Editing Rosalynn Carter (section)

===First Lady of the United States (1977–1981)===

====Major initiatives====
[[Image:Rosalynn, Jimmy, and Amy Carter.gif|right|thumb|[[First family of the United States|The First Family]]: Rosalynn, Jimmy, and [[Amy Carter|Amy]] on the [[South Lawn]] of the [[White House]], July 24, 1977]]
When her husband assumed the presidency in January 1977, Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter walked hand-in-hand down [[Pennsylvania Avenue]] during his [[United States presidential inauguration|presidential inauguration parade]]. The gown that she wore to the [[inaugural ball]]s was the same one that she had worn six years earlier at the Atlanta balls when Jimmy became governor.<ref>Rosalynn Carter, ''First Lady from Plains'', [[Houghton Mifflin]] Co., [[Boston]], 1984: pp. 6, 148</ref>

[[Image:Rosalynn Carter chairs a meeting in Chicago, IL. for the President's Commission on Mental Health. - NARA - 174466.jpg|thumb|left|Carter chaired a meeting in Chicago, Illinois, for the President's Commission on Mental Health on April 20, 1977.]]
Carter declared that she had no intention of being a traditional first lady of the United States.<ref name=Kaufman119 /> During her husband's administration, she supported his public policies, as well as his social and personal life. To remain fully informed, she sat in on Cabinet meetings at the invitation of the President. The first meeting she attended was on February 28, 1977, where she felt comfortable since she was among other officials who were not members. The idea for her to be in attendance came at her husband's suggestion when she started to question him about a news story.<ref name=Carter185>Carter, Rosalynn (1984), p. 185.</ref>

Carter took notes at the meetings, but never spoke. As she put it, "I was there to be informed so that when I traveled across the country, which I did a great deal, and was questioned by the press and other individuals about all areas of government, I'd know what was going on."<ref name=Carter185 /> When the cultural exchange program [[Friendship Force International]] launched at the White House on March 1, 1977, she became honorary chairperson, a position she held until 2002. She joined [[Lady Bird Johnson]] and Betty Ford in supporting the unsuccessful campaign for the [[Equal Rights Amendment]] (ERA) at the Houston conference celebrating the [[International Women's Year]] in 1977.<ref name=Gould389 /><ref>Rosalynn Carter, ''First Lady from Plains'', [[Houghton Mifflin]] Co., [[Boston]], 1984: pp. 143–300</ref>

For Christmas 1977, she decorated the [[White House Christmas Tree|White House's Christmas tree]] with ornaments made from pine cones, peanuts, and egg shells.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/12/history-of-white-house-christmas-trees-98005.html|title=History of White House Christmas trees|publisher=ABC 7|date=December 25, 2013|first=Scott|last=Meeks|access-date=December 31, 2013|archive-date=January 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101141654/http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/12/history-of-white-house-christmas-trees-98005.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> On July 27, 1978, Carter was the host of "First Lady's Employment Seminar". Between 200 and 300 delegates came and shared information to learn how other communities responded to the problem of unemployment.<ref name=Gould389>Gould, p. 389.</ref> Carter remembered 1979 and 1980 as years of never-ending crises, the years having "Big ones and small ones, potential disasters and mere annoyances."<ref>Marton, p. 239.</ref>

During 1978, Carter became involved with an effort to reform [[D.C. General Hospital]] after criticizing its appearance,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/02/19/rosalynn-carter-pledges-help-for-district-hospital/d0d7e4eb-f3c9-46a5-a55f-812541957fe1/|title=Rosalynn Carter Pledges Help for District Hospital|first=B.D.|last=Cohen|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=November 13, 2017|archive-date=November 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171121234835/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/02/19/rosalynn-carter-pledges-help-for-district-hospital/d0d7e4eb-f3c9-46a5-a55f-812541957fe1/|url-status=live}}</ref> and traveled to the hospital for reviews of changing conditions as more work was done in remodeling.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/10/26/rosalynn-carter-returns/3504c62d-b679-4273-9232-2b823dbd6657/|title=Rosalynn Carter Returns|first=B.D.|last=Colen|date=October 26, 1978|access-date=November 13, 2017|archive-date=November 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171121234621/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/10/26/rosalynn-carter-returns/3504c62d-b679-4273-9232-2b823dbd6657/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Waylon Jennings Jessi Colter & Rosalynn Carter.jpg|right|thumb|[[Waylon Jennings]], [[Jessi Colter]], and Carter at a reception preceding a concert to benefit the Carter-Mondale campaign on April 23, 1980]]
Despite finding time to entertain, the Carters never were able to match their immediate predecessors and Carter never considered it a major part of her job as first lady.<ref name=Lindsay230>Lindsay, p. 230.</ref>
Criticism came towards her role as first lady by a U.S. diplomat in Brazil, who insisted that women were meant to be kept "at home and that's all". The cultural factor had also caused many to oppose her trip.<ref name=Gould387>Gould, p. 387.</ref> Critics called her too programmed and disciplined, while others said she lacked admirable qualities of Lady Bird Johnson and Betty Ford.<ref>Caroli, p. 275.</ref> Despite this, Carter was pleased by her viewed role as a demanding first lady and remembered the times of presidents' wives being "confined" to "official hostess" and other demeaning roles.<ref>Caroli, p. 277.</ref> In efforts to advance the appearance of the White House, she accumulated [[American painting]]s.<ref>Watson, p. 57.</ref>

After the Carter administration began losing popularity, Carter advised that [[Gerald Rafshoon]] be brought on as [[White House Director of Communications]] and that key media figures be invited to the White House for "informal, off‐the‐record, deep discussions about issues."<ref name=importance>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/03/archives/the-importance-of-being-rosalynn-first-lady-on-the-move.html|title=The importance of being Rosalynn|first=B. Drummond Jr.|last=Ayres|date=June 3, 1979|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113222910/http://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/03/archives/the-importance-of-being-rosalynn-first-lady-on-the-move.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Rafshoon was selected<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/19/archives/new-jersey-pages-carter-selects-rafshoon-to-take-longrange-message.html|title=Carter Selects Rafshoon to Take Long-Range Message to the Public|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 19, 1978|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113221947/http://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/19/archives/new-jersey-pages-carter-selects-rafshoon-to-take-longrange-message.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and confirmed for the position.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/21/archives/inquiry-questions-rafshoon-tie-suggestions-disputed-lobbying-is.html|title=Inquiry Questions Rafshoon Tie|date=July 21, 1978|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113222624/http://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/21/archives/inquiry-questions-rafshoon-tie-suggestions-disputed-lobbying-is.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Mental health campaign====
In March 1977, Carter gave her first interview since becoming first lady. She outlined her goals in focusing on mental health: "For every person who needs mental-health care to be able to receive it close to his home, and to remove the stigma from mental-health care so people will be free to talk about it and seek help. It's been taboo for so long to admit you had a mental-health problem."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/10/archives/mrs-carter-says-she-tells-the-president-what-i-think.html|title=Mrs. Carter Says She Tells The President 'What I Think'|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 10, 1977|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113222149/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/10/archives/mrs-carter-says-she-tells-the-president-what-i-think.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Carter served as an active honorary chair of the [[President's Commission on Mental Health]]. On behalf of the [[Mental Health Systems Act of 1980|Mental Health System Bill]] enacted in 1980, she testified before a Senate committee, making her the second first lady to appear before the [[United States Congress|Congress]] (the first being [[Eleanor Roosevelt]]). Of her priorities, mental health was the highest. Working to change the nature of government assistance to the mentally ill, Carter wanted to allow people to be comfortable admitting their disabilities without fear of being called crazy.<ref name=Gould387 />

====Influence====
After Carter had been first lady for two years, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' called her the "second-most powerful person in the United States." Many times, Carter's husband called her an equal partner. He also said she was a "perfect extension of myself."<ref>Wertheimer, p. 145.</ref> During a 1977 interview, Carter admitted that she quarreled with him over his policies, but his own decision was what he acted on, and she denied influencing his major decisions.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=860&dat=19771012&id=VHlUAAAAIBAJ&pg=6039,714907|title=Rosalynn says husband is doing a 'great job'|date=October 12, 1977|publisher=Ellensburg Daily Record|access-date=October 3, 2020|archive-date=December 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209133836/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=860&dat=19771012&id=VHlUAAAAIBAJ&pg=6039,714907|url-status=live}}</ref> In an interview the following year, Carter stated that she did not publicly disagree with her husband's policies out of a belief that she "would lose all my effectiveness with him", as well as her opinion that the gesture would not assist in changing his perspective to her own.<ref name=1978interview>{{Cite web|url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/interview-with-the-president-and-mrs-carter-question-and-answer-session-with-barbara|title=Interview With the President and Mrs. Carter Question-and-Answer Session With Barbara Walters of the American Broadcasting Company. &#124; The American Presidency Project|website=presidency.ucsb.edu|access-date=November 10, 2020|archive-date=December 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208185915/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/interview-with-the-president-and-mrs-carter-question-and-answer-session-with-barbara|url-status=live}}</ref> She said that a first lady could influence officials or the public by discussing an issue or giving attention to it.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Presidents' Wives: Reassessing the Office of First Lady|url=https://archive.org/details/presidentswivesr00wats|url-access=registration|first=Robert P.|last=Watson|page=[https://archive.org/details/presidentswivesr00wats/page/29 29]|year=2000|isbn=978-1555879488|publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers}}</ref>

Biographer MaryAnne Borrelli wrote that Carter considered her attempts to portray herself as a traditional wife and influencing factor in her husband's administration would be "viewed by some as dependent upon her husband, by others as lacking accountability, and by still others as doing too little—or too much".<ref>{{cite book|title=The Politics of the President's Wife|year=2011|page=125|first=MaryAnne|last=Borrelli|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|isbn=978-1603442855}}</ref> Years after leaving the White House, Carter would remain bothered by claims that she exerted too much influence on her husband, insisting they had an equal partnership.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19830623&id=hsJAAAAAIBAJ&pg=3237,4904922 |title=Criticism that still hurts Rosalynn Carter |work=The Glasgow Herald |first=Charlotte |last=Curtis |author-link=Charlotte Curtis |date=June 23, 1983 |access-date=October 3, 2020 |archive-date=December 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208151315/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19830623&id=hsJAAAAAIBAJ&pg=3237,4904922 |url-status=live}}</ref> Jimmy Carter would later write that the two engaged in discussions on a variety of issues, and she was aware of everything within the administration apart from "a few highly secret and sensitive security matters".<ref>{{cite book|title=Sharing Good Times|first=Jimmy|last=Carter|year=2004|author-link=Jimmy Carter|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sharinggoodtimes00cart_0/page/33 33–34]|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0743270335|url=https://archive.org/details/sharinggoodtimes00cart_0/page/33}}</ref>

====Travels====
[[File:Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale at a ceremony welcoming Mrs. Carter back from her... - NARA - 175133.tif|thumb|Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter with Vice President Walter Mondale at a ceremony welcoming Mrs. Carter back from a trip to Latin America, June 12, 1977]]
Carter represented her husband in meetings with domestic and foreign leaders, most notably as an envoy to Latin America in 1977.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/12/archives/mrs-carter-to-visit-7-countries-in-latin-america-starting-may-30.html|title=Mrs. Carter to Visit 7 Countries In Latin America Starting May 30|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 12, 1977|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113222416/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/12/archives/mrs-carter-to-visit-7-countries-in-latin-america-starting-may-30.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She purposely scheduled her meetings so as not to have any with the heads of state.<ref>Carter, Rosalynn (1984), p. 184.</ref> President Carter said that while his wife had initially been met with hesitance as an American representative, "at the conclusion of those meetings, they now rely on her substantially to be sure that I understand the sensitivities of the people".<ref name=1978interview /> Following the Latin America meetings, David Vidal observed, "Mrs. Carter has achieved a personal and diplomatic success that goes far beyond the modest expectations of both her foreign policy tutors at the State Department and her hosts."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/06/14/archives/ambassador-rosalynn-carter-first-lady-confounds-the-skeptics-and.html|title=Ambassador Rosalynn Carter|date=June 14, 1977|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=David|last=Vidal|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113222643/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/06/14/archives/ambassador-rosalynn-carter-first-lady-confounds-the-skeptics-and.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a June 7, 1977, news conference, Carter stated that her meetings with Brazilian leaders included discussions on human rights and her wishes for Brazil to include itself among other countries seeking a reduction in nuclear weapons via an international study.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/06/08/archives/mrs-carter-keeps-stress-on-rights.html|title=Mrs. Carter Keeps Stress on Rights|date=June 8, 1977|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=December 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054411/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/06/08/archives/mrs-carter-keeps-stress-on-rights.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On December 30, 1977, Rosalynn Carter and National Security Advisor [[Zbigniew Brzezinski]] met with [[Stefan Wyszyński]] at the Cardinal's Warsaw residence. President Carter said the meeting was intended to display American "appreciation for the degree of freedom of worship in the country".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/31/archives/new-jersey-pages-mrs-carter-and-brzezinski-hold-discussion-with.html|title=Mrs. Carter and Brzezinski Hold Discussion With Polish Cardinal|date=December 31, 1977|first=David A.|last=Andelman|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=December 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212084505/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/31/archives/new-jersey-pages-mrs-carter-and-brzezinski-hold-discussion-with.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Carter led the American delegation to the May 1978 inauguration of [[Rodrigo Carazo Odio]] as [[president of Costa Rica]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/08/archives/mrs-carter-attending-costa-rica-ceremony.html|title=Mrs. Carter Attending Costa Rica Ceremony|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 8, 1978|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=December 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054622/http://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/08/archives/mrs-carter-attending-costa-rica-ceremony.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In August 1978, she led the American delegation to the funeral of [[Pope Paul VI]] in Rome.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/death-pope-paul-vi-statement-the-president|title=Death of Pope Paul VI Statement by the President. &#124; The American Presidency Project|website=presidency.ucsb.edu|access-date=November 10, 2020|archive-date=March 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317123321/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/death-pope-paul-vi-statement-the-president|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Mrs._Jehan_Sadat_and_Mrs._Rosalynn_Carter_in_Cairo,_March_8,_1979_(10729894473).jpg|alt=Mrs. Jehan Sadat and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter in Cairo, March 8, 1979 (10729894473)|thumb|Carter received by [[Jehan Sadat]], First Lady of Egypt, in Cairo, March 8, 1979 ]]
She also led a delegation to [[Thailand]] in 1979 to address the problems of Cambodian and Laotian refugees.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/11/10/mrs-carter-camp-overwhelming/4ed753aa-b6de-45f7-aa6c-c94295d40df0/|title=Mrs. Carter: Camp 'Overwhelming'|first=John|last=Burgess|date=November 10, 1979|access-date=November 13, 2017|archive-date=November 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171121234823/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/11/10/mrs-carter-camp-overwhelming/4ed753aa-b6de-45f7-aa6c-c94295d40df0/|url-status=live}}</ref> She examined camps where Cambodian refugees had fled to avoid the combat between the Vietnamese troops and the government of [[Pol Pot]].<ref>Kaufman, p. 122.</ref> Helping the refugees, particularly the children, became a special cause for her. She returned to the United States and played a prominent role in expediting an appeal for large assistance after she witnessed their suffering during her visit.<ref>Ronayne, p. 77.</ref> By this time, however, her husband had met with families of the [[Iran hostage crisis|hostages in Iran]]. The families were more concerned about what they needed to do to get their loved ones out than they were about whether or not they would ever get out.<ref>Carter, Rosalynn (1984), p. 334.</ref> Carter stated that she had wanted to return to the U.S. as quickly as possible to mobilize assistance to assuage the refugees' plight.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/10/archives/mrs-carter-visits-thai-camp-its-like-nothing-ive-seen-buying-from.html|title=Mrs. Carter Visits Thai Camp: 'It's Like Nothing I've Seen'|first=Henry|last=Kamm|date=November 10, 1979|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113113050/http://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/10/archives/mrs-carter-visits-thai-camp-its-like-nothing-ive-seen-buying-from.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Life in the White House====
Carter was the first of all the first ladies to keep her own office in the [[East Wing]].<ref name="firstladies1">{{cite web |url=http://www.firstladies.org/facinatingfacts.aspx |title=Little-known facts about our First Ladies |publisher=Firstladies.org |access-date=July 7, 2015 |archive-date=July 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714000059/http://www.firstladies.org/facinatingfacts.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> She also oversaw her family at the White House. Her daughter, Amy, attracted much public attention. The two youngest sons, Chip and Jeff, and their families also lived in the White House. Other members of the family, including son Jack and his wife and children, were frequent visitors. Carter's [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] codename was "Dancer".<ref>Walsh, Kenneth T. (2003). "Appendix". Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes. Hyperion. p. 227. {{ISBN|1-4013-0004-9}}.</ref> In 1977, Carter reported that her family was divided in their reaction to public perception of them, saying her sons were worried about how they would be perceived living there, while she personally thought nothing of it as the public was not financing their residence and she favored the family being together.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1977/03/13/rosalynn-carter-awesome-home/59605bc6-c5da-486c-90e1-6d6e56a3bf34/|title=Rosalynn Carter: 'Awesome' Home|first=Helen|last=Thomas|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=March 13, 1977|access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-date=November 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122062047/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1977/03/13/rosalynn-carter-awesome-home/59605bc6-c5da-486c-90e1-6d6e56a3bf34/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On August 16, 1979, Carter released a statement announcing Edith J. Dobelle had accepted "the newly created position of staff director for the East Wing".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/16/archives/mrs-carter-hires-wife-of-campaign-director.html|title=Mrs. Carter Hires Wife OF Campaign Director|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 16, 1979|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=December 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212084435/http://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/16/archives/mrs-carter-hires-wife-of-campaign-director.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref>

After leaving the White House, Carter reflected of Washington, "I love this city. I loved living here and being so close to the seat of power, being a part of the political system. When you watched television you knew the people involved, you were familiar with both sides of the issues."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/13/us/a-former-first-lady-returns-to-city-she-loves.html|title=A Former First Lady Returns to City She Loves |first=Barbara|last=Gamarekian|date=April 13, 1984|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113060543/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/13/us/a-former-first-lady-returns-to-city-she-loves.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Equal Rights Amendment====
During the 1976 campaign, Carter spoke to [[feminists]] about her equal partnership with her husband.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/21/archives/mrs-carter-cool-and-intense-on-day-of-triumph-for-her-too.html|title=Mrs. Carter Cool and Intense On Day of Triumph for Her, Too|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 21, 1977|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113165815/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/21/archives/mrs-carter-cool-and-intense-on-day-of-triumph-for-her-too.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 1977, prior to his inauguration, Carter substituted for him in speaking with Senator [[Birch Bayh]] over the phone, as the latter wanted President-elect Carter to lobby for support of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) being ratified in [[Indiana]]. She persuaded [[Wayne Townsend]] to switch his vote and the ERA was approved in an Indiana Senate vote of 26 to 24.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/01/19/indiana-ratifies-the-era-with-rosalynn-carters-aid/59d7c58b-9a19-41da-a528-f66f075933be/|title=Indiana Ratifies the ERA – With Rosalynn Carter's Aid|first=Myra|last=MacPherson|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 19, 1977|access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-date=November 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122061526/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/01/19/indiana-ratifies-the-era-with-rosalynn-carters-aid/59d7c58b-9a19-41da-a528-f66f075933be/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In reference to Carter's role in supporting the ERA, [[Texas Christian University]] Associate Professor of Religion Elizabeth Flowers said, "[Rosalynn Carter] wanted to temper down some of the more radical elements of feminism, as she saw it, and challenge what she felt were caricatures of the movement. She wanted to be sure that the struggle for ERA really appealed to mainstream America."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://magazine.tcu.edu/spring-2016/rosalynn-carter-southern-feminism/|title=Rosalynn Carter's Southern Feminism|publisher=TCU Magazine|access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113112855/https://magazine.tcu.edu/spring-2016/rosalynn-carter-southern-feminism/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Public image====
During the 1976 election cycle, journalists dubbed Carter the "steel magnolia" for having a fragile and feminine appearance that concealed a "tough as nails" interior.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.classroomhelp.com/lessons/FirstLadies/RCarter.html|title=First Ladies: Rosalynn Carter|publisher=classroomhelp.com|access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113112652/http://www.classroomhelp.com/lessons/FirstLadies/RCarter.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Carter was known for a lack of attention paid to fashion, and her choice to wear the gown she wore at her husband's swearing-in as governor to his presidential inauguration reinforced this view of her.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/13/archives/something-new-something-old-for-sentimental-rosalynn-carter.html|title=Something New, Something Old For Sentimental Rosalynn Carter|first=Georgia|last=Duella|date=January 13, 1977|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113222833/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/13/archives/something-new-something-old-for-sentimental-rosalynn-carter.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Carter's public interest in national policy prompted Kandy Stroud of ''[[The New York Times]]'' to speculate she might become the most activist first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/20/archives/rosalynns-agenda-in-the-white-house-rosalynn.html |title=Rosalynn's Agenda in the White House |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 20, 1977 |access-date=December 29, 2017 |archive-date=November 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171123065116/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/20/archives/rosalynns-agenda-in-the-white-house-rosalynn.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Amid the sinking approval ratings of her husband, Carter maintained high favorable viewpoints in the eyes of the public, and was tied with [[Mother Teresa]] for most-admired woman in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://kansaspress.ku.edu/978-0-7006-1544-5.html |title=Rosalynn Carter |publisher=kansaspress.ku.edu |access-date=November 12, 2017 |archive-date=December 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212005900/https://kansaspress.ku.edu/978-0-7006-1544-5.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In April 1979, during her speech as guest speaker at the 1979 Matrix Awards Luncheon of New York Women in Communications Inc., Carter said the issues she was championing were being met with opposition due to their lack of sexiness in being topics a first lady discusses.<ref>{{cite news |last=Klemesrud |first=Judy |date=April 27, 1979 |title=Rosalynn Carter, in Speech to Communicators, Makes Strong Feminist Appeal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/27/archives/rosalynn-carter-in-speech-to-communicators-makes-strong-feminist.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=December 29, 2017 |archive-date=November 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113060554/http://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/27/archives/rosalynn-carter-in-speech-to-communicators-makes-strong-feminist.html |url-status=live }}</ref>