Final answer:
The Constitution does not specify a role for the first lady, but various first ladies have shaped the position through advocacy and involvement in policy, with degrees of controversy and public approval.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Constitution does not explicitly define a role for the first lady in our government. The position is largely ceremonial and has evolved over time as first ladies have taken on advocacy and policy initiatives that resonate with them. While the presidency is outlined in Article II of the Constitution, which includes various powers exercised with other branches of government, the role of the first lady has been shaped by tradition and individual interests more than by Constitutional mandate.
Notable first ladies like Eleanor Roosevelt, Lady Bird Johnson, and Hillary Rodham Clinton expanded the role significantly, with Clinton notably leading a task force on national health-care reform. This expansion of activity could at times attract controversy, as it did for Hillary Clinton, while others such as Laura Bush and Michelle Obama have chosen to focus on less contentious issues like literacy and healthy living, respectively.