La Presidente? The Presidentess? The First Lady of the Land?

The Second Article of the United States Constitution defines the Executive Branch of the government, the powers it has, and the role of the chief executive, the President of the United States. But what about the position of the President’s spouse?

Jeanne Abrams, a Professor at the University Libraries and the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver, joins us to explore the lives and work of the first First Ladies of the American Republic with details from her book, First Ladies of the Republic: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, and Dolley Madison and the Creation of an Iconic American Role.

Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/205

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Complementary Episodes

• Episode 005: Jeanne Abrams, Revolutionary Medicine
• Episode 074: Mary Wigge, Martha Washington
• Episode 137: Erica Dunbar, The Washingtons’ Runaway Slave, Ona Judge
• Episode 150: Woody Holton, Abigail Adams: Revolutionary Spectator
• Episode 193: Partisans: The Friendship & Rivalry of Adams & Jefferson

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