Program

In 1759, Martha Dandridge Custis married the handsome and successful soldier George Washington, a decision that would lead her from the battlefields of the American Revolution to the highest echelons of the infant republic. Later eulogized as "the worthy partner of the worthiest of men," her acute social sense enabled her to deftly navigate the expectations and pitfalls of defining the role of First Lady.

She'll reminisce about the winters she spent near the Revolutionary battlefields, describing the comfort she brought the soldiers that earned her the fond name "Lady Washington," and she'll sing songs she heard from the soldiers there.  She'll relate her experiences as the President's wife, detailing everything from her social obligations to the current political climate, and her concerns for her husband in the challenges he's facing in guiding this new country.