American Experience: Dolley Madison

Ever since I was a kid, I was always fascinated by Dolley Madison, the wife of President James Madison.  I didn't know very much about her, just that she was amazingly plucky, a true hero of the War of 1812.  In fact, people generally don't speak about the War of 1812 except when talking about Dolley Madison.  So I was thrilled when American Experience featured Dolley in this week's program.  She is even more amazing than I had ever imagined, creating the role of First Lady single-handedly.  With charm, grace, and incredible astuteness, she brought civility and society to Washington D.C and changed American politics forever.

Unfortunately, the documentary is post Ken Burns and very paint-by-numbers with actors pretending to be key people.  But one of the commentators is the wonderful political journalist and writer Cokie Roberts (strangely, she's called simply "writer" on the show).  Luckily, you can watch the program at the pbs website.  For Dolley's sake, please go and watch if you already haven't!