Diana B. Carlin

Cognella Press is proud to announce the publication of Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women by Diana B. Carlin, Anita B. McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith. Remember the First Ladies is a groundbreaking book showing the evolutionary role of first lady and its historic importance on the American presidency. The book shines a light on the influential women who broke barriers and made a mark on our country and, at times, our world, during their tenures in the White House. The book includes both biographical and thematic chapters. It examines the influence of first ladies on topics such as civil rights, political campaigns, major speeches, and the White House across the span of the nation’s history. Profiles of first ladies bring their histories, achievements, and legacies to life. Readers learn about the development and expansion of the role of first lady, from its origins under Martha Washington through its current iteration under Dr. Jill Biden. The book explores how first ladies have been uniquely positioned to influence American society, policy, diplomacy, and life in the White House.

Their contributions are enduring. Their influence is profound. Their legacies touch our everyday lives. In Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America's History-Making Women, communication, history, and government scholars and professionals Diana B. Carlin, Anita B. McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith provide readers with an illuminating and highly personal exploration of the lives and legacies of U. S. first ladies. Readers learn about the role of first lady, from its origins under Martha Washington through its current iteration under Dr. Jill Biden. The book explores how first ladies have been uniquely positioned to influence American society, policy, diplomacy, and the life in the White House. Profiles of first ladies bring their histories, achievements, and legacies to life. Remember the First Ladies is a groundbreaking book showing the evolutionary role of first lady. It shines a light on the influential women who have broken barriers and made a mark on our country and, at times, our world during their tenures in the White House.

Filling a gap in academic literature, U. S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies, examines how first ladies are uniquely positioned to influence American society, public policy, politics, diplomacy, and life in the White House. The textbook explores the development and evolution of the role of the first lady, their initiatives and substantive contributions, rhetorical activities, and their lasting legacies throughout U. S. history. Profiles of first ladies from Martha Washington to Dr. Jill Biden help students learn about the women behind the title and their unique journeys. Thematic chapters trace first ladies' actions on civil rights; significant speeches and communication strategies; impact on the White House, and the Office of the First Lady; political campaigns; and foundations established to sustain their contributions. Student research activities are enhanced through a chapter on primary source materials and lists for further reading. In addition, each chapter features learning objectives, key terms, a chronology of significant historical events, and reflection opportunities. U. S. First Ladies is an ideal resource for courses and programs in American history, American studies, women's studies, political science, and media and communication studies.

In Gender and the American Presidency: Nine Presidential Women and the Barriers They Faced, Theodore F. Sheckels, Nichola D. Gutgold, and Diana Bartelli Carlin invite the audience to consider women qualified enough to be president and explores reasons why they have been dismissed as presidential contenders. This analysis profiles key presidential contenders including Barbara Mikulski, Nancy Pelosi, Nancy Kassebaum, Kathleen Sebelius, Christine Gregoire, Linda Lingle, Elizabeth Dole, Dianne Feinstein, and Olympia Snowe. Gender barriers, media coverage, communication style, geography, and other factors are examined to determine why these seemingly qualified, powerful politicos failed to win the White House.

Drawing on scholarly research and media critiques, The Third Agenda in Presidential Debates examines the most recent U. S. presidential debates from the perspective of television viewers who watched the encounters first hand. Through a national program—DebateWatch—tens of thousands of viewers had an opportunity to provide feedback to the debate sponsors, the campaigns, and the media following the 1996, 2000, and 2004 presidential debates. As a result, thousands of groups met after each debate to discuss what they liked and didn't like about a particular candidate, what they learned, and what they still needed to know about the issues presented before them. These focus groups, along with various surveys and emails, allowed viewers to lay out a concise third agenda for the debates: the public's, one in which comparisons could be drawn between their own interests and that of the media and the candidates themselves. Besides clearly mapping out the important aspects the public looks for when watching a debate, the authors demonstrate how citizen participation challenges candidates and their issues. In addition, the authors offer predictions for future debates and how new generations will choose to participate. Along with 14 analytical chapters, this work contains four detailed appendices, several tables, and an index.

The results of a focus group research project, sponsored by the Commission of Presidential Debates and conducted during the 1992 presidential and vice presidential debates, are reported. The study involved 625 participants from 17 states who met in 60 focus groups held during the period of the debates. Focus group participants answered questions regarding what they learned from the debates, how they assessed the formats, what improvements they wanted in future debates, and how information provided by the debates compared with that from other news sources. The 14 chapters of this volume include a summary of past research on presidential debates, an outline of the focus group methodology used here, and the results of the focus groups, including numerous quotations from focus group members. The results specifically address the questions of debate format, voter learning, reactions to the third candidate, male versus female response to the debates, opinions of student voters, analyses of disagreements among focus group members, and a set of recommendations for future debates.