ePub Collect and Record!: Jewish Holocaust Documentation in Early Postwar Europe (Oxford Series on History and Archives) by Laura Jockusch in History

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A feminist; an outspoken activist; a woman without a college education; Midge Costanza was one of the unlikeliest of White House insiders. Yet in 1977 she became the first female Assistant to the President for Public Liaison under Jimmy Carter; emerging as a prominent focal point of the American culture wars. Tasked with bringing the views of special interest groups to the president; Costanza championed progressive causes even as Americans grew increasingly divided on the very issues for which she fought. In A Feminist in the White House; Doreen Mattingly draws on Costanza's personal papers to shed light on the life of this fascinating and controversial woman. Mattingly chronicles Costanza's dramatic rise and fall as a public figure; from her initial popularity to her ultimate clashes with Carter and his aides. While Costanza challenged Carter to support abortion rights; gay and lesbian rights; and feminist policies; Carter faced increased pressure to appease the interests of emerging Religious Right; which directly opposed Costanza's ideals. Ultimately; marginalized both within the White House and by her fellow feminists; Costanza was pressured to resign in 1978.Through the lens of Constanza's story; readers catch a unique perspective of the rise of debates which have defined the feminist movement and sexual politics to this very day. Mattingly also reveals a wider; but heretofore neglected; narrative of the complex era of gender politics in the late 1970's Washington - a history which continues to resonate in politics today. A Feminist in the White House is a must-read for anyone with an interest in sexual politics; female politicians; and presidential history.