Sarah Polk's guest appearances

Sarah Polk

Election College | Presidential Election History

The Age of Jackson Podcast

808 Podcast

IR Talk

Here's Where It Gets Interesting

Aaron Burr

John Quincy Adams

James Madison

James Monroe

James Buchanan

Stephen Douglas

Alexander Hamilton

Andrew Jackson

John Tyler

John C. Calhoun

John Adams

John F. Kennedy

Paul Kahan

William Goebel

Dwight D. Eisenhower

OwlTail

Lady Sarah

While the Woman's Rights convention was taking place at Seneca Falls in 1848, First Lady Sarah Childress Polk was wielding influence unprecedented for a woman in Washington, D.C. Yet, while history remembers the women of the convention, it has all but forgotten Sarah Polk. Now, in her riveting biography, Amy S. Greenberg brings Sarah's story into vivid focus. We see Sarah as the daughter of a frontiersman who raised her to discuss politics and business with men; we see the savvy and charm she brandished in order to help her brilliant but unlikeable husband, James K. Polk, ascend to the White House. We watch as she exercises truly extraordinary power as First Lady: quietly manipulating elected officials, shaping foreign policy, and directing a campaign in support of America's expansionist war against Mexico. And we meet many of the enslaved men and women whose difficult labor made Sarah's political success possible.Lady First also shines a light on Sarah's many layers and contradictions. While her marriage to James was one of equals, she firmly opposed the feminist movement's demands for what she perceived to be far-reaching equality. She banned dancing and hard liquor from the White House, but did more entertaining than any of her predecessors. During the Civil War, she operated on behalf of the Confederacy even though she claimed to be neutral. And in the late nineteenth-century, she became a celebrity among female Christian temperance reformers, while she struggled to redeem her husband's tarnished political legacy.Sarah Polk's life spanned nearly the entirety of the 19th-century. But her own legacy, which profoundly transformed the South, continues to endure. Comprehensive, nuanced, and brimming with invaluable insight, Lady First is a revelation of our eleventh First Lady's complex but essential part in American feminism.-Amy S. Greenberg is the George Winfree Professor of History and Women's Studies at Penn State University. A leading scholar of the history of nineteenth-century America, she has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Philosophical Society, among others. Her previous books include A Wicked War and Manifest Manhood.---Support for the Age of Jackson Podcast was provided by Isabelle Laskari, Jared Riddick, John Muller, Julianne Johnson, Laura Lochner, Mark Etherton, Marshall Steinbaum, Martha S. Jones, Michael Gorodiloff, Mitchell Oxford, Richard D. Brown, Rod, Rosa, Stephen Campbell, and Victoria Johnson, as well as Andrew Jackson's Hermitage​ in Nashville, TN.

While the Woman's Rights convention was taking place at Seneca Falls in 1848, First Lady Sarah Childress Polk was wielding influence unprecedented for a woman in Washington, D.C. Yet, while history remembers the women of the convention, it has all but forgotten Sarah Polk. Now, in her riveting biography, Amy S. Greenberg brings Sarah's story into vivid focus. We see Sarah as the daughter of a frontiersman who raised her to discuss politics and business with men; we see the savvy and charm she brandished in order to help her brilliant but unlikeable husband, James K. Polk, ascend to the White House. We watch as she exercises truly extraordinary power as First Lady: quietly manipulating elected officials, shaping foreign policy, and directing a campaign in support of America's expansionist war against Mexico. And we meet many of the enslaved men and women whose difficult labor made Sarah's political success possible. Lady First also shines a light on Sarah's many layers and contradictions. While her marriage to James was one of equals, she firmly opposed the feminist movement's demands for what she perceived to be far-reaching equality. She banned dancing and hard liquor from the White House, but did more entertaining than any of her predecessors. During the Civil War, she operated on behalf of the Confederacy even though she claimed to be neutral. And in the late nineteenth-century, she became a celebrity among female Christian temperance reformers, while she struggled to redeem her husband's tarnished political legacy. Sarah Polk's life spanned nearly the entirety of the 19th-century. But her own legacy, which profoundly transformed the South, continues to endure. Comprehensive, nuanced, and brimming with invaluable insight, Lady First is a revelation of our eleventh First Lady's complex but essential part in American feminism. - Amy S. Greenberg is the George Winfree Professor of History and Women's Studies at Penn State University. A leading scholar of the history of nineteenth-century America, she has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Philosophical Society, among others. Her previous books include A Wicked War and Manifest Manhood. --- Support for the Age of Jackson Podcast was provided by Isabelle Laskari, Jared Riddick, John Muller, Julianne Johnson, Laura Lochner, Mark Etherton, Marshall Steinbaum, Martha S. Jones, Michael Gorodiloff, Mitchell Oxford, Richard D. Brown, Rod, Rosa, Stephen Campbell, and Victoria Johnson, as well as Andrew Jackson's Hermitage​ in Nashville, TN.

068 The World of First Lady Sarah Polk with Amy S. Greenberg

Sarah was a great entertainer and had a knack for making people like her - but she was a TON different than the previous First Lady, Julia Tyler.  ____ Support us on Patreon! For only $0.11 per episode ($1/month) you can be part of our Patreon community. For a few more bucks per month we'll throw in two bonus episode! Check it out.  ____ Support the show! Use this link to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a penny more and it will help us out!  ElectionCollege.com/Amazon ___  Be sure to subscribe to the show!  Leave us a review on iTunes - It really helps us out! Facebook  |  Twitter  | Instagram ___ Get a free month of Audible and a free audiobook to keep at ElectionCollege.com/Audible ___ Music from: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music ______ Some links in these show notes are affiliate links that could monetarily benefit Election College, but cost you nothing extra.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah was a great entertainer and had a knack for making people like her - but she was a TON different than the previous First Lady, Julia Tyler.  ____ Support us on Patreon! For only $0.11 per episode ($1/month) you can be part of our Patreon community. For a few more bucks per month we'll throw in two bonus episode! <a href="http://www.electioncollege.com/patreon" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Check it out.</a> ____ Support the show! Use <a href="../../../content/electioncollege.com/amazon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this link</a> to do your shopping on Amazon. It won't cost you a penny more and it will help us out!  <a href="../../../content/ElectionCollege.com/Amazon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ElectionCollege.com/Amazon</a> ___ <a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/election-college/id1013707192?mt=2&amp;at=1000l4yc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Be sure to subscribe to the show!</a> <a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/election-college/id1013707192?mt=2&amp;at=1000l4yc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Leave us a review</a> on iTunes - It really helps us out! <a href="http://www.facebook.com/electioncollege" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>  |  <a href="http://www.twitter.com/electioncollege" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>  | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/electioncollege" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> ___ Get a free month of Audible and a free audiobook to keep at <a href="../../../content/ElectionCollege.com/Audible" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ElectionCollege.com/Audible</a> ___ Music from: <a href="http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music</a> ______ Some links in these show notes are affiliate links that could monetarily benefit Election College, but cost you nothing extra.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a>

Sarah Polk | Episode #220 | Election College: United States Presidential Election History