communicators. c-span, created by america's cable companies in 1979. brought to you as a public service to your television provider. >> next on c-span, are series on first ladies continues with a look at the life and times of rosalynn carter. then a memorial service or former south african president nelson mandela. ♪ >> i have learned that you can do anything you want to. they asked me if i thought the first lady ought to get paid. i said, i have to do what the first lady is supposed to do.

it is such a great soapbox. it's such a great opportunity. i would advise any first lady to do what she wants to do. another thing is you are going to be criticized no matter what you do. i would have been criticized for what i did, and i got a lot of criticism, but you learn to live with it. i never let it influence me. >> rosalynn carter in a recent interview in atlanta. she was her husband's political partner from their first campaign. she attended cabinet meetings and championed women's rights and health issues and even testified before congress. their partnership continued in

the post-white house years. good evening and welcome to the c-span series on first ladies. we begin by looking at the lives of living first ladies. let me introduce our first two guests. they will be in the studio to tell you about her biography. our guest is a presidential scholar. he spent 13 years as the director of the carter presidential library. guest specializes on the history of the south. i want to talk about the themes. she was gracious enough to grant us an interview. we will show you clips and we will post it online so you can hear all she had to say. i want to pick up on things i have learned that she referenced.

the carter's first visit to the white house was after he had been elected and the inauguration. we have her travel was difficult, but it is unusual in the modern age. what skills did she bring to this job? >> in some ways the transition to the governor's mansion in atlanta was big. she did get the chance to take on issues and do the kinds of things first ladies do at the white house, albeit at a smaller level. on one hand they were washington outsiders coming to a town where they had not spent much time, but also they had that experience as governor, which she used as a foundation for what she expected to do as first lady. >> we had many books on first ladies. he says, under rosalynn carter the office of first lady completed its metamorphosis into

a vital white house organ. previous first ladies had done campaigning, but none had preceded with the professionalism as rosalynn carter and her staff. the full-time east wing position grew by almost 30%, but she used the staff differently to expand on traditional and entertainment functions. >> when she grew up, almost during her entire childhood the first lady of the united states was eleanor roosevelt, so one would think that is different. that is a powerful image of a first lady who did things differently. she testified before congress, and she wanted to be a serious player on the issues.

she wanted the president to take her seriously. they communicated back and forth very candidly. she was not afraid to criticize him, at least in private. it was a strong modern era of first ladies getting involved in issues where you can make a difference. >> let me ask another theme in the series, and that has been the role of women in society. we have learned so often first lady is a linchpin for changes in the country. one was in 1976, particularly southern women and how accepting the public was. >> she became the first lady at a time of great change in women's roles. that made her job challenging, but it also gave her some wonderful opportunities, which she worked hard to seize. i read that it was a lot harder for her to learn how to be the first lady in the governor's

mansion because she had to train her staff to work in various capacities in the governor's mansion, and when she got to the white house everyone knew what to do and that was easier. she came into the white house at the moment when women's roles are really changing greatly across the country. i think people were surprised she was such an outspoken person coming from the south, and she tackled issues. i think she really made a mark. >> those of you remember the big question was jimmy who. we are going to show you a bit of the campaign ad they put together. >> in the final days a group of georgia supporters often referred to as the peanut brigade flew into new hampshire. >> if we had snow on the ground

like this we would the paralyzed for weeks. we couldn't get outside. >> her schedule was grueling, almost as tough as her husband, get through it all she remained a gracious campaigner. >> everybody know every in you do, and i just tell them we were born and raised in georgia. it has a population of 683, and everyone has always known everything i did. i really believe he can restore honesty, integrity, openness, confidence in government we need. i think he would be a great president. >> grace hill, what was happening in the country in 1976 that these outsiders from georgia appealed to the public?

>> i think a lot of things are intersecting in interesting ways to help carter and first lady rosalynn in their rise in politics. on the one hand you have the failures of the mcgovern campaign. they want a campaign who is not going to be able to be pigeonholed as representing a liberal or left part of the party. carter with his southern roots, his small-town background, they think he is going to appeal to somebody who wouldn't vote for mcgovern or might be alienated by that part of the democratic hardy. also, he is an interesting candidate because he is from the south, and he is speaking out in support of integration and the gains of the civil rights movement, and that also really helps create momentum he had them.

he is seen as a candidate who can bridge a lot of divides and draw in a lot of people. >> that video represents the peanut brigade. who are the peanut brigade? >> it is the carter's from georgia who went to other states to campaign. it was impressive when they went into the snowbound streets of new hampshire. the advantage, when you are going to a voter and saying, i am asking you to vote for someone i personally know, that carries a lot of weight. people would wear gold peanut pens, and i think the idea of running as an outsider might have worked in 1976 in a way that might not have worked in other years. it was the right campaign for the right time. >> it became the standard way in which candidates would run after that. it is very interesting that

running from an outsider, what else could carter do, being from a small town, then run as an outsider from washington? it became a model for campaigns. after that you see many politicians running as outsiders. george bush, the second george bush ran as an outsider going after their dash off his experience in texas. >> the carter family, mrs. carter, the son, the mother-in- law, all involved in making it a family affair. >> up until this point people wouldn't figure out you have to get outside of washington. one of my favorite stories from mrs. carter, she and a friend would go around and spend 75 days in florida, and they would

go in a small town and look for an antenna because they figured it was a radio station, and they would say, would you like to interview us? a would ring questions they want to ask. it was a low-budget campaign, but in that year with finance laws of that kind that was the way to do it. >> i think it is a different way of campaigning than we see now staying with areas people in the small towns a visited. >> they will do that in iowa and new hampshire, but after that it gets hard to do. tell me a little bit about learning the mechanics of political science. they had only a little experience. when you read a biography, their systematic approach to learning mechanics is interesting. what i am thinking about is they wouldn't tell them to the same

audiences. she took memory classes so they would be able to remember faces and names. talk about their approach to politics. >> both of the carter's really believed in doing their homework. he would read the book on the 1972 campaign to find out what went right, what went wrong, and she would take meticulous notes, and when they ran for reelection in 1979, she pulled out all these notes from the 1976 campaign. she had the names of everybody. they started out knowing they didn't know how to do this, but they did their homework, and they would come home on sunday so they were always on the same page.

they would come back and compare notes on sunday. then they would head back with a very powerful combination. i cannot believe the work schedule she had during that campaign. i guess growing up on a farm you learn how to put in long days, but she was willing to make that commitment. >> what is great is your involvement. we welcome that as well. you can send us a tweet @firstladies. people are posting questions. we will get to as many of those as we can. you can also call. if you are mountain pacific or even further west, we welcome the conversation.

this viewer asks, where was she educated? we are going to visit the town of clayton, georgia. how big is it? that's when she was there it was dirt roads. now the roads are paved, but it doesn't look much different today than it did then. they are surprised they ended up there because when they were younger the goal was to get out of the town. >> that's check out this video. >> not much has changed since the president and mrs. carter grew up here. if we were to take away this asphalt and have a dirt road in front of it, it would look very similar to a photograph of plains, circa 1925. she lived here with her mom and dad, brothers, and sister. one of her favorite memories is when her dad would come home from work, go into the kitchen,

give her a hug, swing her around, and give her a kiss. rosalynn carter lost her mother at a young age. jimmy carter's mother helped take care rosalynn carter's father. was a trained nurse here in plains. on the night of his passing they actually took rosalynn carter to be with jimmy carter's sister ruth. this is jimmy carter's farm. it is important to rosalynn's story, because she would have spent a lot of time out here with president carter's sister, ruth. this was the room of jimmy carter's sisters. this is where they would hang

out together and play games and do homework. they enjoyed each other's company. when rosalynn carter without sister, jimmy carter's she would see a young jimmy carter. this is where rosalynn carter and jimmy carter would have been in 11th grade. her first memory of going to school here was that she made straight a's the first quarter and she went home and showed her father and her mother. her that so proud of her daddy gave her a dollar for her, then. ater on in the seventh grade, local businesswoman had a contest for the student who had the best gpa throughout the year. gpa, she would give them five dollars. that was quite a lot of money.

year,that seventh grade rosalynn had one that money. one of the activities that she would have been engaged in was basketball. she was excited when she made the varsity basketball team here. we have a picture of her in her uniform, her high school letter jacket. we think that was a very good accomplishment for ms. rosalynn carter. this is the methodist church. this is where president carter asked ms. rosalynn out on a date for the first time. it is also where they got married. it is a special place for president and mrs. carter. it is a special place for plains. at the early look life in plains. i've had to date me? -- how did they meet? >> they probably saw each other

from a distance. ruth,nn was a friend of jimmy carter's sister. he did not pay much attention to her. as they got older and it was clear that he would go into the navy, she started to focus on him. the first date they had, she was about 17 and he was 20. he went home and told his mother that he was going to marry rosalynn after the first date. it became a wild to convince her that she should marry him, because she believed she was too young. apart.re three years that might be the reason. >> she married him in 19? >> she was a young bride. >> did she finish college? >> she had an associates degree from georgia southwestern. that school was very important. her mother went to that school. today the school has the caregiving program named after

her. >> i want to ask the second part of regina's question? were they the same religion? we talk about these and religion and politics. >> a were always churchgoers. growing up in plains, and in their married life, they attended different churches, depending on where they live. his and her faith became really important when he was campaigning for national office. very interesting moment. it was a pivotal moment. andgelical christians conservative christians were bracing the public sphere and coming out of self-imposed isolation. they were taking of public life. carter spoke to them. a lot of people that would later find themselves as part of what we would call the new right, or

the christian right, those people voted for carter. was the of them, that first time they ever voted in a national campaign. it for grounded their faith. especially after carter's experience becoming born again. >> the carter's wet and rosalynn carter became a navy wife. and there was the birth of their son. >> he was very active in the submarine program. he helped develop nuclear reactors for the u.s. navy. they had three sons who were born while he was in the navy. i believe jack was born in ft. smith and ship was born in hawaii. jeff was born in connecticut. of jobs freezing be sons because jimmy was not around a lot. their sons because

jimmy was not around a lot. she also had to run the form as well. she was very busy. she also enjoyed the opportunity to travel to all of these great places. they enjoyed living in hawaii. it was a special experience for them. was accepteder into the navy submarine program. this is a cash a job in the navy. he leaves it, why? reason is that his father dies earlier than expected. his father earl passed away in 1953. it was a question that before might be lost to the family if you did not go back. when he went back to his fathe'' oral, he found out that his father had been more active in the community, helping poor

people and giving loans, and he never realized that as a child. he felt that he could do more good back here. he did not consult with rosalynn on that question. she actually refused to talk to him on the trip between schenectady in plains. learnedafter that, he his lesson and he would no longer make a major decision without consulting her. >> she found herself back in plains after getting out and seeing the world. business, and a way to grow. how did that segue into their life? >> they started off getting involved in local politics. it was a well-worn path. jimmy carter joined the school board bear in plains. the use that as a jumping off there, theym launched two campaigns for governor. plains to their

granted. coming together help them to get into national politics. >> let's invite our collars into the escutcheon. -- our callers into the discussion. >> i was fortunate to meet them in the 1960's. we presented president carter doubon metal. he passed on alaska lands act that shaped the wilderness. anynder if mrs. carter had effect on his environmental policies? i know she certainly wanted to put forth some information to president carter on some of his policies. i would like to know how much of his environmental policies she might have had information

about. did she at least inform certain policies? >> was she concerned with environmental issues? >> they were both added outdoorsman. they both like to fly fish. they both at the personal connection to rivers. governor, protecting the flint river was one of his priorities. then he was involved in the environment in many ways as president. birders. also serious they went around the world looking for species they had not seen before. the carter presidency has been ring by historians for the environment after teddy roosevelt and president nixon founded the epa, carter is right up there behind them in most of

the environmental rankings. both of them have a great respect for nature and the outdoors. >> keith, you're on. >> how are you? >> very good. what is your question? >> what was the reaction of president whenr and the first lady he lost the election to ronald reagan in 1980? fast forwarding our story. what was the reaction? >> they were devastated. i do not know what to add to that. >> they were very devastated. read the election was not close. so, thee last week or polls showed that he was a open race. what they both realized before election day itself, what was happening. it was hard. she is very candid. if she -- if you read her

memoirs, she does not try to cover up. they were bitter. anybody, what you put into running for office and he put into doing the job, it is tough when you get a verdict like that from the voters. but they came to peace with that and they were able to make great use of the rest of their lives. fragile victory in 1976 when he won. it was a small victory. was not a huget victory. >> on twitter, what major accomplishments did jimmy make for the state of georgia that may have been replicated by other states? jordan, there was a major reorganization of the structure of state government. there were fewer agencies. he was the first one to set up a

film bureau to attract film to come to georgia. that has become a big thing. he was active in international promotion of businesses and trade. and the environment, which we of our dimension. at the time he was governor, the georgia constitution did not allow anyone to run for a second term. that is why he only serve the one term. he was planning to retire from politics at that point. >> one of the things that is interesting about his governorship is that he did not run as particularly liberal on issues of racial integration and the civil rights movement. it had blocked the south in the years leading up to when he first ran for governor. he really did not run as a liberal on these issues. when he became the governor, and

perhaps in part because he knew he would not have to run again in georgia, where a load of white voters were not going to support those kind of use, he really made a tactical turn and nurtured the career of a young and the young -- andy young. he began to moderate what had been some very traditional white southern views before that. >> we have a question about race and the first lady. bring up in the south, web used in roslyn have on equal rights? >> she was very impressed by lillian carter, who we have not mentioned yet. was a major force for the whole town of plains. she was a nurse, and the prevailing attitude was that african-americans had to come through the back doors of schools.

was concerned that everyone was equal. she tried to carry out her responsibilities that way. everybody thought that. is named after ms. lillian. there was a respect for her. was aevailing culture segregated society, but i think both of them grew up with a basic sense of fairness. they knew that this was not the way things ought to be. they traveled around the world. they had some perspective. >> i will add that neither of them were amongst the white severs who stood out against -- southerners who stood out against segregation. they may have well had their personal views, they were very quiet about those views. that is what is really interesting about the governorship at that point. you start to see that change. to distinguish between joining the civil rights movement. the his father supported

integration of african- americans. that was a major form of discrimination. he actually sold some of his lands to african-americans. one carter ran for state senate, one of the issues with the closing of the schools over segregation. carter was very strong about not shutting down b-schools. those were the kinds of issues that mattered at the time. but then he endorsed george wallace when he was running for president. it is a complicated story. in the end, they make the journey. tot is what is interesting me as a historian, to watch the change over time. >> michael is in vicksburg, mississippi. >> good evening. two months ago marked the carter's' involvement in the

30th anniversary of habitat for humanity, i was just wondering, how did they become involved in that organization initially? >> habitat as you may know was georgia, in an area that is only seven miles from lanes. the people who founded it were well known to the carters. what they agreed to in the early years so that their name could be used for the organization for fundraising and things like that. they spend one week a year .orking on habitat projects many of them these days are brought. they're not just photo ops, they actually go out with tools. they go back to their first days of habitat and they are still active. they spent many weeks out of the year working at the carter center, and they have made a major crime attribution -- major contribution to habitat.

we have to discuss amy carter. she is born in 1967. the carters arrived at the white house with a young daughter, and their sons are off doing other things. inauguration was meant to be the people's inaugural. we have some video of the president and first lady getting out of their limousine after the ceremony, when they were coming back to the white house, as walking up pennsylvania avenue. how important is that symbolism? >> i think that was important in a lot of different ways. story, and you can jump in here if you want to, they were joined by congressmen interested in physical fitness issues. but it became a symbol of his desire and their desire to connect with people, to not present themselves as elite or above the people.

it was meant to show that they were in touch with ordinary americans. it played out in terms of the inauguration. i believe she has spoken about people on -- along the way weeping as they walked by. it clearly was meaningful to people who were there. >> she also wore the same down for a presidential inaugural ball that she wore in georgia. >> what is she trying to say? they wanted a less imperial presidency. pennsylvania avenue was a surprise. the secret service only allow this because it was kept secret. it is interesting, because to some extent, they disagreed about certain aspects. she thought he had overdone that.

he was adamant about over -- reducing the imperial nature of the presidency. we saw in that clip, the transition. this was a tough campaign. s carter and ford had a friendship. did roslyn and betty ford have a friendship? >> it started when the president was assassinated and they could not go to the funeral. nixon, ford, and carter were sent. that is where they bonded. >> there was a very close bond between the family and part of

it was that they both went through the trauma. -- the trauma of failing to be reelected. >> the white house was a busy spot because two of the sons' wives and children moved in. >> part of the time -- >> and amy was there and then the nation also got introduced to miss lillian and president carter's brother billy. >> miss lillian was the celebrity. when the democratic national convention was held in the summer 1976, most of the delegates already met the carter family because miss lillian because she stayed home to take care of amy. she was the carter family member people hadn't already met. the big thing at the convention was, can i meet lillian carter? >> it was exciting to be in elementary school at this time. i grew up in georgia. for amy to grow up in the white house it was exciting if you were a kid. she seemed right there in the center of all the events and i remember thinking about that a lot as something that was really

about exciting. >> how did she protect young amy from the press and that sort of thing? we have a photo. you can see how young she is. how did they approach parenting? >> well, i think that felt that all their kids should be able to have a private life if they wanted to and amy certainly did. you know, if you're a kid in the first family you've got secret service protection so it's hard to blend in, even if you'd like to. but i think the press in general respected that and realized that a child shouldn't be exposed to the kind of press that their parents get. i think it worked out well. it was very hard to move to washington and then have to move back. >> we have one photograph we'll put on screen that shocked most of us. this is amy carter going to

school. we'll put it on the screen here so you can see. [laughter] >> the reporters on this little tiny character with her snoopy bag to school. they made the decision to public school even though she would be more exposed to this sort of thing. >> yes. the other thing i should say, the carters were relatively young occupants of the white house and then amy was very much the young daughter, so it's a little unusual for -- it's not unique but unusual for presidents to have a daughter that young. >> she was 8, 9? >> something like that >> the decision for public school was really a decision that many people commented on and it became politicized. but it was in many ways an example to the nation and in some ways a rebuke of a lot of white southerners who were sending their kids to segregated private schools.

>> before we leave, i want to talk about billy carter because he occasionally became political issue for the president in what ways? >> well, he didn't seem to understand how new sort of pervasive media coverage was not necessarily going to always be his friend. >> would you like to add to that? >> i got in trouble a lot. >> the lesson with billy he was equivalent to amy. he was the last child so there's a big age separation between the the two brothers. billy became an issue in 1980 over issues related to libya. there were all sorts of investigations and no charges were ever filed or anything like that, but it did create some distractions at crucial points in the campaign in 1980. >> he also chose to commercialize the connection. i remember billy beer. did that strain the relationship with his older brother the president?

>> i don't think so. billy was a popular figure around plains. he had a good sense of humor and he was a smart, smart guy. of course he originally was going to take over the farm and run the farm and then never did assume that position, so that had to be hard, although he did end up running it a lot of times when they were off campaigning. >> steven in lieu kentucky. caller: first of all, this lady was special to me. because i was born the first week he was in the white house. the week i was born they had the national women's conference in houston, texas. mrs. carter and betty ford and all those women convened. i think it was the first time that the u.s. government ever

sponsored an event like this for women in particular. i think it's the only time, if i'm not mistaken. i know that in particular on women's issues carter was the first u.s. president at that time to appoint more women to office than any other person at that time. some other things i wanted to add. the arts. this administration was very good to the arts in performance at the white house started in 1979 on pbs. they hosted the first national poetry festival in 1980. and also as far as her image is concerned, i've done some research on first ladies and i know this lady is sort of interesting because i think out of all the recent first ladies it seems like she's not as well- known.

i think the reason is because she was so ahead of her time and multifacetted in her approach and she didn't stick to one issue and the press was upset with her because of that. >> i have to cut you off. thank you. obviously studied and knows a bit about this white house. what would you like to say to her? >> you've highlighted a really important historical moment and that is national women's conference was a historical event. it was the first event of that kind that was put on by the government with the support of the president and it was a real moment of the kind of mainstreaming or sort of broader acceptance of the goals of the women's movement and it was really, really an amazing event. it's indicative of those kinds of things that rosalynn did. i mean, she really did refuse to stick to one event and championed women's rights and campaigned for the e.r.a. and kept up with mental health which she worked on back in georgia. that i think is indicative of her in many ways creating a

modern first lady role. >> while she pursued her own causes she stayed involved in the president's issues and as we said attended cabinet meetings. we have clips where both president and first lady talk about her participation in the cabinet meetings. >> rosalynn and i arranged to have one official lunch together in the oval office every week. we would postpone all the things that could be that were official in nature that dealt with the government of the united states of america or international affairs or health or welfare or housing or transportation and we discuss those things in our official meeting in the oval office once a week. when i learned, for instance, she was still a little frustrated in knowing enough about what was going on and she was never hesitant to let me know when she was frustrated -- and she hasn't changed -- then i

decided there would be nothing wrong with rose attending the cabinet meetings. so i invited her to attend the cabinet meetings. she sat in the back of the room in an unobtrusive way. nobody knew she was there except me. i was constantly aware that my wife was watching me. >> a lot of people don't know but i sat by cleveland and he was with veteran affairs. and i sat next to him next to the door and i went every time the cabinet met because it was i thought it was necessary for me to know what was going on and why the decisions were made and so forth. so that i could explain to people in the country as i toured around. >> we have a photograph of the carters conferring.

the late 1970s were a time of many challenges internationally and domestically as we have done in many programs. we have a list of the major issues to show you during that time period to demonstrate what the president was working on. including some of these issues such as the panama canal treaty. the energy crisis and those of you around remember the long gas lines people suffered through, inflation was high and there was a recession going on, mortgages in the high double digits and the panama canal treaty and cab david accords and negotiation of the missile treaty and big issue that framed the latter half of the white house was iranian crisis. mrs. carter was involved in mental health and created the mental health coalition. >> the pivotal point for her was when he was running for governor for georgia and people came up

to her mentioned problems that they had had in their family and particularly the stigma that was attached to mental health issues. that was the beginning of it. and she had a strong mental health program in georgia and then at the white house. >> we will take a call and then learn more about the announcement of the mental health commission. barbara is watching us is nashville. you are on the air. caller: in 1976 we were invited to the white house. my husband was in the music business and we got invited to come to the white house and then after that the ladies got to go see the congress, which you just mentioned they were discussing the panama canal treaty and it was a great event. that night it was so -- it was just so wonderful being at the white house and meeting, it was

a governors' meeting as well. and then we had done campaigning for president carter through some of the towns in alabama along with tammy wynette. it was a wonderful event and we loved president carter and mrs. carter. they were so gracious. >> thanks very much. we learned that her interest in the arts was much broader than just music. did they in fact reach out to that constituency as well? >> what was interesting during the campaign, the expansion of the media during this time, a lot of the musicians from the south endorsed carter's campaign. southern rock was at its peak. cap corn records was headquartered in macon and musicians like the allman brothers band were headquartered in georgia.

a lot became supporters of courter and helped spread the word of his campaign. a broad interest in the arts. he listened to classical music but they both also had an interest in more sort of vernacular southern music as well. >> the people who keep these kinds of statistics say that first lady carter had three dozen specific interviews with media organizations and 22 press conferences during their term in office. we will see one of the instances when she talked to reporters after the president signed the executive order establishing the mental health commission. >> as you probably know, for the past year and a half, a little more i have campaigned all over the country. my biographical schedule had a little paragraph that said i was interested in mental health. everywhere i went if people had a good program they wanted me to see it.

i had a chance to see things happening all over this country that are good. i also had some things happening that i thought needed help. i hope for this establishment of this commission i know that we can give some of that help. we have a chance to do great things in our country. i thought until today that i was going to be the chairperson. and i got a little -- [laughter] >> i got a little note from somebody that says -- according to the office of the legal council of the department of justice and so forth prohibits the president from appointing a close relative such as a wife to a civilian position. it may be unpaid as well as paid. the 20 members of the commission including the chair will in fact be serving in civilian positions. no problem with your being designated as honorary chairperson. so -- [laughter] >> i will be very active

honorary chairperson. i intend to -- we have office space in the executive office building which is close. i will be spending many hours a week there and traveling and involved in the fact finding process traveling over the country for hearings in the next six months. i intend to be active. >> i'm watching that and it sing of a prestage for hillary clinton being involved in the healthcare during their white house years. evolution of the role of first lady but runs into legal limitations. >> it is a challenge. it is really a challenge. it is i think particularly challenging during these years when he rosalynn trying to navigate the roles. she not only has to negotiate the difficulties of being the first lady in the media all the time but also really a time when women themselves are very much

disagreeing about what the proper role for women in society is and arguing about it. not just a time of feminism, it is the rise of right conservative women's backlash against feminism and critique of it. again, i think rosalynn has a difficult job there. >> you could see in that clip that she wasn't going to let that legal opinion hold her back. so she was able to do it. and had a great impact. she was so committed to reducing stigma from mental illness, getting it treated as a medical condition. and in her own sweet way she was running that commission. >> and her issues really are still very much with us. i mean in recent healthcare reform is just winning some of the goals that she was working on back in the 1970's. >> she had a signature piece of legislation that made its way through the congress. can you talk about what that did and what the legislative

trajectory was? >> the mental health commission issued reports in 1977 and 1978 and then in 1980, fairly late in the carter presidency they passed the mental health bill which was basically requiring that mental illnesses be treated like other illnesses. interestingly enough, just in the last few weeks, that has made it into the final rules of the affordable care act and secretary sebelius announced that with mrs. carter at the carter center. she has been frustrated that more has not happened at a faster pace. again, i think she had been ahead of her time by a lot of the issues and now some are coming to fruition. >> we have a photograph of mrs. carter testifying before a senate subcommittee on mental health issues and we will take you to her talking in the present day in this interview in atlanta just recently about her disappointment about the legislation and what happened to

it after it passed. let's listen in. >> i got upset with the president because they covered my mental health work the first few meetings i had. and then they never showed up any more. and one of the things i wanted to do is bring attention to the issue and how terrible it was and what few services there were. and thinking just getting it out in the public, that is what i did in georgia, developed a good program in georgia, by the way. but they just didn't come and so one day i was walking in the floor in the white house and met this woman who was one of the press people, and i said you know, nobody ever covers my meetings and she said ms. carter mental health is just not a sexy

issue. and that i didn't like. but i never did get very much coverage for it. but we toured the country and found out what was needed and developed legislation and passed the mental health systems act of 1980. it passed through congress one month before jimmy, as he says, was involuntarily retired from the white house and the incoming president put it on the shelf and never implemented it. it was one of the greatest disappointments of my life. >> that is rosalynn carter talking about her frustration with the implementation of one of her major issues. she was a big champion for the equal rights amendment to the constitution. talk more about the backlash from the moral majority as it was beginning to grow as well for women's rights.

>> when the carters took office, you know, there were only four states still needed to ratify e.r.a. and rosalynn got out there and campaigned and it really looked like it would make it, but again, to return us to that women's conference in houston that was really a moment when the organization of the fight against e.r.a. really became a kind of public as well. and conservative women across the country had organized to get themselves elegged as delegates to the women's conference and really began fighting back against what they saw as changes that they were not welcoming and really began to systematically campaign for e.r.a. to be stopped. it was a kind of a difficult time there, you know, in many ways if you said that a woman from a small town in georgia somebody like rosalynn carter with her background would be a champion of e.r.a. and it wouldn't pass you would have

been surprised by that. and i think she really gave it her all. she also said that was a very disappointing loss for her as well, that that was not ratified. but the conservative women got really organized around the country and began to fight back. >> i want to talk to you about the use of the white house which we have learned through the course of this series is a deadly serious political business at how presidents choose to bring people into the white house. during the cart carter years, the numbers are impressive of people invited to official events at the white house. by 1978, grown to 40,000. in 1979, 5,000 and in 190, the election year, 100,000 official guests at events in the white house. how did they approach entertaining there? >> they seriously a lot of these have a serious purpose because if it as state dinner you have the head of a foreign country and if they were invited to a state dinner it probably has some diplomatic purpose attached to it.

they serve very fine american products, fine wines and you have to get the protocol worked out. a lot of it is to say thank you for people that helped you in the campaign. and then, of course, in the election year, making sure you are touching all of the bases. they had some pretty great events at the white house in 1980. one of the callers mentioned the poetry conference which they had in january, i believe. and then they had all of the jazz greats came in for a lawn concert with u.b. blake and that was another stunning event. as much as she was the modern first lady in adopting the big issues like mental health and e.r.a. she also knew that she didn't give up the other part of it to make sure all of this functioned smoothly. as grace mentioned, she had a

very professional staff there to work with her. so that was a big asset. >> and for the record, the carter white house was no hard liquor white house. >> i think that was more of a budgetary thing than it was aesthetics. they figured they could get better wines and better food if they didn't serve hard liquor. but, yeah, that was one way of doing it. they had to do this on a small budget. so, you know, the fact that you are doing more events doesn't mean you have more money to do them. you do have to be cost conscious about it. >> also i think it was part of where they were from. their kind of background. many people in the south, small town south, white and black, who are people are faith do not drink. and it was also part of who they were and they brought that with them to the white house. and i think that was, you know, a cultural issue and also again a kind of class choice. it isn't going to be an elite atmosphere.

we are going to have more of the people's white house and that was part of what they saw as something that they wanted to promote. >> in the next clip, mrs. carter talks about the media's reaction to this people's white house and what she saw anti-southern bias in the media. >> there is a bias against southerners. there was. i never would say that out loud when we were there because i didn't want other people to think it and i didn't want to think it. you had to keep proving yourself over and over. didn't matter what you did. you had great successes and then had to prove yourself again. and i think it was, you know, i wasn't supposed to be sophisticated enough or something. but who wants to be sophisticated? i think there is a little bit of bias about the south. i remember after jimmy was elected there was a whole page cartoon in the washington post with the carter family, jimmy's mother and me and there were haystacks and we had on straw

hats and there was straw between our teeth. and then i went from that to being steel magnolia. and but i thought that was pretty good because steel is tough and magnolia is southern. then i was fuzzy for awhile. and then i was most powerful. i had a full range of images. >> was she correct? was there an anti-southern bias in the media while they were in the white house? >> i think she was correct. most people that are not from the south had a kind of opinion of who white southerners were that was shaped by the media's coverage of civil rights unrest and protests and violence. and i think that many people had those kinds of assumptions that were not from the south. i should clarify and i don't know what she meant when she said whites against southerners. certainly more of a bias against whites than african american

southerners and national media environment. and a period when rural white southerners were all over popular white culture. "the andy griffith show," "petticoat junction," making comedy and so that is part of it as well. "the andy griffith show ,"" petticoat junction ," making comedy and so that is part of it as well. >> on this concept of acceptance in the public image, she wrote image did become an annoyance that wouldn't go away. i thought if i were working productively and accomplishing something worth while images would take care of themselves. wrong. i learned that labels are easy to come by and hard to overcome. >> talk about the carter's acceptance by the washington establishment.

the georgians come into town, campaigning as outsiders against the political establishment. how did the establishment react? >> well, i think one, i would say that no president or first lady has ever been satisfied with how they were shown in washington. they did try to work around the press corps to some extent. that was at the state and the local level. president carter had this great toe where they were trying influence other people. they didn't do some of the traditional things that had been

expected. that is related to getting away from the imperial presidency. his aide made some comment that they were going to bring them in. but they did bring those people in. there was always a tension there. i wanted to follow-up on the comment that was made about hard work. it is my understanding that president carter grupp southern baptist. did they attended the first baptist of washington? or did they go to st. john's episcopal. >> they attended baptist

churches and did attend first baptist. i am pretty sure that they did baptist.r they welcomed a church that welcomed visitors on sunday. if you went to church you could have a lesson from the former president. i would like to talk about representing officially the united states overseas. they were asked to represent both the president and the country. on her return to united states she spoke to reporters. that is up next.

>> i have done this for two weeks. i could not resist. my visit to latin america opened new paths. and it started to stop the paternalism that had characterized the past. we are ready and eager to develop balance and equal relationships. i found goodwill and friendship everywhere i went. they love you in the caribbean and latin america and every head of state i spoke with without exception agreed with me on the importance of cooperating and consulting closely on the issues that concern you, jimmy, and concern us all.

human rights, nuclear nonproliferation, economic development, arms control. i think we've made progress in all of these areas. i'm glad to be back home. i'm glad to be with amy and with jamie. i'm going to convey all of this information i have to jimmy. in fact, i look forward to consulting closely with him on a regular basis. >> at the outset of that clip, she spoke spanish. a story about her spanish lessons? >> she started learning spanish in the governor's mansion in georgia. she and jimmy took a trip to latin america to promote business relationships with georgia, with various countries in latin america. and they began to study spanish. she apparently stuck with it. they would read the bible with each other at the end of the day. and they would take turns sometimes reading bible verses to each other in spanish.

>> then, of course, the important role as the hostess for the camp david summit between antagonistic parties as they were trying to reach an agreement. what role did she play during that. and following the last clip, what was the public acceptance of the countries as the first lady coming to represent the u.s.? >> first on latin america, i think that trip was somewhat misunderstood both in this country and abroad. that was a very substantive trip because president carter is trying to send message, this is a new day for human rights. because you're an ally doesn't mean you can lock up political prisoners. you can't deliver it, so to have her deliver it, it was more effective. in camp david, the feeling -- president carter got the cia to develop these very fine profiles of the participants. and he knew what made him tick. and so he felt like they would all perform a lot better if their wives were there. and mrs. sidot couldn't come. but she was in frequent contact with anwar sidot.

their being there had a very specific purpose that they were talking about things that would affect their grandchildren and their families and having the spouses there would be a positive. and i think it turned out to be that way. >> connie is watching us in walnut creek, california. hello, connie. connie, are you there? >> yes, mrs. carter had strong views of the passage of the equal rights amendment. i'm wondering since that time what her view of the progress that women have made in politics generally in society. and have she ever made a comment about whether a woman or should be elected president of the united states?

>> thanks so much. >> i think she thinks it's overdo. the carters have withdrawn their memberships from the churches that don't allow women to be deacons. president carter is going to be about the rights of women around the world. so they're still working on these issues. they're proud. carter has appointed a lot of women to the judiciary. ruth ginsberg was appointed by president carter and elevated to the supreme court by president clinton. she recognizes there was progress made. 44 days in iran. in our interview. >> i look back at the memories just waiting for the press conference in iran to say what happened that day. because we had no idea what was going on. and the only way we knew what was going on was when they would come out and announce it. and so it was just -- so we were thinking about -- we met with the families all along what jimmy was doing with the presidency. it was awful, it was awful. i would go out and campaign. i had found outerly early when the president goes out, he's surrounded.

doesn't get close to people to get close to conversations, normal what they think about the hopes and dreams, what they thought about what i was doing, jimmy was doing, anything that could help them. i had learned that early in his presidency. and i would go out and everybody would say, tell the president to do something. and tell them to -- he's got to do something.

i would come home and say, i would come home and say. what do you want me to do? mind the harbors? he didn't know what to do. i wanted it over. every night, a new tv program started. nobody got over it at all, or could get over it. just think about it. every day, every night. it was awful.

>> grace hale, earlier you commented on the role of the television media and shaping images of the presidency. here we have a situation where every night what became "nightline" was america held hostage counting down the days. what's the role of the media in functioning the country on this situation in iran. >> we tend to think of our own day as the media's uniquely interactive and everywhere and pervasive. and, in fact, there was a real kind of advance in the '70s and the coverage that the media could do and their access to footage and how quickly they could get things on the air. leaps forward were made. and you really saw that around the iranian hostage crisis, not only because it's being reported and as you said the show that would become "nightline" was on the air every night talking about the crisis. but in the way, the iranians were able to use the media to their own advantage to pub publicize what was going on in their end and some ways insert themselves in the media conversation that maybe in an earlier era, the u.s. would be able to dominate. that's part of the story as well.

>> jay thinks it's ironic, sad, i don't know what the discussion is. today another event that c-span televised, one of many happening in the last few weeks discussing the possible accord with the iranians with the nuclear proliferation. we're still talking about the relationships with the country. i know the carter library and center had many discussions about the middle east. in the years ensuing, has the president and those who worked on his cabinet looked back and said we should have done something differently here? >> well, in iran specifically, i think president carter felt vindicated because the hostages got out alive. there was a choice between using military force, which would have been more popular with the public as mrs. carter's comments suggested, but high likelihood that a lot of hostages would have been killed or used punishing economic sanctions and then they eventually all get out alive.

we're replaying that same kind of debate today. obviously with camp david, camp david was a -- was an early step. and i think president carter would have liked more time to expand to deal with the other issues between the arabs and israel, but he didn't have time to do that. so i think that he would have liked more time to work on that issue. but i think he turned out -- iran, as the hostages looked back on it over the years, they feel that probably the approach he took was the best one for protecting their safety. >> david is in chicago. you're on the air. >> hi, david. >> hi, good evening. a general question about the relationship between the reagans and the carters. and specifically, if i remember hearing president carter once state that president and mrs. reagan never invited the carters back for state dinner in eight years, or they weren't even invited back for the unveiling of the official white house portraits. is that true?

>> i don't know. a little surprised by that. reagan came down to the carter library and gave a gracious speech. so to that extent, you know, ex-presidents do -- and president reagan met with president carter before he send him off to represent the united states at the sidot funeral. there wasn't a lot hoff contact, but there was some. >> talked about the 1980 campaign. what were some of the issues in some of the iranian hostage crisis that were framing the debate. mrs. carter talked about going out to campaigning. what was she facing with the

public? >> well, one of the main things she was facing was a pretty fractured democratic party. there were divisions within the party, kind of traditional base in the labor movement that the carters had never been particularly strong on that front or superconnected with the large union movement. the liberal wing of the party, obviously represented by ted kennedy, not particularly happen -- happy with the carters. in some ways, they were the candidates that threaded through all of the factions of the economic party. so the decline of the 1970s would be one thing she was facing on the campaign trail. it was an interesting time in our national life. the economy didn't necessarily go down for everybody, but for industrial workers, working class americans, it was a really, really tough time. so that's something she would have faced. >> where did the carters go after losing the white house? >> they moved back to plains to sort of plan the rest of their life. they were pretty young to be out of the white house. they came back to the carter

center. they were able to launch a new career working on the same issues. but to continue to have a very big impact, both in this country and around the world. they were very much partners in all of this. >> yes. >> how does she think the years after the white house had been framed and what they'd like to be remembered for. remember as of right now, jimmy carter is the longest serving ex-president in history. a lot of years since they left the white house they stayed involved in issues. let's watch. >> i hope my legacy continues for more than just first lady. because it's always been an integral part of my life, waging peace, fighting disease, building hope. i hope i have contributed something into mental health issues and helped to improve a little bit, the lives of people living with mental illnesses.

but i also hope -- i have had great opportunities for so long now. and to go to africa or some of the countries where we go to africa two or three times a year. to go to those villages, things have come to fruition like we've been working on for all those years, we almost eradicated them. go to a village, it's a celebration. i mean, one of the good things about the carter center is we don't give money to the government. we send people in to help people in that country how to do something. and we were with the people in the villages. and helped the public there too and we work with them. and they do the work. and just to go to a village and explain to them, if you can get the chief to approve, that's what you have to do.

if you see or hear about it from another country, they're so happy you're there. but just to see -- to go back when it's gone from a village or almost gone, and the hope gives to them most of the time it's the first thing they've ever seen that was successful. and it's just so wonderful, just to see the hope of it. it's something good is happening. i didn't mean to get emotional. >> will you comment more about the approach to the postpresidency, the postwhite house years? >> these are epic stories when you look at them closely.

the carters started working in the 1980s, there were 3 1/2 million cases around the globe. this is a deep debilitating disease. the worm grows within the body and people can't go to school or work in the fields. and the last official number i saw was 542 cases and i think it's actually a little bit lower than that. it's just now in four countries, i think, mali, chad, ethiopia, and sudan. this is a remarkable achievement. this is going to be the second disease after smallpox to be eliminated from the face of the earth. she didn't mention election monitoring, but they've now monitored elections, i believe, in 37 countries. and many of those countries more than once. and countries like indonesia, liberia, they helped sort of nurture them as they've gone through several election cycles. and then liberia is a perfect example.

they not only moved to democracy where they elected the first woman president in an african country, but they had no mental health care. now with the cadre of nurses they developed over several cycles of that, most of the country is now covered with basic professional help. so when you start -- i'm just scratching the surface, when you start to see all of it going around the world because they can open the door as ex-president and ex-first lady, it's still going on, it hasn't stopped. president carter is in nepal last week for the elections there. >> he is now 89 years old? >> correct. >> and the first lady is 86, i believe. >> yes. >> lauren is elizabethtown, north carolina. hi, lauren, you are on. >> caller: hello, good evening. i wanted to know the relationship that ms. carter had with the late betty ford? >> well, they became very good friends. and they worked on the era together as we mentioned. and they communicated a lot -- worked on projects together. and as i mentioned earlier, mrs. carter gave a nice eulogy. the ford family and the carter family became good friends. for bette ford because for candor had taken a step forward for first ladies as well. and i think that made it a little easier for later first ladies to speak out to say what

they thought. >> and the -- the carters have concentrated on humanitarian issues globally. but i'm wondering about the relationship with the democratic party after leaving the white house after trouncing in the 1980 election. how welcome were they by the national party. what was their role? >> well, you know, immediately after that kind of defeat, those aren't the kind of people you're going to send out on the campaign trail or raising money. but the democratic party wasn't -- wasn't super embracing of the carters after that defeat. but it seems that it came around in time.

i mean, the whole democratic party ended up across the '80s going in a more moderate direction and moving away from the more liberal wing. that's represented in the presidency of bill clinton. and so, in some ways, again, the carters were just a little bit maybe ahead of their time. the democratic party seems to have come around to a lot of the issues that maybe some democrats weren't thrilled with him about at the time. >> ashtontics on twitter asked does roslyn carter feel he deserves the accomplishments for snt. >> no. >> does any first lady ever, i might add? >> i think if you look at what president carter did, take panama canal treaty, for instance, that was something that was not at all popular at the time. but has opened up a whole range of developments in latin america. and mrs. carter would caution him, be careful politically here a little bit because you do want to get a second term. but they didn't run away for the second term. so they moved ahead and had a pretty long list of accomplishments.

they did so and again i think grace mentioned this earlier, if you're doing the this with high interest rates, you talk to iran about the hostages, but the other thing that happened with iran was the cutoff from supplies in the middle east which raises oil prices and races inflation and interest rates.

so iran was this double whammy. not only did we have the hostages in captivity, but we had this inflair nation economy which no president wants to have in the election year. >> and the severest downturn in the economy since the depression in recent history. so in the time after world war ii -- >> until 2008. >> yes, yes, i meant before recent times. >> david welsh on facebook wants to know where are the carter children now. what are they doing? did any pursue politics? >> well, jack, the oldest son, did run for the u.s. senate as the democratic nominee in nevada a couple of cycles ago. and he lives in nevada. and his son, who is the oldest carter grandchild, jason, is running for governor in the state of georgia. he's currently a state senator. chip lives in the atlanta area, jeff and amy both live in the atlanta area. so three of them are sort of close to home. and jack's out in nevada. >> and could you also comment about the grandson who made news in the last presidential campaign by unearthing the romney video that changed the direction of that campaign? >> this is a child who was in

the inaugural parade. but he feels in his mother's womb. he is chip's son and he -- he's master of the internet and uncovered candidate romney's speech about the 47%. so he got in the news as a member of the carter family. >> do we know hisf grandparent'' reaction as a result of that campaign? >> i think they were pleased. >> one more video, six minutes left in the program. this is plains and the carter's life there after the white house. let's watch. after the white house, mrs. carter took great interest. one of her projects was to help restore and refurbish the plains inn and antique mall. each room in the inn is dedicated to a decade in president and mrs. carter's life from 1920 to 1980. another one of mrs. carter's editions to the downtown plains the rose lynn carter butterfly garden. she established the garden to bring awareness to conserving butterflies, the habitats, and for her love of nature.

this is the baptist church where president carter and mrs. carter attend when they're in town. this is where he still teaches sunday school and ms. rosalynn is a deacon here in the church. plains is -- plains is home. everybody has some place they call home. and for the carter, plains, georgia is home. they could have travelled anywhere after the white house. and pretty much settled anywhere. but they wanted to come home. and i think that speaks volumes of the way they think about plains. they love it here. >> the person who is our interpreter there is national parks service. could you talk about the preservation of plains by the federal government through the national parks service and what

one would find if they visit there? >> yes, the national parks service runs the historic site. it's got several parts to it. there's the carter boyhood home which is kind of a working farm now, it's apparently a large farm. and you could walk through the house there and have interpretation than his old high school or their whole high school has become kind of a museum. you can walk through there. the home they live in now is being deeded to the national park service. so it's well worth a trip to south georgia. you can go through warm springs an learn about fdr. which enyou get there, you can attend sunday school, stay in the plains inn, and visit the historic sites. you're off of the beaten path. it's not close to an interstate. but people who are presidential and history junkies, it's a trip well worth making. >> and the carters have chosen the plains rather up than the carter center for the final

burial place. >> only two presidents i'm aware of in post world war ii went back to their own hometowns. the trumans went back to inagains and the carters went back to the plains. >> keith, in illinois. hi, keith, you're on. caller: i've seen news coverage of when the carters intertangled with the clintons with the habitat for humanity. and i'm just curious, do they currently -- do they do anything with the obamas? >> do the carters do anything with the obamas? >> i think sure, they had some interaction. we had pictures of them earlier together at the white house. but president carter sort of marches to his own drum beat and, you know, he has views that are very strong about the middle east and other things.

and the ex-presidents still hang out. there's a book called the president's club that came out a year or two ago which gives you a lot of behind-the-scenes look at how the presidents interact. there are a lot of facets to it. sometimes people work together. sometimes they don't. >> as we close out here, redena crump kee wants to know, do they still take on new causes. >> they have this basic set of causes in which they travel extensively. and they're going to the poorest countries of the world. the chads and the malis make india and other countries look very wealthy. so they still do travel a lot. but they focus on the causes they have to produce the result that they're trying to achieve. so mental health, election monitoring. peace negotiations, river

blindness. these are sets of things they've been working on for a long time. and they're achieving a lot of success. >> as we close out here, gary robinson wants to know, what's the perception of the carters as time has passed since their presidency, and will it improve more overtime. as an historian, can you anticipate the future? >> not our greatest strength as historians but it's been a successful postpresidency. in many ways they reinvented that job and it doesn't look like they'll stop here in the later years. >> as historian looking back on the white house. has the perception of that change in the ensuing decades? >> i think perhaps the jury is still out. i mean, it's not seen as the most successful presidency of the post war era, but at the same time, trying to change some of the directions of event up -- events, promote what he was promoting. energy independence, the spread of democracy. that's still the issue today. >> what about the first lady? >> top five, top ten. eleanor roosevelt is at the top. below that, there's some fluctuation. i think in his case, he's not rated as highly as she is. on the other hand, he was rated as one of the top three presidents in history on the environment.