Smithsonian Channel - First Ladies Revealed (2017)

Some used captivating style to boost diplomacy. Some offered compassionate calm in days of war. Some embraced the role they never expected to make a difference. And some seized the role they always dreamed of to blaze a trail. Every first lady has their own tale to tell, and this series examines some of the women who left their indelible mark on the White House and in history. Join us as we go beyond the public lives to tell the private stories of Dolley Madison, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, and more.

Ch1. The Power of Style

To Jackie Kennedy, appearance was everything. That's why, upon arriving at the White House, she immediately set about redecorating to project a new sense of American style.

Dolley Madison, the First Lady of president James Madison was a Jackie Kennedy of her time. Her refined taste and elevated social graces brought an unprecedented sense of style to the White House.

Like Jackie and Dolley before her, Nancy Reagan brought her own unique style to the White House. But economic times were tough, and what was seen as stylish in one era was now viewed as extravagant.

Ch2. Twists of Fate

Despite being thrust into the role of first lady with no warning, Betty Ford will be remembered as one of the most outspoken, independent and intelligent first ladies we've ever had.

Lady Bird Johnson was a committed supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, in word and deed from touring the country to speak against racism, to refusing to stay in segregated hotels.

Edith Roosevelt was a reluctant First Lady. Despite this, she had the presence and determination to bring about a major innovation to the White House separating the living and working spaces.

Ch3. In Times of War

Six days after 9/11, first lady Laura Bush spoke at Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the memorial for the victims of Flight 93. In that moment, she shed her natural reserve to become the nation's “comforter-in-chief.”

Eleanor Roosevelt's war time travels to support U.S. soldiers were considerable and mind-boggling in the Pacific theater alone, she would meet with an astonishing 400,000 troops.

The connection between first lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her African-American seamstress Elizabeth Keckley was a remarkably strong one, forged out of a common sense that they were both outsiders in Washington, DC.

Ch4. Trailblazers

In 1995, Hillary Clinton was scheduled to deliver a speech at the United Nation's Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Her speechwriter talks about how the iconic speech came to be.

When first lady Eleanor Roosevelt first visited the mining town of Scotts Run, she was stunned by the poverty she encountered. She resolved to deliver the refurbishment they desperately needed, by hand.

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