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Profiling America's 'First Ladies'

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    Previewing C-SPAN's new series

  • Duration 4:22
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They are in many cases quite frankly more -- resting his human beings and their health.

If only because they are not.

First and foremost define -- because we're limited by political ambition.

Did you know that Caroline Harrison was the first First Lady to have a Christmas tree in the White House or that Jackie Kennedy was the first to have a Press Secretary.

What is -- and theories first ladies influence and image explores the women behind America's most powerful men.

Series producer -- -- and executive producer mark markets are here to tell us.

About this project and how all got started just in time for President's Day weekend -- welcome.

Thanks for having us thank you -- to be here now I know this has taken a lot of research to get it together it kicks off tomorrow night -- what are we gonna learn.

Well -- An interesting component of the series is is the the location shoots.

They were going on and doing in addition to their time in the White House and that we care about these women because their first ladies we care about them that because their husbands.

But they have lives before the presidency and they have lives after the presidency.

For instance Martha Washington they've been to four different places just to put the puzzle pieces in for the big picture in the Philadelphia valley forge.

And Mount Vernon of course huge part of the story we've also gone to Williamsburg to learn about Martha Washington before she's Martha Washington with a first husband.

Daniel Kostis and how she would become.

The the most eligible and and and wealthy widow in in Virginia and very appealing to someone and up and comer like George Washington.

-- and there are so many things we don't know about -- -- the first place that we had -- anything that you -- that was -- think may surprise the American people.

Well I'm.

We're we're continuing to learn and one of the fascinating things to -- about the series is it's a way to explore American history that really is sort of under developed taking a look through the prism of first ladies.

And the more you learn about -- the more I'm fascinated I mean.

-- -- -- For them Nancy -- and Eleanor Roosevelt so we've all heard about I think -- -- -- -- something surprising but so many of these women.

-- -- have been lost to history so those shows success and the I think even more because the entire program will be something new for people.

And India at often we find that the -- are there are so many stories behind and that of course they're the -- especially.

You know hundred years ago on -- the only ones that we -- -- -- Internet and you know amenities for ladies were tweeting we didn't know what was going on with down.

Did you find.

Many times the first ladies were really sort of the wants to help push their their husband's agenda or to push ideas that they thought that the president to be acting on there.

Very much so -- the from.

From very early on first ladies are a lot more outspoken.

Then maybe we see or that part of history portrays them at a -- Adams was telling her husband from the very beginning.

If if if you don't remember the ladies and you don't keep that in mind you're gonna have real problems and and that was I mean you know she's that that the second first lady of the United States and it.

To be out that for fun and thinking and abolition there were a lot of there were a lot of mixture between north and south and a lot of first ladies -- stands on that.

And and started things that we wouldn't have known about as far as helping orphans of the civil war in taking on causes very early that weren't so widely publicized.

Or continued by the next First Lady with significant to each of their own administration's.

And many of them are able to take on causes that are very important to damage to bring a lot of awareness mark.

Well now they're all out front of the camera image of -- mrs.

Obama I'm glad you know you go back to Eleanor Roosevelt who's advocating for a lot of issues.

And it's -- things sometimes there on the forefront of things are going -- the country and their great window into the country.

On -- Roosevelt was holding press conferences in the White House but only female reporters are allowed into the press conferences so the stodgy newspaper editors have to hire women.

And so you think about the impact of that.

You know and when -- may not have gotten to where you are as quickly as -- it without someone like -- And it's fascinating and other so much that will unfold -- -- -- months and months and years into getting this -- it rolled out starting tomorrow night Monday night but he's been -- o'clock eastern 9 o'clock Pacific and then every Monday.

They -- on through its a year long projects that existed -- season project season one goes February.

Through June -- season to take the summer off season two starts up in September goes through President's Day 2014.

Guarantee we will learn something.

Any mark great to see both thank you Brian work in this project and thank you haven't asked you.