“Why Haven’t We Learned This Before?”

New college textbook brings America’s first ladies front and center.

Co-authors (from left) Diana B. Carlin, Anita B. McBride and Nancy Kegan Smith announced the publication of their new college textbook U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies at the 2023 Presidential Sites Summit in Washington, D.C. last week. (Photo: Matthew D’Agostino)

Presidential first ladies have leapt from the footnotes to the forefront of American history. 

Solidifying that ascent, which has surged in recent years, is the nation’s first-ever college textbook focusing on the transformational legacies of the wives of America’s presidents. Co-authored by Diana B. Carlin, Anita B. McBride and Nancy Kegan Smith, U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies is published by Cognella Academic Publishing and is now available to college level students and educators across the United States. The authors are also founding members of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE), which was launched in 2021 in affiliation with American University’s Sc…