high school, fewer failing schools. an economy where today, the unemployment rate continues to be above the average. the per-capita income has gone up and the ranking is now the highest it has been in more than 80 years. the gdp has grown by tens of billions of dollars and the first time in 25 years, people moved to leave this day and we are now the highest we have been ranked on a variety of publications. have passed tougher laws to

crack down on sex offenders and the list goes on and on how louisiana is making progress. we are bringing our children home. and that might be a fine point to stop this speech, to stop here and say that is great, everything is great. but we know that is not true. we know there are too many families struggling to find good paying jobs. there are still sons and daughters leaving the state to find good paying jobs. there are families struggling to make ends meet. as long as that is true, our work is not done. we cannot become complacent. i imagine a louisiana where not only all of our sons and daughters pursue their dreams but they come here for the opportunities.

one day, the governor of texas is complaining about the sons and daughters moving from houston and dallas and austin to batten rouged and other communities in our state. that is one of the reasons why we proposed a bold plan this year. not just to stay still but to get rid of the income taxes. competingking about with texas and florida. family and friends that have gone to those states, after they have sold their businesses and coming out of school, they go to texas. we have talked about catching up with those states but it is time to do more than talk. it is time for us to be bold and get rid of those and come taxes. the single biggest obstacle, the most important step we can take to make louisiana a better state for our jobs and families is to

get rid of the income-tax that looks like it was written on purpose. it has 468 exemptions, loopholes, and credits. we have a tax code that is too complex, unfair, and unstable. we paid out more than we collected in corporate income taxes. $76 million more than we collected. that same year, we collected $2,600 on average on a family of four. fromook taxpayer dollars families and gave it to businesses. if you have a lawyer or a lobbyist, you have a loophole. look at what is happening in the states without an income tax. nine states in the last 10 years were responsible for 60% of all the new jobs created in america. those of the nine states without an income tax.

they saw the populations grow 60% faster than the national average. that is what we want from louisiana. more economic growth, population growth, sons and daughters, to recognize louisiana as the land of opportunity. [applause] there are many reasons to get rid of the income-tax that ensure our people a level playing field. to make sure that louisiana families have more control over how and when they pay their taxes. one study has shown by getting rid of those income taxes, we can get rid of 12,000 new jobs in our states. $1.8 billion in more new disposable, 910 new dollars for each louisiana household. 12,000 new jobs. just by getting rid of the

income tax. that is why i have made the repeal of these taxes my top priority. a plan that included raising the sales tax rate and expanded the definition of services to which we apply the sales tax. moment and is a something a little different. i want to talk to you a little more personally than normal. my mom is here, i've been hearing this my entire life. i speak too quickly. i move too quickly. some of you have told me that, some more polite than others. my entire life i have been told that i need to slow down. and i have fought about this. --about this. , well my staff every day

will run out of time before we run out of things to do. more for wanting to do our state. we talk about the idea is to get rid of the income tax. i bet we invited every single legislature to be with us and talk about these ideas. i will listen to what you have to say and i will listen to what the people of this great state had to say. governor, we want to get rid of the income taxes. we are worried you are going to quickly. we are not sure your plan is the best way to do it. we heard those comments. let me do something politicians don't normally do. we will adjust our course and i will tell you that we are going to pull that plan.

at the same time, i don't want to take my ball and go home and complain. i know several of you have bills to phase out the income tax. even as we parked our plan, i call on you to work together and pass a bill this session. let's get rid of the income tax once and for all in the state of louisiana. [applause] send me that bill to get rid of those taxes, send me the bill to make louisiana the best state in the country to create jobs and raise a family. we don't want to just compete, we want to win the contest for new jobs, new investment to bring the sons and daughters home.

we can make louisiana the great state that we know that she is. we celebrate the wonderful holiday of easter. wife and i have three beautiful young children. like we went to church, got there early and we ended up setting for two hours. my little girl asked me about every five minutes how much longer we had to be there. i told her we will be there as long as the creature once the talk and it is the most important day of the year. she could sit as long as it took. she was eager to go home and find her chocolate candy. it was also a joyous easter for our family for a number of reasons. i have a younger brother.

home and brother came brought their newly born son with them as well. it was my nephews first visit to batten rouge and louisiana. my kids at some much fun playing with him, but they were a little disappointed he was not able to throw a football. but they had so much fun being with their nephew. we have family and friends that came in for the holidays. we had to wake up at the crack of dawn on monday morning to put them on a plane to go back home. my brother left this great state to go get a paying job. they now live in a different state. my brother's wife,fe we get to see them at easter. we get to see them at

thanksgiving or christmas. we will mess watching him take his first step. we will miss watching them play at the baseball games. we will miss watching them perform at the school play. to many of us have family, friends, children, grandchildren that don't live in louisiana any more. we had to say goodbye once the easter holiday was over. the reason i am passionate about this and the reason we worked so hard is because one day, i look forward to when my nephew and my nieces and all of our children and grandchildren are leaving in louisiana every day. -- living in louisiana every day. we don't see them once or twice a year. our sons and daughters are beginning to come back but we can't afford to become complacent and stop pushing forward. that is why we get rid of the income taxes and bring our

children home. may god continue to bless the great state of louisiana. [applause] >> c-span, created by america's cable companies in 1979 and brought to you as a public service by your television provider. >> tonight on first ladies, a conversation on the lives of three first ladies. we will look at the political partnership between sarah polk and james polk. and the life of margaret taylor, zachary taylor. he died 15 months into his presidency and after his death, abigail moved into the white

house in 1850. former british prime minister margaret thatcher died on monday, she was 87. and secretary of state and first lady hillary clinton >> sarah polk was up on diplomacy. interest inan politics. >> she grew up in a political household. her father was a local politician. she grew up loving politics. married jameshave if he was going to the clerk. >> he died three months after leaving the white house.

of widow-n 42-years hood. she divided anyone -- invited anyone to see the career. >> to live there for many years on ron. during the civil war, generals on both sides would come visit her and their respects to her. beloved status. >> she was earnest about her husband's work. the hardships were terrible. they met all kinds of troubles. there were a very experienced people. more sophisticated than what was around them.

>> she felt women should develop their minds and cultivate scholarship as much as men. >> we know today, first ladies had causes. this bookshelf was part of the first white house library. retiring in ad room with a good book. was a veryabigail wonderful seamstress. we have her " here, a colorful clear -- a colorful quilts. >> she was one of the true intellectuals. she was very caught up on politics. she liked being a part of all the cultural things that came with living in washington.

>> today, first ladies have causes, literacy and reading would have been abigail fillmore's cause. this bookshelf was of the first white house library. she much preferred being in a room with a good book to standing in a receiving line making mindless chatter. >> abigail was a wonderful seamstress. we do have her quilt here. a very colorful quilt. >> she was one of the true intellectuals. she loved reading. she was very caught up on politics and very much liked being a part of all the cultural accoutrements that came with living in washington. >> welcome to c-span series "first lady's influence and image." in this we will meet three first ladies. they served during the 1840's and early 1850's as tensions continue to grow over the issue of slavery. to introduce us to sarah polk emma margaret taylor, and abigail fillmore, we have two historians. an author and historian in historic preservation. and a historian and legal scholar based at albany law school, the author of a biography of millard fillmore. welcome to both of you. james k. polk is sometimes described as the least known influential president. would you agree with that and why? >> is certainly not are well- known, and he is certainly important. when he was nominated for president, he had no public office. he had twice lost the governorship of tennessee. before that he had been a one term governor, and before that a member of congress.

he was a lawyer, practicing law in tennessee. he was what is known as the dark horse candidate. he had hoped to get the vice president's nomination, that is what he was pushing for. and suddenly, out of nowhere polk is the presidential nominee. het people don't know who is. he becomes president and almost immediately puts us in a position to have a war with mexico. he pushes for the war. he is prepared to declare war on mexico, and sends troops, including zachary taylor, who will be the next president, he send zachary taylor to the mexican border in an area that is completely disputed at all international asset belongs to mexico. polk says it is american land. while taylor's troops are there,

he goes to his counted and they vote on a saturday afternoon to ask for a declaration of war against mexico. that night, he gets a message, because it takes a long time to get information from mexico to washington. that night he gets a message that taylor's troops have been in combat. he rewrites his message to congress, saying, american troops have been killed on american soil. abraham lincoln would later give a speech in which he would say, show us the spot where it took place. it was not on american soil. he gets us into war in mexico. it also means the complete blowup of all the compromises and cushions the country headlong into what would ultimately be secession and civil war. but we don't know anything about him. >> his wife is also, frequently when you do modern struggle surveys of influential first ladies, she is always in the top tier. always. >> why? >> she was truly a political

partner with her husband. they did not have children at a time when women were expected to be mothers and hearth and home, the keepers of the faith. she was very much her husband's political equal and his partner. she never went too far within the boundaries of what a proper victorian or early victorian lady should be in the 19th century. theyeveryone knew that shared an office in the private apartments. she was active in discussions at the many state dinners they had. and he would ask her to mark newspapers and articles for him to read. she was a sounding board. franklin pierce before he became president, told her husband that he would much rather talk politics with sarah polk then with james polk. and yet, the women of the time excepted her. she was very highest, very

religious. a strict presbyterian. she did not allowed to go white house. she got rid of hard liquor. but they had wine and brandy with the frequent dinners they had. she was not a prude, but very much a woman who knew what she wanted and that her rules out and everyone had to play according to those rules. she was respected for it. she was very popular. >> to introduce you to the polks, we will take you to the polk ancestral home. the house they lived in together no longer exist. but this historic site contains much of the history of the

family. we will take you there next. >> this is the inaugural fan. an incredible piece of history. presidentift from polk to his wife, sarah. she carried it with her on day of his inauguration. it is gilt paper with bone styles and lithographic images of the first 11 presidents from washington all the way through james k polk. she carried it with her all throughout the inauguration in the spring of 1845. the back is as beautiful as the front and features a lithographic image of the declaration of independence. the pokes came into the white house, a young, vibrant couple amidst a democratic party that was widely split. james k. polk said he would run for a single term only and then step down. sarah polk used the white house to enhance her husband political prestige. dining in their white house was a serious affair. twice a week, on tuesdays and fridays, mrs. polk would

entertain 50-75 people coming to dinner. the china that they used was beautiful. it is considered some of the most beautiful of the white house china. it features the presidential seal embossed along the side, the dinners that is white embossed with gold. they had a tea set that was blue and a dessert set in green. she did not allow alcohol in the white house, her presbyterian upbringing precluded that. that is not exactly the case. she stopped the serving of whiskey punches, but mine was one of their largest goals during their years there. the more interesting objects in the collection, speaks to sarah and her ability with music am a we have a music book that has

handwritten notations. one of the songs featured inside is the song hail to the chief, which she is credited starting as the official presidential anthem during her time as first lady. >> a moment to ask about that. there is a little controversy between our last program with the tylers, who are also claiming that they introduced "hail to the chief." is there a definitive answer on that jacko >> i won't touch it. [laughter] [laughter] >> it came about in the 1840's it is possible that the tylers used and the polks and confirmed its use. it is silly to worry about something about that. there are so many more important is to talk about. >> you drew the contrast with juliet tyler who brought dancing to the white house. by ended her brief tenure

throwing a huge party as they left the white house. was sarah polk more in touch with the times? >> sarah polk -- it has been called an imperial presidency. meaning that the couple fought the office of the presidency and the white house as the official executive residence needed to be highly respected. it was more formal protocol and so on. it was a very liberal approach. you could come with an introduction to any of their receptions. polk was a democrat. at the same time, they were well dressed, there were more formal dinners. there were multiple courses. it was considered an honor to be at the white house. basically, sarah polk said, dancing at the white house is not dignified. >> she was known for frugality. the president making a $25,000 a year salary, and expenses for the what has huckabee paid out of that. by was her frugality seen washington and the public? staffingorganized the at the white house. she was very well organized. what she did was hired a steward. they brought in their own servants and got rid of some of the paid that the white house. she then got her steward to cut deals with the various vendors,

grocers, and so on in the washington area. if they give them significant discounts, they would give them the royal seal, as it were. >> endorsement? [laughter] >> it is the american version of that. if you want us to buy all of your roles for all of our white house dinners, which were a lot, then you'll have to give us discount. it worked. they were very frugal in that way. during the entire time they were married. >> just to clarify, she brought in her own servants, these were slaves. >> i was about to say, she owned those servants. that is important to understand. that they come from very wealthy circumstances and our

slaveowners and bring a lot of assets with them. again, they can afford to be president, just as john tyler can afford to be president. >> we have a quote from her, i would like to have you put this into context. she writes -- if i can be so fortunate as to reach the white house, i expect to live on $25,000 a year and i will neither keep house or make butter." >> like hillary clinton the cookies. >> the context of it, someone said, i think i will vote for his opponent in the race, because they say his wife keeps a good house. and makes her own butter. that was sarah's retort. by god, she did live on the $25,000 a year and did not keep house. she ran the house. she did not make butter. she made sure that utter was made efficiently and the place was run well.

>> slave mistresses don't make butter must they enjoy the handicraft of making butter. it is important to see this love for sarah polk and for margaret taylor. >> i want to tell folks that this is an interactive program. we are working facebook comments and tweets in already. we also want to take your telephone calls. who put the phone number on the screen and began taking your phone in questions as well throughout our program here. the three first ladies we are featuring in this part of the series. dolley madison has been part of our series -- this is her last hurrah. what was her role with the polk white house? toshe had come back washington. sarah polk and dolly became very close. sarahmentor to sarah and fed her. >> which was important because she was very broke. >> she treated her as the grand

dame and honored her in their entertainment. they were the two war first ladies. war of 1812 in the mexican war. there are many parallels between the two. the sense of self, the sense of fashion, the understanding the role of the first lady and conveying of the -- sort of, indirect that would support her husband's residency. it is not easy to be a first lady during war. you were many detractors as the war went on. polk went in and said i will do the following things in four years, and he did. >> this is also the first time we have photography. and we have a fabulous photograph to show you on screen right now. which brings together a number of these characters all in one place. here are the polks, dolly madison is the second from the right with her turbine. and we have an opportunity here to see harriet lane, served as white house hostess later on. and sarah polk and dolly madison and james k. polk.

photography as a political tool, how do politicians absorb this new technology and begin to use it for their benefit? >> they are just beginning to figure this out. you really don't get it until the 1850's and maybe the 1860 election when photography is everywhere. now it is almost a novelty. it is not all that terrific. you have to sit for a long time. it is not a single shot in the picture is there. you have to sit there rigidly and not move while the photograph is being taken. they are moving toward

photography. much more important than photography is the very sophisticated line of type and art in newspapers. campaignwonderful posters being done. when polk runs, currier of currier and ives does a poster for his opponent. with a picture of henry clay. they are using that kind of technology. photography you probably want to save for the fillmore's and beyond. >> we also have the first known photograph of the white house.

we will show it next. we are working with the white house historical association throughout the series. as we look at this white house of 1846, sarah polk brought some innovations to the white house. central heating and gas lighting. >> she didn't actually bring them. [laughter] let's say they arrived. central heating and asked lighting, she didn't hold out when they put in the gaslight and insisted the oval room of the white house be left with candlelight. when they turned on the gaslight, when they shut it down for the light, the whole white house went dark. the oval room was still lit with the beautiful candlelight. there were experiments. it ultimately failed the presidential family a lot of money. they had to keep the white house out of that $25,000 salary.

these efficiencies did come in, starting with the polks. >> central heating in the white house must've been a great innovation. >> it must've been a joke. [laughter] i don't think you would have been very warm. >> other than the alternative. >> got it. >> you wonder, the nice warm fireplace in the right room keeps that room warm. what you are getting at, which is always true for the white house, for every presidency, is that technology is going to change the way president campaign, the way they betray themselves and the way presidential families live. notice, by the way, you just had a picture of him sitting there. that is what you had to do when

you are getting a photograph taken. i just saw a picture of john kennedy giving a speech with his fist in the air. you can almost see his fist shaking in the photograph. you can do that here. >> not as much sense of personality in the us photographs. >> we get a bad sense of personality. that these people are absolutely stiff and frozen and have no personality. they are dead. >> it is daybreak to keep them still. >> they are not smiling. it would be too hard to smile that long. >> the question from twitter -- what was sarah's educational background that allowed her to be so politically savvy and an equal to her famous husband? >> her father was a great leader in educating women. she and her older sister were educated at academies in

murphysboro, nashville, and then he sent them to the salem academy in winston-salem. salem college today. 500 miles away. it took him a month to get there. they were there for two years. she was unusually well-educated for her time. i think that atmosphere encouraged her to speak her mind and participate in discussions. she grew up in a political household. >> next question on twitter -- we will answer by video. dave murdoch asked --

let's watch this video. then we will talk with you about this, because you have done some work on her gowns. let's watch. >> how sarah looked was important to her and how she was perceived by the public. it was also a reflection on the presidency itself. she was known for having beautiful dresses and looking incredible in a white house that was equally beautiful. the blue dress was purchased in paris in 1847 and worn by her late in the administration. it is basically a robe. it was the undressed dress costume of a first lady if she was taking visitors before she was properly dressed. the white dress is a ballgown, also made in paris, france. high-end fashion for the 1840's. the cat in the center. a stylesheet used again and again. we get the indication she found

a style she liked and kept with it. it is a beautiful gown in silk and satin. a great deal of lace attached, as well. always the frugal woman that she was, she often purchased dresses and would buy a great deal of material to go along with them so she could enhance them and change the way they look. instead of having to buy five or six gallons, she would buy a single gown, and change them. she had a wonderful collection of handbags and purses. her jewelry was of the american mode in the 19th century. it was thought to be un-american for women to wear precious gems and semi precious stones. you would wear gold and silver, french paste and enamelware. her headdresses were unusual. only a few have survived from this time. because they are made out of silk and satin and tend to get worn out. we have a wonderful collection of headdresses. one unusual piece, a turbine. by the 1840's which probably would have fallen a little bit out of fashion. we wonder if sarah polk may be adopted that style after dolly madison. >> the author of this cover story in the white house history magazine, published by the white house historical association, showing that you have done a lot of work on sarah polk's approach to fashion and what it symbolized. what can you tell us the bikes she had a well-established sense of style from her childhood. during the white house years, she dressed elegantly for evenings and receptions. in the summer of 1847, they sent an order to paris for some downs for the first lady. it was not the usual style. all the invoices arrived, and

so did the gowns, which is amazing. the top designers in paris were asked to make some gowns are the first lady. this is usually done by a commercial agent that they had. he got the order and immediately found his good friend, "good friend", when around the paris shops and found and made three gowns. one at the smithsonian, the pink one, and the blue gown survive. it was very unusual for her. this order for clothes, lots of accessories, about $450. dolley madison's order in 1811 cost $2000. to give you an idea. the pink gown you saw had more lace on it. madethers were about $25, by seamstresses in washington. the fabric would've an extra. >> she was trying to find that sweet spot between frugality and image. >> she did so so well. everyone said she was beautifully dressed, had been full deportment. she carried herself like a lady, acted like a lady and was very gracious. >> at the same time we are learning about sarah polk and her modern approach to being a political partner, what is

happening to women out large and united states? what is going on with women overall? at a beginning to ask for more power in society? >> the people in seneca falls are. it is important to have some perspective on what is happening to women at this time. for most american women, not much is changing and being asked. the most important changes for women, the cutting edge of women in politics, is coming out of the antislavery movement. you have thousands of women who are politically active, really for the first time in american history. starting in the 1830's, the great petition campaign. hundreds of thousands of petitions show up in washington, asking congress to do things like not annexed texas. it was seen as a great slave conspiracy, which it was. end slavery and the district of columbia. byy of these were gathered women, and many women sign these petitions.

what you get is women actively participating in politics to change america for the better. the other great women's movement is the temperance movement. they are active in movements to prevent prostitution. these are things that are close to what would be considered domesticity for women, but is outside the house. it is in the public space. someone like sarah polk, with the exception of temperance, would have been appalled at what these women were asking for. eventually, by 1848, someone in and a few men, such as frederick douglass, are asking for the right to vote for women. that is a long time in coming. it is beginning at this time.

>> headers on the phone from jackson,, mississippi. what is your question? >> i would like to know who ran against james k. polk when he was running for president and did sarah polk play the part? >> polk runs against henry clay from kentucky. clay had run twice again before this. he thinks it is his turn. he expects it will be a cake walk, because nobody has heard of jim spoke. he makes a number of mistakes during the campaign, and in the end, in a very close vote, clay loses to polk. oddly enough, he carries polk's home state. >> the issue of a presidential campaign at that time, very different from what we see today. foras considered a proper

the candidate to be called to office. active campaigning went to state offices like the governor. the candidates did not show up at the nominating conventions, afterwards when the were drafted and accepted the nomination, air with letters and the editor, but very little stump -- no stumping at all. sarah was her husband's campaign manager for his congressional campaign and gubernatorial campaign. during the presidential campaign, it was very much, basically, whatever you do they say, don't say anything. >> when he ran for congress, he would tend the district. he ran for governor three times, went all over the state of tennessee. one wonders what was going on in his mind when he was nominated for president. he had to sit home and do nothing except write a few letters. >> next is a question from mary in little rock.

hi, mary. >> i heard somewhere that barbara bush is related to the polks and she used their dinner service while her and george bush was in the office. is that true? >> i don't know. good question. >> as our series progresses, as we get it barbara bush, we'll

answer that question for you. we'll go back in time and learn about how that political partnership came together. you told us sarah polk was from a wealthy family in tennessee. how did she and james polk meet? >> they ran in the same circles. probably through -- either through andrew jackson or through her own father's family. graduatedto the -- from the university of north carolina and then went into law and studied in nashville and became clerk of the legislature and they met there or they met at andrew jackson's because the polk girls were often at the jackson's home. certainly jackson is known or we think that he advised polk to marry her. this is who you need as a wife,

he would say. and then it is commonly said that she told polk she wouldn't marry him unless he ran for office but and of course he did and he won and they were married in 1824. >> so andrew jackson played something of a matchmaker here? >> he and his wife did not have children of their own and had many, many different young people that they took in. jackson would write to sarah and call her "my daughter." >> and patricia on facebook asked, is it true that a nickname for sarah polk was the spanish madonna? >> yes. >> where did that come from? >> she had extremely dark hair and olive skin and they thought she looked european, exotic. >> the jacksons had no children but sarah and james k. polk had no children. what was the impact of being freed up from housework and not having to do that and her ability to become a political

partner? >> i think they breezed into that through the years when they realized they weren't going to have children. by the same token, they spent a lot of time with nieces and nephews and sarah, as first lady, brought her nieces into the white house to help her with entertaining and returning because she did not return calls. as first lady, she did not it, which was a change in tradition. but and then when of course she was a widow, she had a niece and great niece who lived with her. >> can i also add, had they had children, she would have had slaves who would have raised children who would have done all the diapers and slaves who

would have been wet nurses when the children were infants so the notion of the burden of families for someone like sarah polk would be very different than, say, when we talk about fillmore who is a woman of modest means and those raise her own children without the help of a house full of slaves to do the work for her. >> so sarah and james come to congress here in washington. what is washington like at that time and how involved was she in listening to congressional debates? >> she was very actively involved. he went for his first term without her and never tried that again because she didn't like being left alone at all. it was at that time he lived in a boarding house and several different elected officials lived together and shared meals and a parlor and they did that for years until he became speaker and then they had to have larger apartments but she attended the sessions of congress. to was very, very attentive the issues of the day, and the

elected members of congress who were in the mess with her knew she was a very tuned in congressional wife. >> james k. polk makes it to speaker of the house. how did that happen? >> politicking. i mean, he's a very good politician in the house. the first time he runs for speaker of the house, he loses. and he loses to a man who would later run for president in and then in the next time around he manages to win. part of it has to do with jacksonian politics. polk is jackson's man in the house of representatives and so when jackson has a strong majority in the house, polk gets to be speaker of the house. oure have throughout history seen the ascendancy of the presidency and the ascendancy of congress. at this point in our history, which branch of government has more power? >> i would say congress.

>> so being the speaker was important? now,ing the speaker -- being the speaker is not as powerful as being president and we should understand that. but in terms of the politics of america, more, i think, is happening in congress than in the presidency. andrew jackson is an extraordinarily strong and dynamic president who pushes the envelope of the presidency and really alters the dynamics of the presidency for his presidency. it reverts back, say, when john tyler becomes president. he's a very weak president. and so being speaker of the house was important just as it's important today. >> it sounds like from this quote that sarah polk had a view of this when her husband was in the role. here's what she wrote -- "the speaker, if the purpose person and with the correct idea of his position, has even more influence over legislation and in directing the policy of the parties, than the president."

says she. >> the polk -- particularly when he became president was a powerful president. in terms of waging war, he pulled a lot of power into the executive branch, but henry clay is the one we all think of as building the job of the speaker of the house, the man who ran for president forever. but through the years the speaker's job grows, the presidency grows in power. it ebbs and flows, the balance of power is the key to the thing in that nobody ever just completely runs away with it and it was set up so that could not happen.

>> our next video demonstrates the role of sarah polk as the political wife. >> the traveling desk is really indicative of sarah's life with james k. polk mainly has his help mate. james k. polk had no staff either as politician or president of the united states. the traveling desk she took with her on the long trips to washington, d.c. as a congressman, they traveled to washington in trips that could take 30 days and she's of course communicating with family and friends back home which means she wrote tens of thousands of letters during her lifetime so the traveling desk is indicative of communication in the time period. the portraits are painted by ralph earl when james and sarah were in washington as

congressman and lady. sarah was a help mate to him through the his political career. when he was writing speeches, he would get her opinion and she would critique them for her. daily she would read the newspapers and underline passages for him to read. she was a regular fixture in the gallery in congress and this is a great time to hear speeches of politicians like henry clay john calhoun giving their greatest speeches in the time period and she was in the middle of all of it, very much a part of his political career so 14 years a member of the house of representatives, last four of those the speaker of the house, the only speaker to become president, which brings with it a new level of social status in washington, d.c. and sarah very much played the part of one of the official hostesses in washington. typically, congress would enact a memorial to the outgoing speaker of the house officially thanking him for his service.

when james k. polk left congress to run for governor of tennessee, the congress was so divided, they refused to do that but in the newspapers a number of politicians wrote poems in honor of sarah at the time she left. one was united states supreme court justice joseph storey who wrote a lengthy poem lamenting the loss of sarah polk to washington society. >> today we would be amazed at a speaker of the house stepping down to run for governor. why did he decide to do this? >> i think because being speaker of the house is something that you didn't do for a really long time in those days. oftenssional careers are short in the 19th century and

three or four terms in washington is probably enough. again, think of the arduous task of just getting to washington from tennessee, once year.ce a ofs a lot of work, a lot effort, and being the governor is somewhat easier. it's probably less expensive. you are home and being the governor is a good way to build a political career for the vice presidency or presidency. what polk's eye is on is the presidency. he doesn't think he could be president. but he thinks he could be vice president. >> next, the vice president next. >> and the pathway to the white house? >> the vice presidency is not a very good pathway to the white house. since thomas jefferson, only martin van buren had made it as vice president and tyler did only because of the death of the president. >> sandy is watching from new new castle, delaware. >> my question is, what did sarah think about slavery and was she a kind slave master? >> the -- james k. polk in his will made an expression that he hoped that when she died she would manumit their slaves. as it turned out, she sold their plantation before the civil war but the issue of slavery was not really brought to the forefront during -- either in this marriage or during his administration.

it became much more critical with the administrations that follow polk. >> i think in some ways that's not true. >> go ahead. >> the politics of america from the 1830's to the 1860's is swirling around slavery all the time. the opposition to the mexican war which polk starts and which we did not have to have, the opposition to the mexican war in part comes from northerners who see it as a vast conspiracy to steal mexico so that slave owners can have someplace to go and southerners say as much. they say we want mexico because we want a place for slavery to spread to. slavery is on the table. the reality is. the polks are slave owners, they are not opposed to slavery. they like being slave owners. being a slave owner is very good for the polks and i suspect that she treated her slaves as kindly or as unkindly as was necessary to get the labor and the support from the slaves that she wanted. >> heath in franklin, tennessee, your question.

>> a hero of mine is a nephew of sarah polk named general lucious polk. he served with general patrick claiborne and tried to get the confederacy, petitioned the confederate government to end slavery and get african- americans to fight for the south. he was wounded several times during the war and at some point he was sent behind lines and allowed to stay in columbia, tennessee, and he would eventually run the ku klux klan out of murray county but sarah polk, i've heard, somehow, kept him from going to union prison camps when any other confederate prisoner would have been sent to union prison camps. powerd she was afforded because the union people just respected her so much. >> heath, thank you.

i'm going to jump in because our time is short and it's to say james k. polk announced he would be a one-term president and we will get to because the civil war does come and sarah polk is a widow. how long does james k. polk live after leaving the white house. >> three months. >> three months. and so what happens to sarah polk and especially during the

civil war? >> she becomes a widow. she wore widows weave for the next 42 years until she died practically at the age of 88 and the house they purchased and fixed up for retirement was a shrine for her husband. she was reclusive, only went to church,but received people. during the civil war, she did not take sides. saidayor came to her and the union is coming into the city, what should i tell the union general and she said, you may tell him i am at home so he came to call and the confederates and the union troops respected her. she did not take sides. she was completely neutral and she isolated herself into that period prior to the civil war. people put their artifacts in

storage at polk place to preserve them but she just went right on through and she earned a great deal of respect for that. >> from both sides? >> from both sides. >> you have any more comments to add to this period? >> no, only that the contrast of course would be with president tyler who becomes a member of the confederate government having once taken an oath to support the constitution of the united states so in that sense the contrast i think with sarah polk was revealing. >> jenny standard weber on facebook who apparently portrays her as a docent in canton, ohio. mrs. polk lived more than 40 years as a widow. did she continue to be involved in politics after the president died? >> no, she did not. she would speak about her husband's time. any honors that were sent to her, she accepted on behalf of his memory. she was conversant with what was going on but not an active

political player. >> we have one more video from the polk era. let's watch. >> james k. polk was a promised one-term president. as such, after four years, james and sarah polk were going to retire and while they were in washington still in the white house, as they were outfitting the white house as restoration, they took the opportunity to purchase things for polk place, that home in nashville they were going to retire into. they purchased all of the furnishings for polk place through alexander stewart's shop in new york city and they picked some of the finest american furniture made at the time. they are rose wood framed with red velvet so we have gentlemen's chairs and sofas. the side chairs, they had 33 of them. we have 18 remaining of the original set so they would ring the room with little chairs so they would have guests and bring them into the room. we have interiors of what it looked like probably taken around the time of her death in 1891 and the house is still filled with objects they collected throughout their

political lives together. unfortunately for james k. polk, he died three months after leaving the white house and sarah began a 42-year widowhood. every new year's day she opened polk place and held a levy for the state legislature as a body. polk place became something of a shrine to her husband and she would invite anyone who wanted to to come for a visit and see the objects they collected throughout their long and illustrious political career. >> patricia lynn scott on facebook writes, "when i visited nashville, i was amazed at the plaques that recognized the homes and office of polk that were razed. why would they allow those buildings to be torn down?"

>> progress. historicin preservation over 40 years. if we didn't need to preserve history, i wouldn't be in the field. the polk home was torn down in nashville and the great niece kept the artifacts together until they could find a home and that's what the museum in columbia is but montpelier, the madison's home, in private hands for years and really not saved until the 1980's. these things go on and on all the time. arehomes of the presidents deemed to be among the most important but in some cases you have multiple homes that one president lived in. >> as we say goodbye to dolley madison's influence, sheldon cooper -- we can't do a program without dolley in it. sheldon cooper asked, did sarah polk provide guidance to future first ladies? >> yes, 50 years after she was alive, you see, until the early 1990's, dolley died in 1849. so sarah was the embodiment of the elegant proper first lady after dolley died and the respect passed down with her, yes. >> so building on that, the question is, what is sarah polk's legacy? >> i'll let her answer this since she's written a great deal on sarah.

>> i think that james k. polk probably might not have been able to achieve his ambitious one-term agenda without her help. she certainly kept the white house running because he literally worked himself to death and she handled his legacy well after his unfortunate early death. we have most of the legacy is his, first postage stamp, permanent treasury department, almost doubling the size of the united states. and many things to be thankful for. the first ladies themselves are not so much innovators as they

are sometimes they embrace those aspects of the american character that the public needs and i think she did it very, very well. >> the election of 1848 brought the taylors into the white house and as we continue our program tonight, we'll learn more about zachary taylor and more importantly for our first ladies series tonight, his wife, margaret peggy taylor but it is a brief stay in the white house so it will be about 10 minutes' worth of exploration here. tell us the -- set the stage for the 1848 election. >> polk is leaving office. he chose to be a one-term president, which probably was good because he probably would not have gotten the nomination again and probably would have been defeated. he was not very well liked when he left office.

it is true that he started and a war was successfully won but when he was over, he didn't want to have peace. he fired his envoy to mexico and his envoy to mexico negotiated a peace treaty after he had been fired and sent it back to washington and polk was forced to bring a treaty to congress that he did not actually want to sign or have congress ratify but he was forced to do it. during the war, he became very jealous of the very, very successful general zachary taylor and so he demoted taylor and put general winfield scott over him and then he got jealous of scott because scott was getting all the headlines. so when the war ended, polk is leaving, and taylor is the great hero of the war. taylor had never voted in an election.

taylor had never done anything political. militaryen a career officer for his entire life. his wife, margaret smith taylor, peggy taylor, as she's had traveled with her husband to some of the most remote military bases in the country. she had been a military wife, the wife of a man who started as a lieutenant and ended up as a major general and taylor's politics were almost unknown other than that he said over and over again, he wanted henry clay. henry clay, of course, had lost to polk, and henry clay believed it was his time to win, 1848 was going to be a wig year, clay's party is the wig party. clay thinks he will win and out of nowhere taylor gets the nomination and clay is absolutely devastated that he doesn't get to be nominated and in addition to taylor getting the nomination, a completely obscure almost unheard of person, millard fillmore, who, when nominated, is the most obscure person ever to be nominated for president at the time, gets the vice presidential nomination so you

have this axis of taylor, a louisiana sugar planter, running the comptroller of the state of new york. for me there's a personal thing which i have to say, i currently teach at albany law school where fillmore was living and next year i will be a visitor at l.s.u., a law school in louisiana, so i'm the embodiment of the albany-baton rouge accent, as well. >> i'd like to say, let's don't discount that the mexican war brought us all of the western southwest -- california, new mexico, et cetera. he was the commander-in-chief and he acted like it and if it upset winfield scott who had quite a temper, and zachary taylor, so be it, but as it turned out, that's what history has recorded. we greatly expanded the united states during that time and we got those properties for very, very little. in terms of the history of real estate, polk rates high.

>> on to zachary taylor. goingy if you think that to war with a country to steal half their country is an appropriate and legitimate thing to do and significant numbers of americans believed that the mexican war was purely a land grab and a war of aggression and many americans, including john c. calhoun, a great defender of slavery, believed the mexican war was a huge mistake because calhoun predicted correctly that once you had the mexican war, you would open up again the question of slavery in the territories and that would cause a catastrophe, which it does. >> zachary taylor, old rough and ready. he was the last southerner elected for 64 years until

wilson and the last president to hold slaves while in office in the white house but his partner in all of this was margaret, known as peggy taylor. what do we know about her? >> she was not particularly keen on being first lady. she had gone around to all of his postings with him. they had innumerable children. it's interesting that their daughter, knox, married the young jefferson davis, who fought with taylor in mexico and unfortunately their daughter died after only three months of marriage but later when they were in the white house the taylors became quite close with jefferson davis and his second wife, varina, and varina was close to the first lady. the first lady let her daughter do a lot of the entertaining and it was such a brief amount of time, really, that they were in office, that -- what else? >> he was inaugurated in march

of 1849, elected in 1848 but didn't take office until march of 1849 and taylor dies in july of 1850 so there's essentially a 15-month period when they were in the white house and she doesn't want to be there. >> she retreats to the upstairs of the white house. >> she basically retreats to the upstairs of the white house. oddly enough, like her predecessor, she came from a political family. one of her aunts was married to a three-term governor of maryland. one of her cousins was married to senator reverty johnson of maryland. she came from a very, very wealthy family of maryland planters although she grew up most of her early years in the washington, d.c. and northern virginia area.

among other things, one of her playmates was nellie custis who was the granddaughter of martha washington. so this is somebody who's been around politics, as well, but the opposite of sarah polk. she doesn't want to be involved in politics. she didn't want her husband to run for president. accordinga snapshot, to the census of america, in 1850, as this president is serving. pointpulation was by that 23 million and there were now 30 states in the united states, that's almost 36% growth since the 1840 census. slaves in the united states numbered three million or 13.8% of the population and the largest cities in the country in 1850 were new york city, baltimore and boston. washington, d.c., we've learned throughout the series, as a capital city, traded on gossip and the gossip about peggy taylor was much like rachel jackson, that she was a pipe smoker and didn't bring style

and substance, very different than what paul described. what's the truth about her? >> i don't think -- >> she didn't smoke a pipe. let's start with that. the pipe smoking is utter nonsense and in fact all of the people close to her say she was in fact allergic to smoke and nobody smoked around her so the problem is she is a military wife who's traveled from base to base. she's gone -- she lived in some style even on those bases because the taylors were very wealthy, they had lots of slaves, they had a plantation in louisiana. some of the slaves would travel with them to bases but she was not a high society woman. she was not a woman who wanted to be around a crowd and this was not a world that she felt at all comfortable with and i'm sure when she got to washington and dealt with the gossip and the parties, she simply felt that this is not where she was comfortable and she didn't know how to compete and she didn't

know how to operate and so she retreated to the second story of the white house and let her daughter do most of the entertaining. >> and the gossip continued because she was an enigma. >> and she wasn't there to defend herself from the gossip. >> how did zachary taylor die? >> he had cholera, didn't he? >> no. zachary taylor went to a july 4 parade and watched the parade on a hot july 4 day. teetotalerlor was a and he either spent the day eating cherries and milk or cucumbers and milk, depend on who you ask, and if one imagines what a bowl of milk would look like after a hot july day in washington, d.c. without ice to