>> dolley madison is the first, first lady to really establish the role of the political hostess. and she's the friendly face of the madison administration. james madison is a serious and he and dolley madison is his front. dolley madison is the person who sets up, has the parties. james is in a corner, and she can have everyone coming who needs to talk to him, coming to talk to him. has a wonderful environment. she stirs up support for her husband. she doesn't create enemies for her husband and she's a real master of that, the sort of -- it's often called the parlor politics of the time period, where women are setting up their own networks of social links that keep information flowing. dolley madison has her finger on the pulse of what's being said in washington and can bring that information back to her husband. she can bring that information out to other people. she has a series of friends. she finds jobs for friends of friends. it creates a support group for her husband, and for her husband's administration. >> what does her book shelf, if you will, if you're in this part, tell

so, let's go in and learn about james and dolley. madison would have welcomed you into this room he created at that last remodeling, his drawing room. and really was where every member of the public was welcomed. you know, with virginia hospitality and madison's statesmanship in creating the nation, he was visited constantly. foreign visitors, rising politicians in america, andrew jackson came at one point, and also just the merely curious. well, they all would have been welcomed, they would have been welcomed in this room. and madison really created this room to make a powerful impression. visitor after visitor talked about the presidential splendor of this room. it really did reflect his entire career as a statesman, as a virginia planter, as a force in the creation of the american nation. they also talk about it as a real history lesson, and madison intended it that way, because for madison, the history of humanity was really his laboratory. and he had studied past attempts at self-government, so he knew that what america was today was fo

in the china and in the back section, case studies of first ladies you'll see dolley madison. dolly madison served for the widowed -- the widowed thomas jefferson. he also, his daughter would also serve as his hostess periodically, but so did mrs. madison, who was the secretary of state's wife, because in mixed company at the time had you to have a hostess. you could not entertain ladies unless there was a hostess. there was a real need to have a woman in the white house to perform that function, because so much even now, so much of washington life is carried on not on the floor of the house, not on the floor are of the senate, not in official places but at parties. informal gatherings where you can talk in a calmer more casual manner, and so the first lady helps -- all the women of washington, really, are responsible for keeping those networks open and that life happening. >> so is that sort of the point of showing the dress? that there's much more meaning behind the dress? >> there is more meaning behind the dress. one we show it because it's beautiful and people love them,

we've heard dolley madison eleanor roosevelt. who was the most influential first lady to serve?t: barbara is a republican in brooklyn. good morning. caller: good morning. i think nancy reagan and laura bush were the most influential in my lifetime. host: why? caller: why? classy. they did a lot of things that the press never gave them credit for like they do michelle obama about obesity, which is a big thing, but laura bush was also very with women's rights in afghanistan and she really did not give the credit because of her husband's and popularity with the war'ss. i honestly believe michelle obama is a nice woman but she is overblown. thank you. host: let's go to alex, a democratic caller in allen texas. good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to say there -- i like to say nancy reagan, just because she said back in the 1980's "just say no to drugs." that is the reason why. i remember that. host: did it have an influence on your life? caller: yes it did. i was a teenager back then and i was very -- that was very influential for me. nancy reagan. host: let's hear from