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2022 National History Day Resources
The White House Historical Association (WHHA) offers many different resources for students working on National History Day projects.
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1862 Emancipation Petitions
The Center for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln “Civil War Washington” website has posted the 1862 Emancipation Petitions, providing widespread access to these primary documents. To meet the requirements of the D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862, slave owners filed a petition with the District government that stated their loyalty to the Union, listed the number and
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19th Century White House Staff
For most of the 19th century, the structure of the White House staff remained generally the same. At the top was the steward, a federal employee who was bonded; the Congress created this position to safeguard the silver and furnishings in the house. The steward was on the government payroll. He functioned as the manager of the house. The job
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Colin Powell
On August 10, 1989, President Bush announced his appointment of General Colin Powell as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell became the architect of Operation Desert Shield, a staging operation that moved American and international forces and materials to the Middle East to launch Operation Desert Storm. As President Bush’s trusted advisor, Powell helped shape a global alliance that ex
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E. Frederic Morrow at the White House
E. Frederic Morrow was the first African American to serve in an executive position on a president’s staff at the White House. Morrow was a minister’s son who had graduated from Bowdoin College and was employed by the National Urban League and the NAACP before entering Army service during World War II. After the war, he obtained a law
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Marian Anderson Performs at the White House
One of the most memorable performances in White House history was Marian Anderson’s rendition of Schubert’s "Ave Maria" as the culmination of a gala "Evening of American Music" presented by Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939. The entertainment was planned for a state visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England. Anderson’s powerful voice soared that evenin
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President Truman and Civil Rights
Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball on April 15, 1947 signaling a historic step forward in the movement to end segregation. However, a less conspicuous event of greater significance to African Americans was President Truman’s controversial 1948 executive order desegregating the military and banning discriminatory hiring practices in the federal government. Issued in an election year, the executive or
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William Monroe Trotter Challenges President Wilson
Civil Rights activist and journalist William Monroe Trotter caused a stir in 1914 because he strongly protested President Woodrow Wilson’s support for segregation of black federal employees in the workplace. Trotter came to the White House as a founder and representative of the National Independent Political League, a militant organization that fought for racial and social justice, and the publisher of
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Famous Quotes from White House Workers
The whole family [of President Theodore Roosevelt] were fiends when it came to reading. No newspapers. Never a moment was allowed to go to waste; from the oldest to the youngest they always had a book or magazine before them. The President in particular would devour a book, and it was no uncommon thing for him to go entirely through
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Michelle Obama Celebrates with the American People
First Lady Michelle Obama began her White House Christmas planning with a very simple idea: to include as many people, in as many places, in as many ways as possible.In 2009, Mrs. Obama asked 60 local community groups from around the nation to "Reflect, Rejoice, Renew," and redecorate 800 ornaments from previous White House administrations. The ornaments paid tribute to favorite local
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About Our Authors
JAMES ARCHER ABBOTT is the Executive Director of the Lewes Historical Society in Lewes, Delaware. His publications include JANSEN, JANSEN Furniture, and Baltimore’s Billy Baldwin. He is the co-author of Designing Camelot. (WHH #60) WILLIAM ADAIR is a frame historian, conservator, and gilder in Washington, D.C. (WHH #54) MATTHEW ALGEO is a writer and journalist. He is the author of se
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About White House History Quarterly
White House History Quarterly, the award-winning journal of the White House Historical Association, is published four times each year. One, two, or three-year subscriptions, single copies, and bound collections of back issues are available. With editorial offices in Washington, D.C., at the association's old row house facing Lafayette Park across from the White House, the journal contains illustrated features