The First Ladies National Historic Site began in 1996 with a noble goal: increase awareness of the influence of the First Ladies. This site has two buildings that commemorate their contributions. We visited only the free visitor center and did not enter the Saxton House, which has an entrance fee.
The museum is engaging. Children can view important historic relics and easily identify the time periods represented. Even better, though, are the hands-on displays upstairs. We enjoyed the one-room school house with desks and photos about education. Additionally, a reading room focused on the literacy projects of many of the first ladies. Also, there was a delightful dress-up corner with building blocks. As ever, the Junior Ranger program kept my children engaged and interested in the details of the exhibit. Overall, the museum designers did really well.
Much of the exhibit focused on the women’s ability to campaign for their husbands. Consider the case of Florence Harding, wife of the 29th President, who was the first woman who would have had the opportunity to vote for her own husband.
In the basement, there was a movie featuring several of the First Ladies. Much of the movie featured Betty Ford’s addiction recovery, which honestly felt a little jarring. There was also the unmistakable message that these women are worth learning about because they are married to important men. These were unruly, megalomaniac men who wanted to have positions of power. What’s a girl to do?
I snapped a photo during the movie about the first ladies–I resented that they portrayed these women as needing to control and parent their volatile, hyperactive husbands.
Full disclosure: I hold an unpopular opinion about the First Ladies exhibit in the American History Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. I do not like that a women’s existence is simplified to a dress and her choice in place setting. These are consumerist, superficial summaries at best, but also focus on the external assessments of women: their physical appearance and ability to host. Perhaps this is intended. Perhaps those are the qualities we value in wives of our leaders?
Here’s what I wish this museum contained:
- Focus on the woman for their own virtues, not just in context of her husband and his accomplishments
- Over 50 women have held the role of First Lady. This museum should narrow the focus and provide more historical details about only a few through rotating exhibits. The sheer amount of information is overwhelming.
- Explore more about the political context of each woman.
Many of the First Ladies were too private to want to share their thoughts and ideas. I don’t think it is appropriate for this museum to feature sensational gossipy details about the First Ladies. That is certainly not the history I want to hear about.
I know I personally don’t want to be summarized by sassy one-liners, and I doubt whether these women would appreciate that, either.
Over and over, this museum presented the contrasting roles of the women and men in the leadership of our country. Perhaps my experience was too heavily influenced by the book I had just read at the library illustrating these limitations. And, perhaps my criticisms are actually about the set-up of our government and our society overall, not the museum itself. Take it for what it’s worth!
If you wanted to learn more about First Ladies without visiting the museum, you could use the website information. I’d love to hear what you think!