Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt is said to be one the most influential First Ladies of all time. Eleanor married Franklin Roosevelt in 1905 and Franklin Roosevelt became President in 1933. Eleanor Roosevelt was willing to talk very openly about how she felt about equal rights and equal opportunity. Even though many people did not share her same views at the time, Roosevelt supported civil rights for both Asian Americans and African Americans. She believed that everyone in America deserved to have equal opportunities, including women, and wanted women to have a stronger place in the workforce. Eleanor Roosevelt often did not have the same opinion as her husband on these social issues, but never held back her opinion. During the time Eleanor was the first lady, she also took many trips all over the country to visit relief projects and see where living conditions needed to be improved. Roosevelt continued to have a voice in politics even after her husband passed away and was appointed to be the head of the Human Rights Commission which was part of the United Nations General Assembly. Eleanor Roosevelt was very involved in human rights and social issues while she the First Lady of the United States. Her goal was create equal opportunity for everyone in the nation and strongly supported equal rights.
Betty Ford
Betty Ford was the wife of President Gerald Ford. The two were married in 1948, twenty-six years before Gerald Ford became President of the United States. President Ford took office in 1974 and Betty Ford officially became the First Lady of the United States. The First lady took a stand on many controversial issues and was not afraid to speak her mind on social issues. Ford talked quite openly about her support for Pro-Choice when it came to abortion and even addressed topics about issues like gun control and drugs. Betty Ford strongly supported the Equal Rights Amendment and was not afraid to show her support towards feminism. She even became a leader in the Women's Movement. Betty Ford was willing to stand up for what she believed in and did not want to stay quiet when it came to social issues. She wanted women to have more rights and be seen as equals to men.
Rosalynn Carter
Eleanor Rosalynn Carter married Jimmy Carter in 1946 and when Jimmy Carter became President of the United States in 1977, Rosalynn became the First Lady. When Rosalynn became the First Lady, she stated that she was not going to be a "traditional" first lady and wanted to be active in political issues that were going on at the time. Carter used to sit in on Cabinet meetings with her husband and always wanted to be up to date with the issues and topics the President was dealing with. The First Lady was also an advocate for supporting research for different mental health issues. Carter believed that more research and more support should go into mental illnesses. She even became a Honorary Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association a few years later after she left the White House. Rosalynn Carter wanted to be very active in the political world while she was the First Lady and wanted to share her opinion when it came to political and social issues. The First Lady wanted to stand next to President Carter and be involved in the political decisions that he made.
This is very interesting. This offers a new perspective on the White House. Also, I think Dolley Madison (James Madison's wife) deserves a special mention for her patriotism during the the War of 1812 when she saved George Washington's portrait from the White House.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see that there weren't really any "notable" first ladies before Eleanor Roosevelt. Nowadays it seems like taking an active part in politics or a cause is a requisite for the first ladies. There's Hilary Clinton who we know was very active as a First Lady and still is today and there's Michelle Obama and her crusade against obesity.
ReplyDeleteAdding on to Perla's point about much more recent and current history, both Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama are notable democratic first ladies that have created a huge impact on our modern day society. Clinton's (Hillary) campaign for democratic nomination in 2008 was amazing to watch, and her determination to win presidency seemed to be so surreal. Even though she had lost the democratic nomination, Obama carried out a victory in the election of 2008, and for Obama's first term, she even served in his cabinet and played a major role in the parties decisions. Michelle Obama has proven to be as big of an impact as Clinton due to all the speeches that she has made advocating for equal rights and protection of the people, especially children. In fact, she made a very recent speech about the injustices of discrimination and bullying that occurs on school playgrounds, something that she's vowed to change. More can be read about Michelle and her efforts to raise awareness here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/05/19/michelle-obama-would-like-students-to-monitor-family-members-for-racial-insensitivity/
Great post Carmen; It's really uplifting to see how over time, more first ladies are becoming more active in politics. Before we say that there were no "notable first ladies" before Eleanor Roosevelt, I think it's important to remember Abigail Adams, whose famous letter to her husband asked him to "remember the ladies."
ReplyDeleteI think it is so amazing that these great men have such amazing women by their side. These women stood for what they believed in and took action for the public. They were the points of focus of many of the issues they believed in and it took alot for them to take the stands that they took at the time they took them.
ReplyDeleteThis sort of makes me wonder what things would be like if the gender roles were reversed. What would the "first husband" try to enact if we ever had a female president? Would he be generally passive, or would he try to take on near-presidential power? Just something to ponder.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, Kate! It's so empowering to hear about these influential women. Betty Ford is one of my favorite first ladies because of her willingness to speak up for what she believed in. Along with her strong advocacy of the Equal Rights Amendment and legalization of abortion, she also spoke out about breast cancer. She had a mastectomy during her time as the first lady, and was quite open about this, as well as other aspects of her personal life, such as her own experience with psychiatric treatment. This openness about private matters raised awareness about cancer and mental illness, helping to spark a more open dialogue about diseases that were typically kept under wraps.
ReplyDeleteYIKES I'm sorry Kate for some reason I thought Carmen posted this. GREAT POST KATE
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great post, Kate! It's so cool how Eleanor Roosevelt, Abigail Adams, and other first ladies were able to use their role which, though doesn't technically have any power, can be quite influential. Another first lady that stands out to me is a more modern first lady: Hillary Clinton. She was able to do so much as first lady, and though not all of it succeeded (such as her healthcare bill), she proved not only that she was a great politician, but that first ladies could wield more power yet. A lot of people got annoyed while she was first lady and were quick to label her "bossy," but I just hope she proves them correct and is our first female president #hill2k16
ReplyDeleteFantastic post! It's interesting to take a closer look at the influential women in history because the textbook mainly focuses on the influential men throughout history. All these women were phenomenal people and have done so much to influence the bettering of our country.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see that the first ladies even in the early 1900's to the mid 1900's, when there was still a widespread social inequality between men and women, stepped out and participated in politics instead of taking their traditional roles of a homemaker.
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with Joanne and Perla. I love how this post showcases the efforts of First Ladies to make their views known before it was socially acceptable for them to do so. What I found most interesting, however, is how Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosalynn Carter did not seem to actively campaign for gender equality.
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