MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature The Roles of the First Lady of the United States Bachelor thesis Brno 2018 Thesis supervisor: Author: Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. Eva Michalská Abstract The bachelor thesis deals with the general roles of the First Lady of the United States and their development throughout the history. It describes the individual roles and analyses the evolution of the office from the White House hostess to a political figure. It also examines the relationship between the roles and the time and social norms typical for the First Ladies' tenures. The thesis then focuses on the twentieth century and compares several First Ladies, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton. The aim is not only to describe their agenda and what they have in common but to analyse the evolution of the office during their tenures by examining the time and main events during their husbands' presidencies, the relationship of the presidential couple, and the influence of mass media. Key words First Lady, United States, White House, politics, media, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton Anotace Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá rolemi první dámy Spojených států amerických a jejich historickým vývojem. Práce popisuje jednotlivé role a analyzuje vývoj pozice první dámy z hostitelky až na politickou osobnost. Práce dále zkoumá vztah mezi rolemi a obdobím, ve kterém první dámy úřad vykonávaly, společně se sociálními normami pro tato období typickými. Dále se bakalářská práce zaměřuje na dvacáté století a porovnává úřad Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan a Hillary Clinton. Cílem není pouze popsat jejich činnost a společné rysy, ale analyzovat vývoj pozice první dámy během jejich úřadu skrze výzkum jednotlivých období a hlavních politických událostí, vztahu mezi první dámou a prezidentem, a vlivu médií. Klíčová slova První dáma, Spojené státy americké, Bílý dům, politika, média, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton Declaration I hereby declare that I worked on my bachelor thesis independently and that I used only the sources listed in bibliography. March 30, 2018 Eva Michalská Acknowledgement I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to my supervisor Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. for his valuable advice and guidance throughout the process of writing this thesis. I would also like to thank my mother for her patience and immense support. Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 8 1. The First Lady ........................................................................................................ 10 1.1. Origins of the Title ........................................................................................... 10 1.2. Women in the Role ........................................................................................... 11 2. The Roles of the First Lady ................................................................................... 12 2.1. Definition of the Role ....................................................................................... 12 2.1.1. Legal Status ............................................................................................... 12 2.2. The Diverse Roles of the First Lady ................................................................ 13 2.2.1. First Lady as a Symbol .............................................................................. 13 2.2.2. White House Hostess ................................................................................. 13 2.2.3. Champion of Causes ................................................................................. 14 2.2.4. Presidential Campaigner .......................................................................... 16 2.2.5. Presidential Adviser and Political Partner ............................................... 19 2.3. The Evolution of the Roles ............................................................................... 25 2.3.1. The Early Years (1789–1817) ................................................................... 25 2.3.2. The Passive Years (1817–1869) ................................................................ 26 2.3.3. The Transitional Years (1869–1901) ........................................................ 27 2.3.4. The Expanding Years (1901–1945) ........................................................... 27 2.3.5. The Supportive Years (1945–1974) ........................................................... 29 2.3.6. The Influential Years (1974–2001) ........................................................... 30 2.3.7. The Recent Years (2001–current) and Future Development .................... 32 3. Office of the First Lady ......................................................................................... 33 4. First Ladies of the 20th Century ............................................................................ 35 4.1. First Ladies within the Historical Context ....................................................... 35 4.1.1. Eleanor Roosevelt ..................................................................................... 36 4.1.2. Jacqueline Kennedy .................................................................................. 38 4.1.3. Nancy Reagan ........................................................................................... 40 4.1.4. Hillary Clinton .......................................................................................... 43 4.2. Relationship of the Presidential Couple ........................................................... 44 4.2.1. Presidential Wife ....................................................................................... 44 4.2.2. Presidential Partner .................................................................................. 45 4.3. Influence of the Media ..................................................................................... 46 4.3.1. Advocacy Tool ........................................................................................... 46 4.3.2. Celebrity Status ......................................................................................... 48 4.3.3. Source of Criticism .................................................................................... 49 4.3.4. Setting Boundaries .................................................................................... 50 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 52 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 55 Introduction The First Lady of the United States is one of the most visible political figures but at the same time the most shrouded in mystery. The institution has been a part of the presidency from its very beginning, yet the roles of the First Lady have never been officially defined. As a result, the individual tenures have significantly varied, and Martha Washington´s role in her husband´s presidency is nowadays hardly comparable to that of Hillary Clinton. The question arises as to why their approaches were so different. Was it their decision? How much have the roles of the First Lady changed? What is expected from modern First Ladies? Although there has never been a consensus on what their roles should be, this thesis examines the history of the institution and attempts to define various roles that the First Lady plays. The thesis studies the diverse roles of the First Lady of the United States and how the roles have developed throughout the history. It focuses on the evolution of the institution from an exclusively ceremonial role to the First Lady´s active participation in the presidency and puts the changing approach of First Ladies towards the institution in historical context. The thesis then focuses on the development of the institution during the 20th century by examining the tenures of Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton and what role did the time of their tenures, the relationship with their husbands and the media play in their approaches. The aim of the thesis is to define individual roles of the First Lady of the United States and describe the changes that the roles have undergone throughout the history by examining individual approaches of First Ladies towards the institution as well as the influence of the time of their tenures and the social norms typical for these historical periods. The aim of the thesis is to show that the role of the First Lady has professionalized throughout the history and that it parallels the general role of women, growing linearly with the shifting views of American society. The thesis is divided into four chapters. The first chapter provides a brief history of the title “First Lady” and deals with non-spouses performing the duties of the First Lady. 8 The second chapter examines the legal status of the First Lady and her responsibilities and describes the individual roles she performs. It also focuses on the evolution of the roles from the White House hostess to a political partner, as well as the First Ladies´ changing approach towards the institution. The third chapter focuses on the First Lady´s staff and the history of the Office of the First Lady, established as a consequence of the gradual