1. Radio
 / Modified feb 2, 2011 3:41 p.m.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Dolley Madison

As a First Lady, Madison was a style icon, extravagant hostess, humanitarian, doting mother, trusted political advisor and diplomat. Monday at 9 p.m. on PBS-HD. by Colleen Greer

Born in relative obscurity before the American Revolution, Dolley’s beauty attracted attention, but it was her political acumen that set her apart in a time when women held no overt political power. As the “first First Lady,” she used her unelected position to legitimize the nation’s new capital, to create a political and social style for the new country and to give Americans a sense of their own national identity.

am_ex_dolly_madison2_617x347 Tony Award-nominee Eve Best (pictured) as Dolley Madison

As her successors have done ever since, Dolley Madison adopted social causes of her own, including advocating for children left orphaned by the War of 1812. The film stars Tony Award-winner Eve Best as Dolley Madison and Tony Award-winner Jefferson Mays as James Madison.

American Experience

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