Dolly Madison
"There is one secret, and that is the power we all have in forming our own destinies," stated the lady in the elegant scarlet velvet gown of her own design. The material was that which had been the curtains in the White House before the British invaded and burned it on August 24, 1814. Dolley Madison escaped before the British captured her, with the curtains, as well as the founding documents of our country, including the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution that her husband, James Madison, had been responsible for writing. She also saved the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington, by cutting it from the frame. She knew the power she had in forming her own destiny.Born to John Payne, Jr. and Mary Coles Payne, both staunch Quaker's, on May 20, 1768, in New Garden, North Carolina, Dolley Payne, was the oldest daughter. She had two older brothers, Walter and William, and was followed in order by, Lucy, Anna, Mary, John, Isaac and Philadelphia. Dolley's parents owned a plantation in Virginia, also, and later in life, they would move to Pennsylvania and open a starch factory, which is why Dolley claimed to be from all three states. Dolley was groomed by doting and aristocratic parents and grandparents in th
At a time when women were not knowledgeable about politics, much less involved in them, Dolley became quite adroit at putting people at ease, and garnering information for her husband and his colleagues, so that they could lead their young country. e fine art of how to treat people. She learned well, because she became one of the greatest hostesses America has ever known. It all started when President Jefferson requested that she hostess his little dinner party. At first, Dolley was taken aback, until she remembered that the president was a widower, and his daughters lived in Virginia. Then she obliged him. Her first worry was about what the women would think of her attire, because she had lived in the country for the past four years. But she needn't have worried, for there were no women at the dinner. Nor were there any women at following dinners, until Dolley suggested to the President that the dinners should include both men and their wives. Only one diplomat was able to really upset Dolley and earn her contempt, that being one General Turreau of France, who was cruel to his wife. They quarreled relentlessly, and he often struck her, and locked her in the house when he was gone. Dolley knew better than to snub the General, as the wife of the Secretary of State, she could not risk the ire of Napolean, who regarded his representatives as extensions of himself. Therefore, she was rigidly polite, inviting him to dinners and receptions when necessary, but treating him with an impersonal chill that made her feelings all too clear. It would be French Minister Turreau, who would escort Dolley to the dinner table, the evening of the inauguration of her husband, but
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1137
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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