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American Women of Influence
Martha
Dandridge Washington – Martha was the oldest daughter of John and
Frances Dandridge. She was born on June 2, 1731 on a plantation near
Williamsburg, Virginia. Her education was almost negligible except in
social and domestic skills, but she learned all of the arts of a
well-ordered household and how to keep her family contented.
From
the day Martha married George Washington her great concern was for the
comfort of her husband and children. When his career led him to the
battlegrounds of the Revolutionary War and finally to the Presidency,
she followed him bravely. Her love of private life equaled her
husband’s; but, as she wrote to her friend Mercy Otis Warren, “I cannot
blame him for having acted according to his ideas of duty in obeying
the voice of his country.” As for herself, “I am still determined to be
cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also
learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or
misery depends upon our dispositions, and not on our circumstances.”
During
her time as First Lady, the Washingtons entertained in formal style.
Martha’s warm hospitality made her guests feel welcome and put
strangers at ease. Abigail Adams praised her as “one of those
unassuming characters which create Love and Esteem.”
Martha
died 3 years after her husband on May 22, 1802. If we listen to the
words on this page, she is still influencing our lives.
Taken from www.whitehouse.gov.
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