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Role Of First Ladies

Decent Essays

First ladies throughout history have had a great impact on their husband’s presidencies through affecting policies, supporting their decisions, and even passionately campaigning issues of their own.

From the beginning, first ladies have had a very important role, as the country looked to her as the leading woman in the country (“First Ladies' Role”). Yet, it sometimes is overshadowed by the president. One of the most vital roles that she has is running the White House. She makes different decisions pertaining to the White House, specifically (“First Ladies' Role”). This is not her only job. Depending on her husband, previous first ladies have given advice or their point of view on “politics, policy, crises and personnel” (“First Ladies' Role”). …show more content…

After seeing Eleanor Roosevelt campaign her own ideas and share her thoughts freely, first ladies felt comfortable to campaign for their husband. What inspired future first ladies was Roosevelt’s “weekly press conferences, and [writing] a column called ‘My Day’, which was featured in national newspapers” (“A Real First Lady”). She used her position to bring forth attention to social injustices she was seeing throughout the country (“A Real First Lady”). Not only did future first ladies see the role she was playing, so did the Commission on Human Rights and her husband, including Congress and the Cabinet. The Commission on Human Rights made her chairperson (“A Real First Lady”). Her husband, the Cabinet, and the Congress, give her the opportunity and position to write the International Bill of Rights (“A Real First Lady”). Eleanor might have been inspired by Woodrow Wilson’s wife, Edith Wilson, who took upon his duties while he was recovering from a life-threatening stroke (“Woodrow Wilson”). Some presidents, such as Thomas Jefferson, used their most trusted friends to be their advisers. However, President Wilson’s most trusted adviser was his wife, “having access to secret cables and important state papers” (“Edith Bolling Wilson”). Similar to Eleanor Roosevelt, she inspired women around the country to conserve resources (“Edith Bolling Wilson”). When President Wilson had his stroke, his doctors urged her to take upon some of her duties, kind of acting as the vice president (“Edith Bolling Galt Wilson”). She did not start up programs or make major decisions that she might of saw fit (“Edith Bolling Galt Wilson”). She did, however, become in charge of many details of the government for the remaining of his second term (“Edith Bolling Galt Wilson”). President Abraham Lincoln is a well-known president, famous for his Gettysburg Address and Emancipation Proclamation. Behind the scenes

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