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Rising junior from Birmingham, AL. I took interest in Edith Wilson and Martha Washington. Both are very complex women who had very different roles as First Ladies. I wanted to make sure that our list of First Ladies included women that we may not be proud of today, so we can show their progression.

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I am a rising high school senior from Boston, MA. I am focusing on Abigail Adams, Jackie Kennedy, and Dr. Jill Biden because I find them all to be very interesting, outspoken women. Though first ladies often get overshadowed by their husbands, I believe that they are a very valuable and intelligent aspect of a presidency.

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Hick darling, All day I’ve thought of you & another birthday [when] I will be with you & yet to-night you sounded so far away & formal, oh! I want to put my arms around you, I ache to hold you close. Your ring is a great comfort, I look at it & think she does love me, or I wouldn’t be wearing it!

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I am a rising junior and I live in Portland, Oregon. I am most interested in Eleanor Roosevelt because she was very active in various humanitarian issues and Nancy Reagan because her activity in the "war on drugs" is still very prominent in our society when you look at mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex.

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Martha: Martha Washington Wikipedia

https://www.biography.com/us-first-lady/martha-washington

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martha-Washington

https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/martha-washington/the-first-first-lady/

Abigail: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abigail-Adams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Adams

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/abigail-adams

https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/abigail-adams

Edith:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edith-Wilson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Wilson

https://www.biography.com/news/edith-wilson-first-president-biography-facts

Eleanor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt

https://www.fdrlibrary.org/er-biography

https://fdrfoundation.org/they-hated-eleanor-too/

https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/eleanor-roosevelt

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-28/eleanor-roosevelt-lorena-hickok-white-houses-love-affair/9918614

Jackie:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Kennedy_Onassis#As_first_lady

https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/jacqueline-kennedy-in-the-white-house

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2013/11/strange-saga-of-jfk-and-dr-feelgood.html

Nancy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Reagan

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/us/nancy-reagan-a-stylish-and-influential-first-lady-dies-at-94.html

https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-nancy-reagan-drugs-20160307-story.html

https://www.reaganfoundation.org/ronald-reagan/nancy-reagan/her-causes/

Jill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Biden

https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/dr-jill-biden/

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As our country slowly evolves and we see the advancement of women, especially in politics with Kamala Harris as our country's first female and POC VP; it leaves us to wonder what will come next. Can we expect to see male First Gentlemen or First People? If we were to have our first First Gentleman, what issues do you think he may support? Based on the many different roles shown above, what role do you think a First Gentleman would have and how would the role evolve for new First People? What are your thoughts?

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Political: Dr. Biden has been quoted to be “Joe Biden’s greatest political asset," as Jill was crucial to the progress Joe made in each campaign. the Jill and Joe started the Biden Foundation in 2017 that allowed them to advocate for the different causes they cared about including preventing violence against women. In 2011, she and Michelle Obama started 'Joining Forces', that focused on the needs of military families. In Jill’s second term she staged multiple visits to rehabilitation facilities for amputees. But politics isn't at the forefront of her life, teaching and education remains very important.

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Social: After university, Dr. Jill Biden taught special ed reading. Got masters ×2. Taught in both children and adults in college. Got her doctorate. Continued to teach at community college during Obama-Biden administration and still during Biden-harris. Advocating for girl's and women's education around the world as well as community college. Partnered with Michelle Obama to advocate for military families. Also advocated for education and prevention of cancer.

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Personal: Dr. Biden being the first lady to Joe Biden in 2021 has been very new to see. She married Joe Biden in 1977 when she was an english teacher. She was a stepmother to Beau Biden who had an unfortunate passing in 2015 due to brain cancer. After being Second Lady in the Biden-Obama administration, Dr. Biden had taught full time at NOVA. Jill had said in her memoir that “The role I have always felt most at home in is being 'Dr. B”. This past January, Dr. Jill Biden had been placed back into office but as First Lady.

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Background: Dr. Jill Biden was born Jill Tracy Jacobs on June 3, 1951 in Hammonton, New Jersey. She is a gemini. She is still going strong at the age of 70.

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Political: Nancy Reagan may have not been known for public political ambition publicly but she did attempt to influence Reagan on different political matters in private. In 1985, Nancy encouraged Reagan to hold summit meetings with the soviet general secretary, and suggested that they form a close relationship. This proved to be beneficial to both political leaders. Nancy Reagan launched her famous “Just Say No” project in 1982. Her goal was to bring awareness to drug abuse and peer-pressure. President Reagan signed a drug reinforcement bill in 1986 that ensured a mandatory minimum penalty for (non-violent) drug offenses and in 1988 Nancy became the first First Lady invited to address the United Nations General Assembly, where she spoke on international drug interdiction and trafficking laws. Critics of Nancy’s effort to promote drug awareness, labeled her approach as “simplistic” and they argued that her program did not address the many social issues connected to drug use like, family situation, unemployment, poverty, etc.

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Social: Nancy Reagan graduated from Smith College, and despite having a promising acting career, she gave it up to support Ronald Reagan in his political career. She attracted a lot of negative press for spending a lot of money. She was into astrology. During governor, charities+time visiting veterans, the elderly, and the emotionally and physically handicapped. Drugs and alcohol with young people. After presidency, established foundation for drugs.

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Personal: Nancy Reagan was born in New York City but as a child her father left them and then later she was sent to Bethesda, MA to live with her relatives so her mother could focus on her career on Broadway. She was later adopted by her relatives and given the last name of her aunt's husband, which was Davis. Nancy Reagan graduated from Smith in 1943. A Washington Post described her as not a typical Smithie for the reason that she gave up her career to support her husband. Nancy’s acting career was mostly ended because she ended up being on the blacklist of communists, but ended up being a different actress with her same name. Nancy Reagan once said that her greatest ambition was to have a “successful, happy marriage.”

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Background: Nancy Reagan was born Anne Frances Robbins on July 6, 1921 in New York City. She was a cancer. She died March 6, 2016 from heart failure at the age of 94.

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Political: Jackie had major influence over the country which she was able to use to her advantage. “She attracted worldwide positive public attention… and gained international support for the Kennedy administration and its cold war policies”. Jackie accompanied JFK on worldwide trips and it is said that she was able to carry on conversation just as well as anyone else at the state dinners, often being able to discuss political matters fluently. Immediately after the assassination of JFK, Jackie was forced to stay in her famous pink suit still stained with her husband’s blood for hours after her husband’s death. This suggests that this was not an accident but a deliberate action made by the administration for political sympathy and gain.

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Social: Jackie Kennedy was big on the arts, entertaining, and design of different kinds. She was one of the first first ladies to travel the amount she did.

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Personal: First lady to the 35th president of the United States, Jackie Kennedy had a very extensive personal life. The couple struggled in many areas but it began with the miscarriage of their first child. The following pregnancy resulted in a still born birth. After these two traumatic experiences, Jackie and JFK had a successful birth with Caroline Kennedy. They had three more healthy births following this. Within her personal time outside of mothership, she wrote columns, celebrated her fashion, and made significant steps in the decoration and curation of the White House. Her marriage to JFK had lots of flaws. One of the many flaws or suspicions was the druggings associated with “Dr Feelgood” or legally known, Max Jacobson. Dr Feelgood drugged the two with a “cocktail” of drugs (mostly uppers and painkillers) putting their ethics at question. The most notable of things that occurred in their relationship was the assassination of her husband. She was treated very poorly during the aftermath (not granted permission to change her blood soaked clothing, attended LBJ’s oath to office in the clothing 90 minutes after the passing, her most vulnerable moments were public, etc.)

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Background: Jackie Kennedy was born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on July 28, 1929 in Southampton, New York. She was a leo. She died May 19, 1994 from non-Hodgkins lymphoma at the age of 64.

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Political: in early 1933 a protest group comprised of WWI vets “marched on washington” demanding their veteran bonus certificates early. FDR sent Eleanor down to their camp to diffuse the tension. Eleanor listened and sand with the vets. This act diffused the tension between the administration and the protestors, setting Eleanor up as a leader early. Eleanor supported the American Youth Congress in 1935, which advocated for youth rights in the U.S. Eleanor was also known for being a vocal civil rights activist, unlike the president who wanted to stay on the good side of southern states. Eleanor also lobbied for the “Costigan-Wagner Bill” which would have make lynching a federal crime. Eleanor even banned male reporters during her press-conferences, forcing big newspapers to hire for female reporters to cover her.

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Social: Was a very big abolitionist, protested slavery segregation. Appointed to the NAACP's board of directors. First first lady to make her own money. Lectures, broadcasts, and writing. Post WW2 became a part of the UN and did a lot of international humanitarian work.

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Personal: Eleanor married her 5th cousin, FDR. FDR cheated on Eleanor with his personal secretary. She had also carried a pistol in her purse for a while after receiving threats from the KKK. It was said that she strongly disliked being first lady and that her affair was an important focal point in her life. It is also important to mention that her affair was a lesbian relationship with Lorena Hickok. Hick had given Eleanor a ring in which she famously wore at FDR’s inauguration and many other points in the timeline of affairs.

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background: Eleanor Roosevelt was born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt on October 11, 1884 in New York City. She was a libra. She died November 7, 1962 from various illnesses at the age of  78.

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political: Edith Wilson led efforts like meatless mondays, wheatless wednesday, and gasless sundays to support rationing. She also employed sheep to graze on the White House lawn to reduce manpower used to do basic chores around the building. Edith stepped in when her husband, Woodrow Wilson, suffered a stroke and couldn’t continue his work as usual. Because the administration did not want the condition of the president to be revealed, Edith helped by taking up routine duties and deciding which tasks were important for Woodrow to take on, which meant she had to read every document sent to the president. It is important to note that Woodrow was racist and would often instigate racist policies. He also screened a pro-KKK film in the White House called “The Birth of a Nation”, just to name a few. This could suggest that Edith may have also shared his beliefs.

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Social: Edith Wilson got a primary education but not much generally. Bad handwriting. She drove an electric car. During WW1, Edith started volunteering at a red cross canteen and encouraged Americans to help war efforts. Edith was anti-suggragist and impartial to women's voting rights. After Wilson died, Edith was committed to creating an image for her husband by preserving letters, making a biography, and converting their home into a national birthplace. Overall, she made little to no impact.

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Personal: A widowed Edith Bolling Galt married Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Many were hesitant towards Edith as her relationship with Wilson began while he was already in a relationship. The couple persisted in past controversy and had one child that passed shortly after birth. In her personal politics, she was very anti-suffragette during the movement. This staple in her beliefs is easily seen in a quote stating “those devils in the workhouse” when she was referring to suffragettes that were protesting.

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Background: Edith Wilson was born Edith Bolling on October 15, 1872 in Wytheville, VA. She was a libra. She died December 28, 1961 from heart failure at the age of 89.

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Political: Abigail Adams would often give her husband, John Adams, advice on politics and would even carry on thoughtful political conversations. She is famously known for encouraging John Adams and the continental congress to, “think about the ladies” when drafting laws. Sources say that she was also pro-abolitionist and questioned Virginian’s “passion for liberty” when they also deprived other Americans of freedom. Abigail held to her political beliefs firmly and paved the way for other First Ladies to have opinions even if they differ from their husbands’.

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Social: Abigail Adams was a big advocate for women's rights, women's education, and she "favored" the abolition of slavery. Abigail began a comprehensive correspondence about her political views that she did not allow anyone to publish during her lifetime. She was attacked for being "too outspoken and imperious." Abigail oversaw the building of the white house in DC. She was a big fan of political debates.

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Personal: Abigail Adams married John Adams (9 years older) in 1764 who became President in 1797 thus leading her to the title of First Lady. The two had 5 children, however, one had passed in infancy. Unlike the President's Wife when John Adams was Vice President, Abigail was anti-slavery. She was also an outspoken advocate for women's education (this is well known by her “remember the ladies” quote). Once she rose to First Lady upon John’s transition to president, she followed a rigorous daily routine. She was also quite an opinionated person which debatably was her best and worst defining quality.

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Background: Martha Washington was born Martha Dandridge on June 2, 1731 in Chestnut Grove which was a plantation in Virginia. She was a Gemini. She died May 22, 1802 from fever at the age of 71

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Background: Abigail Adams was born Abigail Smith on November 22, 1744 in Weymouth, Massachusettes. She was a sagittarius. She died October 28, 1818 from typhoid fever at the age of 73.

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Personal: Outside of a frivolous social and political life, Martha Washington was a prominent figure in Slave Ownership. Her husband Prior to George Washington was a wealthy slave owner named Daniel Parke Custis whom she married at 18 and had 4 children with. When Custis had passed in 1757, she inherited his 15,000 acre estate and plantation. Two of her children with Custis had also passed from epilepsy and a fever illness. Once married to George Washington, she became First Lady (at the time, Lady Washington). She had become very friendly with the Vice President's wife, Abigail Adams. Overall, Martha was seen as a gracious person seeking a quiet life.

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Social: Martha Washington had an immense amount of wealth, profiting off of enslaved people. When George Washington's political career started taking off, Martha starting hosting weekly receptions. Neither Martha or George were pro-abolitionist, they owned hundereds of enslaved people. During the presidency, she threw lavish partied and events that gauged some negative responses

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political: Martha Washington hosted social gatherings for social elite couples in her house in Philadelphia. It was an informal political association that gave women the chance to discuss “political philosophy and matters of state”. This gathering became known as “republican court”. Even after all of this, Martha refrained from expressing their opinions openly. Martha maintained an image of the “aminable wife” throughout her time as First Lady but often complained of the restrictions she faced because of her role.