American President: LP




	First Ladies' Speeches: A Woman's Perspective on the Issues of the Day By Mira Spiegel Cohen Overview Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Rosalyn Carter, Betty Ford, Lady Bird Johnson, and Jacqueline Kennedy—all of our recent first ladies have been active, opinionated, knowledgeable and involved in the issues of their times. These women follow a long tradition of activism, for from the very start, the first ladies have played varying, but important, roles in shaping the administrations of their husbands. In this lesson, students will research one or more of the first ladies, including their personal backgrounds, personalities, educations and political ideologies. Additionally, students will investigate the important issues of the day and the special projects in which the first ladies were engaged. Students will analyze the role of the first lady throughout history as well as the role of women in the political process today. This lesson is designed for use in any middle or high school classroom and can be modified or adapted to suit different levels. Objectives Students will: Research the background of one or more of the first ladies Write an issue speech based on their research and reflecting the important historical issues Draw conclusions regarding the development of the role of women in politics Time Required The basic lesson will take about one and a half to two class periods and can be developed to include more time, depending on the needs and interests of the teacher. Materials The American President website biography section index on the first ladies Speech(es) of Hillary Rodham Clinton Textbook and other history resources Initial Motivation Ask students if they have ever heard the saying, "Behind every great man is a woman"? Ask how many believe this is true. How many think that a woman will be elected president in the next decade? In the next twenty years? Ever? Why hasn't a woman ever been elected to the presidency? How many students would vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton if she ran for president? Bring out student opinions on Mrs. Clinton's substantive policy positions. Raise the question of who speaks for women in a presidential race: Who spoke for them in public policy debates throughout America's history? Is being first lady good preparation for being president? Why or why not? Procedures Download (or photocopy) and read an issue speech by Hillary Rodham Clinton from the White House website. Provide the same speech to each student or choose a variety of speeches and assign different speeches to different students. You may also choose to present the materials to different groups. Ask the students to do the following: List at least two issues that are discussed in the speech. Describe the first lady's viewpoint on each of the issues. Answer this question: Do you think the first lady has a strong opinion about the issue(s)? Why or why not? Use examples from the text to back up your answer. Tell students that they will be developing their own issue speeches for one of the first ladies. You may either assign all students the same first lady or decide to let them choose their own. If students pick their own, you may want them to select from the list below. While this list includes the most active of the first ladies, you might not want to limit students to these women: Abigail Smith Adams Dolly Payne Todd Madison Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams Sarah Childress Polk Mary Todd Lincoln Julia Dent Grant Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt Ellen Louise Wilson Edith Boling Wilson Florence Harding Lou Henry Hoover Eleanor Roosevelt Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Lady Bird Johnson Betty Ford Rosalyn Smith Carter Nancy Davis Reagan Barbara Pierce Bush Hillary Rodham Clinton Ask students to research the following information about a first lady: Personal background (e.g., birthplace, education, marriage information, number of children, etc.) Issues of special political interest Political and social activities Hobbies The American President biography section index on the first ladies is a good place to start research. Have students develop an issue speech that the first lady might have written. The speech must include a discussion of at least one issue of the day, and an event or remark revealing an aspect of the first lady's personality and personal priorities. The content of the speeches should demonstrate students' knowledge and understanding of the issue they researched as well as the life of the first lady. The speech should be one to three typed pages long. You may ask the students to present the speeches to the class. Assessment This assessment is based on a ten-point scale: 9 – 10 Includes a discussion of at least one issue of the day and an event or remark revealing an aspect of the first lady's personality and priorities. The speech is well written and engaging. 8 Includes a discussion of at least one issue of the day or an event or remark revealing an aspect of the first lady's personality and priorities. The speech is well written and engaging. 7 Includes a discussion of at least one issue of the day or an event or remark revealing and aspect of the first lady's personality and priorities. The speech has some grammatical errors or does not engage the reader. 6 Includes at least one issue, event, or remark but is very vague. The speech has some grammatical errors and does not engage the reader. 0 – 5 Does not include relevant information. The speech contains grammatical errors and does not engage the reader. Extension Activities Students may want to study other famous historical and contemporary speeches. They may elect to examine the effect of speeches on historical and contemporary events. Teachers may want to play excerpts of videos of famous speeches. Interdisciplinary Connections This lesson serves as an excellent language arts activity that could be used to teach persuasive writing as well as point of view. Additionally, you may consider this lesson for a public speaking class, a debate club, and of course, a class on women's issues or feminist history. Mira Spiegel Cohen teaches AP government and history at Beverly Hills High School in California.