When she becomes First Lady in eighteen oh nine, then what practices does she put in place as the nation's hostess in order to try to change or affect this political culture that's growing in the United States that maybe isn't working to actually resolve differences?

Yeah, it's not working, and it's gonna get worse.

So the first thing she does before James is even inaugurated in eighteen oh nine is she begins a practical project of bringing people together.

Because of republican virtue and fear of corruption, the architecture on literally the landscape of DC, everything's kind of separated, and there's no real places for people to come together.

In fact, the White House, which Thomas Jefferson deliberately during his term kept isolated from everybody, was like literally a, like, lonely house on the hill.

But there was no place where people-- it could hold all members of Congress, let alone the other branches of government, let alone anybody else.

So she took over the executive mansion.

So tell us, is that credit deserved? And what's the full story?