State College, PA Events: Community Calendar

“Lady First: The World of First Lady Sarah Polk” lecture and Book Signing By Dr. Amy S. Greenberg.

While the Woman’s Rights convention was taking place at Seneca Falls in 1848, First Lady Sarah Childress Polk stood at the head of a network of women who saw no need for women's rights because they already exercised political power. Yet, while history remembers the women of the convention, it has all but forgotten Sarah Polk and the other elite white women whose power derived from their class position and access to male politicians. Amy S. Greenberg, author of Lady First: The World of First Lady Sarah Polk, brings this story into focus, showing how a practice of deference proved empowering for a small but important cadre of women, and particularly for a First Lady who quietly manipulated elected officials, shaped foreign policy, and directed a campaign in support of America’s expansionist war against Mexico.

A few copies of Lady First: The World of First Lady Sarah Polk, published by Knopf February 6, 2019, will be available for purchase at the program.

This program is a part of the distinguished author series underwritten by the Anne Hamilton Henszey Pyle and Kenneth B. Pyle Educational Fund for Regional Heritage Preservation (Henszey-Pyle Fund.)

Start Time:	2:00 pm
Location:	Centre Furnace Mansion
Address:	1001 E. College Ave., State College, PA, 16801 (map)
Photos:	1