and sarah polk and dolley became very close. and dolley mentored sarah. and sarah also fed dolley. ms. swain: which was important because she was... mr. hunt: which was very important. ms. swain: she was very, very broke at that time. mr. hunt: treated her as the grande dame and honored her in all of their entertainments. they were the -- the two war first ladies, the war of 1812 and 30 years later, the mexican war. there are many, many parallels between dolley madison and sarah polk -- the sense of self, the sense of fashion, the understanding the role of the first lady in conveying the, you know, sort of indirect that would support her husband's presidency. and by the way, it's not easy to be a first lady during war. there were many, many detractors as the war went on. the -- but, i mean, polk went in and said "i'm going to do the following things in four years" and by god he did. ms. swain: this is also in the 1840s the first time we have had photography. mr. hunt: yes. ms. swain: and we've got a fabulous photograph to show you on screen right now which brings together a number

dolley madison's order in 1811 cost $2000. the pink gown you saw had more lace on it which is now taken off. that cost $100. the green gown was about $25 made by seamstresses in washington. ms. swain: she was trying to find that sweet spot between frugality and image. ms. hunt: she did it so well. everyone said she was beautifully dressed and had a wonderful deportment. ms. swain: paul, at the same time we are learning about this, what is happening to women at large in the united states? are they beginning to ask for more power? professor finkelman: the people in seneca falls are. for most american women, not much has changed. not much is being asked. the most important changes for women, the cutting edge of women in politics, is coming out of the antislavery movement. in the north, you have thousands and thousands of women who are politically active, really for the first time in american history. in the 1830's, there is the great petition campaign. hundreds of thousands of petitions show up in washington asking congress to do

friendship and their letters are full of politics and also again very very frank and at one point, dolley madison's gray beast was brilliant and beautiful land kind. they all liked her. they discovered she was going to marry stephen douglas. none of them could stand steven douglas and he was considerably older and had a couple of kids and so jefferson davis's wife writes home to her mother and says the dirty speculator and party trickster, broken in health by drawing with his first wife's money, buys an elegant, well bred woman because she is poor and her father is proud, fortunately washington is getting a new water system so sparing his wife capsule factories, douglas may wash of a little more often. his acquaintance will build larger rooms with more perfect ventilation. the men don't write that stephen douglas saying so he still defeated lincoln for the senate. but she turns out to be one of the most delightful women and her letters are quite wonderful. she stayed friendly throughout the war even after state -- mississippi seceded and he became president of the confederacy and she knew

if you're going to be traveling on the inner loop of the beltway from dolley madison boulevard to landoverute commute. volume in the typical spots, centreville, manassas but from fairfax county parkway to 27th street northwest a 24-minute commute. 95 starting to ease up just a tad bit as you get into lorton and making your way up to the beltway but from dumfries road to 495 of the beltway, a 16- minute commute. and westbound on 50 from collington road to penn street northeast, you're looking at about a 15-minute commute this morning. i want to take you live to show you how things are shaping up here . /-66 east of 123. you can see traffic on both the eastbound and westbound side shaping up quite nicely but again no issues there. as we take you around the beltway here, you can see here at connecticut avenue, lots of sun and looks like no problems out there. so certainly good to go out there. over to you. >>> dc has been the setting for several failed reality shows. >> if at first you don't succeed, take a hint. tommy mcguy is in the 94.7 fresh fm studios with more. >> reporter: good morning

if you're going to be traveling from dolley madison boulevard to kennel pocket avenue, 23- minute commute. from sudly road to north lee highway, a 27-minute commute for you this morning. northbound on 95, the typical tuesday commute as well from cardinal drive up to i-395, a 15-minute commute. expect to see volume in dale city which is typical again for your work day. and for those of you heading westbound on 50 from mlk highway to 16th street northeast, you're looking at about a 11-minute commute. let's show you how things are shaping up on the beltway at seven locks road. traffic fairly light on both the inner and outer loop so good news there. for those of you traveling on i- 395 making the commute from 95 up to i-395 going through edsall road, king street, even seminary road, no issues as you make your way to the 14th street bridge and into town. just expect to see volume as you get closer to d.c. we'll have another update for you shortly. we'll send it over you to. >>> coming up on 6:18. here are some other things making news. 11 days, 800 law enforcement officers, and still no sign

they bought dolley in 1842, and a few days latter also purchased her half-brother sam.o they did have domestic help. they would have helped eliza with chores such as raising the children, preparing the fires, cutting the firewood, and cooking the meals. this is the house where they got their start. this is where they put their roots down in the community. this is where he had a thriving business as a tailor. this is where they first entertained as he started into politics. this is the house where their children were born. this house holds a very special place in the lives of the couple. susan swain: and once again, i'd encourage you if you get to that part of the country, make a visit to greenville, tennessee to see the life of the johnson family as the federal government has preserved it through the national park service. well, she has the distinction in history books of being the youngest bride. kendra hinkle: yes, absolutely. susan swain: and how old was she? jacqueline berger: she was 16. susan swain: to andrew johnson's -- jacqueline berger: he was 18. they were a