Catherine Allgor
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First Ladies Use Traditions to Shape the Nation
UC Riverside history professor Catherine Allgor documents the importance of presidential spouses in the history and momentum of the nation. Michelle Obama is likely to stay well within the bounds of those traditions, Allgor says in a new video.
Allgor is the author of "Parlor Politics: In Which the Ladies of Washington City Help Build a City and a Government" and a biography of Dolley Madison. "Successful first ladies run the unofficial machine of politics, the social sphere, where much business is accomplished," Allgor says. Michelle Obama is an intelligent, professional woman with two young daughters to raise. Although she hasn't announced which causes she will champion, they likely will involve children and support for military families, Allgor said.
