Martha and George Washington with their grandchildren (Courtesy of George Washington's Mount Vernon)
Summary of Martha Washington, America's First First Lady
As the firstlady, MarthaWashington always dressedbeautifully, but not fussily. Pretty, dark-haired MarthaWashington was in the spotlight. MarthaWashingtonled the way for all the ones to come. She helpedherhusband and dedicatedmanyyears to hercountry, especially veterans’ benefits, whiletakingcare of herfamily. Her support for herhusband and hispublicservice is one of herlasting legacies.
VOA: Martha Washington, America's First First Lady
MarthaWashingtondid not want to be the firstlady of the UnitedStates. In fact, MarthaWashington was veryopposed to herhusband, GeorgeWashington, accepting the presidency.
When he was sworn in on April 30, 1789 in NewYorkCity, MarthaWashington was not at hisside. She was at the Washingtons’ home in Virginia. Theylived on a largeestatecalledMount Vernon. Mrs. Washington was not in a hurry to go to NewYorkCity, the nation’s firstcapital. She said she was toobusypacking to come to the inauguration.
After he was sworn in, GeorgeWashingtoncalled the presidency “an experiment.” The samecan be said for the position of firstlady. Onequestion was what to callMarthaWashington. Manypeoplecalledher “LadyWashington.” Othersused the name “Presidentess.”
Courtesy of George Washington's Mount Vernon
WhenMrs. Washingtonfinallyarrived in NewYorkCity, she discovered that the president’s aides had madeallkinds of rulesaboutwhat she woulddo – rules she did not like, that tookawayherprivatelife.
PatriciaBrady is a historianwhowrote the book “MarthaWashington: An AmericanLife.”
“For the firstyear, she prettymuchdidwhatthey, Washington and Adams and Madison, had kind of worked out what the first – thoughthey didn’t call it the firstladythen – of what the president’s lady’s roleshould be. And she prettymuchdidwhat she was asked to do, although she madethingsmuchlessformal, muchlesslike the, likeroyalty.”
Oneday a week, Mrs. Washington and AbigailAdams, wife of VicePresidentJohnAdams, satnext to eachother and receivedguests. Compared to the fancyEuropeancourts, theseeventsweremoreplain.
Mrs. Washingtonalwaysdressedbeautifully, but not fussily, saysPatriciaBrady. She woreverylittlejewelry and simpleclothes, but everything was goodquality. She liked to wearitemsmade in America.
Ms. BradysaysMarthaWashingtongreetedpeoplewarmly, usingbothhands to sayhello.
“She had that gift of makingpeoplefeelwarm and involved and part of things. I think she humanizedherhusband to a greatextent.”
Ms. BradysaysMarthaWashington was the rightwoman for the firstpresident.
“She was self-confident, she knewherposition and she knewhow to fill it.”
MarthaWashingtonbefore the presidency
MostAmericansimagineMarthaWashington as a 65-year-oldgrandmother, overweight and with a verysweetface. That imagecomes from a famouspicturepainted of her at that age.
However, Ms. BradysaysMrs. Washington was a beautiful, dark-hairedyoungwoman. And unlikemanywomen of hertime, MarthaWashingtonlearned to read and write, and didso at an earlyage.
Herliteracyhelpedherwhen she was widowed at only 26 yearsold. Herfirsthusband left herwithtwosurvivingchildren, a largeplantation and 300 slaves. She understoodbusiness, and she managed the 17,500 acres of landherhusband had owned. She also had a highplace in Virginiasociety.
Twoyearsafterherfirsthusband’s death she marriedGeorgeWashington. Together, theywere a wealthycouplewithone of the largesthouses in America. Historianssaythey had an equalrelationship, and that Mr. Washingtonvaluedhiswife’s opinion.
“Herrole was to be withhim and talkwithhimabouteverything, and I thinkreallywhereheradvicecame in was in herjudgment of people.”
Eventhough she was onlyabout a meter and a halftall, MarthaWashington was said to pullherhusband’s shirtso she couldspeak to himeye to eye.
Creating the position of firstlady
JournalistCokieRobertsalsowroteaboutMarthaWashington in herbook “Ladies of Liberty.”
Ms. Robertssays as firstlady, MarthaWashington was in the spotlight. Especially as a woman, she had to “lookgoodall the time.”
“She had to haveherhairdone. She had to haveclothes that werebothfittinglyregal but alsoappropriatelyrepublican. She had to be very, verycareful in everything she did.”
Mrs. Washingtonwrote to herniece that peoplethought she was the finestlady in the land. But instead, Ms. Robertssays, MarthaWashingtonfeltlike the chiefstateprisoner.
“And that is something that I thinkmanyfirstladieshavefelteversincethen.”
MarthaWashington was not involved in makingmilitary or politicaldecisions, but she did go to the firstCongress and ask for veterans’ benefits. She had spent a lot of timewithsoldiersduring the Americanwar for independence from the British. For eightyears, Mrs. Washingtonstayedwithherhusband and the soldiers in the wintercamps. She sewedthemsocks, nursedthem and arranged for them to getfood and blankets. The troopssaidMarthaWashingtonhelpedraisetheirmorale.
Mrs. Washington’s support for herhusband and hispublicservice is one of herlastinglegacies. She gaveup the idea of stayinghome and being a privateperson. Instead, she raisedhertwoadoptedgrandchildrenwhileserving as firstlady, a job she understood as herduty to the nation.
MarthaWashington and slavery
AfterGeorgeWashington’s secondterm as president, he and Marthareturned to MountVernon. Theycontinued to hostimportantvisitors and remained a topic of greatinterest to the Americanpeople.
Mount Vernon estate in Virginia (Courtesy Renee Comet)
In the winter of 1799 GeorgeWashington was outsidedoingsomework on the estate and fellill. He diedtwodayslater, on December 14.
In hislasthours he approved a will that freedhis 123 slaves. But he did not wantthem to abandonhiswife, so he delayedtheirfreedomuntilafterherdeath. But soon, therewererumors the slavesmightkillMrs. Washington to gaintheirfreedom. Afraid, she freedthemherself, a littleover a yearafter he died.
However, she did not freeherownslavesuponherdeath. HistorianssayMarthaWashington was a product of hertime. Slavery was common and legal, and not muchdiscussed, saysCokieRoberts.
“I think the onethingyouhave to keep in mindaboutwomen of that era is that therewere no rights for them. They, of course, had no politicalrights, theycould not vote. But theyalso had no legalrights. And so, a marriedwoman was the property of herhusband. And many of themactuallywrote that they didn’t seeslaverybeingall that different from marriage.”
In the end, MarthaWashingtongot a piece of the privacy she had wanted. AfterGeorgeWashingtondied, she burnedall the lettersthey had written to eachother. Some of herletters to friends and relativessurvive.
MarthaWashingtondiedjusttwo and a halfyearsafterherhusband, on May 22, 1802. She is buriednext to GeorgeWashington at theirMountVernonestate. Onlyfourgrandchildrensurvivedher. Allfour of herchildren from herfirstmarriage had alreadydied. She and GeorgeWashingtondid not haveanychildrentogether.
Ms. RobertssaysMarthaWashington was a verybravewomanwhodidherduty to hercountryuntil the end of herlife.
“Politicianswouldcome to MountVernon to be blessed by herso that theycouldthencampaignsaying that they had metwithMarthaWashington.”
As the firstfirstlady, MarthaWashingtonled the way for all the ones to come. She helpedherhusband and dedicatedmanyyears to hercountry, allwhiletakingcare of herfamily.
I’m AnneBall.
AnneBallreported and wrote this story for LearningEnglish. KellyJeanKelly was the editor.