America's First Ladies

How much do you really know about America’s First Ladies? This podcast takes a deep look at every woman who has served as First Lady, going chronologically and starting at the beginning, with Martha Washington. This is an easy listen, not like sitting through a boring lecture. These women led vibrant lives, and together, we can get to know them better. Each season is a long-form narrative covering the life of a different First Lady. New episodes released on Fridays.

4.5 Dolley and James Meet Cute 05/08/2026

4.5 Dolley and James Meet Cute After taking a brisk review of the ratification of the new U.S. Constitution, we finally get Dolley and James together this week, covering their courtship, wedding, and early years of marriage in Philadelphia. Transcript and portaits available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/40729305

4.4 The Constitutional Convention 05/01/2026

4.4 The Constitutional Convention This week we do a deep dive into the Constitutional Convention - think of it as getting to see how the sausage is made, with the sausage being the legal document that still rules our lives today. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/40718340

4.3 The Young James Madison 04/24/2026

4.3 The Young James Madison This week we hit pause on Dolley Madison to focus on young James Madison as he develops into the statesman who will eventually play such a large role in creating the U.S. Constitution. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/40717845

4.2 A Young Lady in Philadelphia 04/17/2026

4.2 A Young Lady in Philadelphia This week we'll learn about Dolley's teenage years in Philadelphia, her first marriage to John Todd, Jr., and the aftermath of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/40518360

4.1 Little Dolley Payne 04/10/2026

4.1 Little Dolley Payne Welcome to Season 4! We're covering Dolley and James Madison this season, and today we cover Dolley's family history and early life in North Carolina and Virginia. List of reference books available at Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/40506520

Supplemental: The Amendments to the U.S. Constitution 04/03/2026

Supplemental: The Amendments to the U.S. Constitution Part 2 of our supplemental series on the Constitution. There were too many amendments to put them in the same episode as the main body of the document. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/40275570

Supplemental: The U.S. Constitution 03/27/2026

Supplemental: The U.S. Constitution The one where I read the Constitution of the United States of America to you. If nothing else, you can listen to it when you can't sleep! Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/40275260

3.7 A Nomadic Life 03/06/2026

3.7 A Nomadic Life This week we wrap up Martha Patsy Jefferson Randolph with a gallop through the final 18 years of her life. Transcript and the final portrait painted of Martha available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39987765

3.6 The President's Daughter 02/27/2026

3.6 The President's Daughter This week we cover Thomas Jefferson's presidency and Patsy/Martha's admittedly minor role in it. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39973265

3.5 Marriage and Motherhood 02/20/2026

3.5 Marriage and Motherhood This week, the Jefferson family returns to America, and Patsy almost immediately decides to marry and start having children. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39956280

3.4 The Jeffersons in Paris 02/13/2026

3.4 The Jeffersons in Paris This week we travel from Philadelphia to Boston, and then on to Paris. Thomas and Patsy spent about five years in Paris, leaving just as the French Revolution was getting underway in 1789. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39607045

3.3 The Death of Mrs. Jefferson 02/06/2026

3.3 The Death of Mrs. Jefferson We'll make it to the end of the Revolutionary War this week, but Patty Jefferson doesn't live to see the end. Thomas Jefferson serves two terms as Virginia governor during the war, and the Jefferson family has to evade the British army after they invade Virginia. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39601115

3.2 Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson 01/30/2026

3.2 Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson This week we cover the majority of Patty and Thomas Jefferson's marriage, which happens to overlap with some signficant moments in the American Revolution, including the Declaration of Independence, which Thomas Jefferson wrote. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39595960

3.1 Little Patty Wayles 01/23/2026

3.1 Little Patty Wayles We kick off season 3 with background information on Martha "Patty" Wayles and her future second husband, Thomas Jefferson. Transcript and background materials available at Links to the books I used this season and some photos of the two Marthas at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39580395

Supplemental: The Declaration of Independence 01/16/2026

Supplemental: The Declaration of Independence Before we kick off season 3, I want to read you the Declaration of Independence, which Thomas Jefferson wrote, and John Adams played such a large role in getting approved by Congress. I'm willing to bet you've never read it in full, so it's worth a listen! Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39568980

2.13 Retirement to Peacefield 12/26/2025

2.13 Retirement to Peacefield We wrap up Abigail Adams's season with the final year of her husband's presidency and the years they spent post-presidency, finally getting to enjoy a private retirement. Programming note: we'll take a couple of weeks off to let listeners catch up. New episodes will resume on January 16, 2026. Transcript available at Links to books for Season 2 Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39158380

2.12 The Second First Lady 12/19/2025

2.12 The Second First Lady This week covers John Adams's sole term as President, and Abigail's four years as First Lady. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39158195

2.11 The Adamses in Philadelphia 12/12/2025

2.11 The Adamses in Philadelphia This week we cover the rest of Abigail's tenure as the Vice President's wife, and the election of 1796, which results in John Adams being elected President. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39158175

2.10 The First Second Lady 12/05/2025

2.10 The First Second Lady Abigail and John wrap up their time in London, return home to the United States, and settle into a normal life back in Massachusetts. And then John is elected as the first Vice President of the United States, forcing Abigail into public life in a new way. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/39154130

2.9 Life in London 11/28/2025

2.9 Life in London From 1785-1788, the three Adamses lived in London. Nabby got married while there, and Abigail and John became grandparents for the first time. Transcript and further information available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/38317165

2.8 Life in Paris 11/21/2025

2.8 Life in Paris Abigail, Nabby, and John spent one year living in Paris. It was quite the adjustment for Abigail. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/38317005

2.7 An International Family 11/14/2025

2.7 An International Family John is in the Netherlands, John Quincy is in Russia, Charles sails home to America by himself, and then Abigail and Nabby leave Boston to join John in Europe when the war finally ends. This family gets around! Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/38316970

2.6 Separated By An Ocean 11/07/2025

2.6 Separated By An Ocean This episode finds Abigail and John living in separate countries, on separate continents, for the majority of 1778-1781. Find out how Abigail puts her entrepreneurial spirit to work. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/38316920

2.5 The War Drags On 10/31/2025

2.5 The War Drags On This week Abigail continues to struggle with running the farm in John's absence while he continues to live and work in Philadelphia. Note: this episode contains a somewhat harrowing description of a stillbirth. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/38026440

2.4 Independence 10/24/2025

2.4 Independence Note: when this episode went live on 10/24/25, there was a glitch that resulted in two sentences missing at around the 3:30 mark. A new version was uploaded on 10/30/25 with the correct version of the episode. This week covers the pivotal year of 1776. Abigail writes her most famous letter to John, asking Congress to "Remember the Ladies" when drafting the new laws for the new country. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/38026370

2.3 The Road to War 10/17/2025

2.3 The Road to War This week, the events leading to the Revolutionary War heat up. John spends his time traveling back and forth between home in Massachusetts and the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The first shots of the war are fired in Lexington and Concord, and Abigail starts to develop her keen sense of political and social commentary. Transcript and further reading available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/38026215

2.2 A Happy Marriage 10/10/2025

2.2 A Happy Marriage We cover 10 years in this episode, from Abigail and John's marriage in 1764 through the turbulent decade leading up to the Revolutionary War, and right up until John gets ready to leave for the Continental Congress in September 1774. Transcript available at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/37885180

2.1 Abigail's Early Years 10/03/2025

2.1 Abigail's Early Years Welcome to Season 2 of the show! We kick off this season with Abigail Adams's early years, when she was still Abigail Smith. We cover her childhood in Massachusetts, her courtship by John Adams, and their marriage. Transcript available at Links to the books I read for this season and a photo of young Abigail at Music by /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/37885130

Programming Note 09/26/2025

Programming Note Just a brief programming note to let you know that I'll be activating ads starting with Season 2, which begins next week. /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/37885065

Season 1 Supplemental 09/19/2025

Season 1 Supplemental In this bonus episode, I read you an absolutely bonkers recipe for Martha's Christmas Yorkshire pie. I found the recipe in a book called Pie & Whiskey. You can find the transcript for this episode at And if you're interested in your own copy of Pie & Whiskey, here's a /episode/index/show/cfd75fd3-dd8b-4166-9771-72dcedccd84f/id/37885040

America's First Ladies

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