A Companion to First Ladies

Book excerpt: "With contributions from nearly 40 scholars, A Companion to First Ladies presents the first comprehensive historiographical overview of First Ladies in US history: the wives - or sometimes the female relatives - who have stood by US Presidents, often as powerful political figures in their own right. The original essays that make up this collection address the impact of these women not only on White House responsibilities but on elections, presidential policies, and social causes - as well as on shaping their husbands' legacies. This volume brings the First Ladies into crisp historiographical focus, assessing how these women and their contributions have been perceived in both popular literature and scholarly debate. Covering all of the first ladies from Martha Washington through to Michelle Obama, the volume underlines the growing scholarly appreciation for a position that has itself gone through a great deal of evolution since the early America republic"--