This 3 page paper evaluates Watson's The Presidents' Wives and suggests that the book gives too much power to the role of first lady. Rather, the paper argues that the first lady role is somewhat limited. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
role of the first lady is sometimes taken for granted (2000). Many people see the first lady as merely the wife of an important man but nothing more. Yet, many
first ladies such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton have gotten involved in government. Still, one can argue that such first ladies are few and far between. For the most
part, first ladies tend to do something more akin to community service, and even for Hillary Clinton who is now New Yorks junior senator, it seems that her role and
ambitions are separate and apart from her role as first lady. If she had been Bill Clintons cousin for example instead of his wife, she would have managed to weasel
her way into the White House somehow. Many claim that her ultimate goal is to be president herself, with Bill Clinton as the first gentleman or whatever one would call
the husband of a female president. In fact, the idea that the role is not necessarily limited to the female--but has always been occupied by one--raises questions, as does the
fact that there have always been first ladies. There have been no bachelors in the White House with the exception of James Buchanan. It seems that the author is wrong
about the importance of the role of first lady. It only takes on an importance because like actresses and princesses, people are fascinated with anyone famous. When someone is married
to the most powerful man in the world, she gains notoriety. For example, Jackie Kennedy Onasis was watched for her fashion sense and began trends in that domain. Similarly, while
Hillary tried to make policy at the bequest of her husband, there was much attention paid to her hair. While one can say that first ladies are important to some