First Ladies' Library and Kent State Bring History Home

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America's first ladies have each left a mark on the White House, the country and the world. While their stories are unique, their lives reflect the broader historical context in which they lived and served. Now, teachers and students all over the world can learn about these women and the historical forces that shaped them.

Did you know? NATIONAL FIRST LADIES LIBRARY TRIVIA

Which first lady was responsible for the cherry trees that grace the National Mall? Helen Taft planted the first cherry tree, which was a gift from Japan, in 1912.

Which first lady had to sell her husband’s possessions to survive after his death? Dolley Madison was forced to sell Montpelier, beloved by her late husband, James Madison, to pay off her son’s gambling debts and keep him out of prison. Her financial situation was so serious, Congress bought Madison’s papers, including the notes he took at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and later set up a trust fund that gave her a very modest income.

How did Richard Nixon’s wife come to be known as "Pat"? Although she was born as Thelma Catherine Ryan Nixon, she assumed the name of “Patricia,” or “Pat” upon the death of her father; of Irish parentage. He had first called her “St. Patrick's babe in the morn,” because she was born at night, just hours before St. Patrick's Day.

Which first lady interviewed her future husband for a newspaper before he became president? Jacqueline Bouvier (Kennedy Onassis) was an inquiring “camera girl” for the Washington Times Herald shortly after her graduation from George Washington University in 1951. That year she interviewed Congressman John F. Kennedy, whom she married in 1953 in Newport, Rhode Island. Source: National First Ladies Library

Kent State University College of Education, Health and Human Services faculty have partnered with the National First Ladies’ Library in Canton, Ohio, to develop a complete curriculum centered on the lives of our nation’s first ladies.

Currently, 21 lessons per first lady for age groups spanning elementary through high school are available online (a complete set of lessons exists for 14 of the first ladies as of this month, while others are being developed). All lessons meet national education standards for English, social studies and technology. The lessons touch on historical landmarks that occurred during each first lady’s lifespan.

Dr. Bette Brooks, director of partnership initiatives and administrative services, and education lecturer, hopes teachers and students come away from the lessons with a new appreciation of American history.

“We have women who are the daughters of immigrants, women who are beautifully educated, women who couldn’t read or write, those who taught their husbands to read or write — tremendous diversity,” Brooks says. “It’s very representative of the diversity present in the American people.”

Dr. Averil McClelland, associate professor of educational foundations and special services, says because of the Internet, the lessons are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“I’ve already heard from people in the southern United States, young and old, who are educating themselves,” she says. The site also is popular in countries where democratic principles are being explored, McClelland says.

In addition, a comprehensive timeline spanning 1730 to 2005 is available via the Web site. The timeline covers seven categories and multiple themes, including politics, popular culture, science, medicine and education, and serves to contextualize history for students and teachers at all grade levels.

All data on the site have been verified by researchers, making it an accurate one-stop-shop for information-seekers. The site’s founders say this is important because primary sources of information about the first ladies’ lives are often difficult to find; links to primary sources are available on the Web site.

To access the curriculum, visit the National First Ladies’ Library Online Educational Curriculum Web page.

Also, you can visit the library for “Private Wives, Public Lives,” an exhibition that explores the private interests of first ladies’ very public lives and is currently on display at the National First Ladies Library through Sept. 30, 2006. Learn more about the exhibition on the Private Wives, Public Lives Web page.

By Lisa Lambert