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Article
The Japanese Mission of 1860
During the 1850s Japan gradually began to discard its isolationist foreign policy of sakoku (“locked country”) and began opening some of its ports to foreign trade while accepting diplomatic recognition from western nations. The U.S. and Japan signed a Treaty of Amity and Commerce in July 1858, and in February 1860 three samurai ambassadors and their entourage of 74 took a U.S. N
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Article
An Eloquent Visitor from the Great Plains
One of the most moving moments in the early history of the White House took place in the Entrance Hall, when President James Monroe received Chief Petalesharro, a Pawnee from the Loup River region in central Nebraska. At the time he was at the White House, he was a celebrity for rescuing a woman his tribe was attempting to burn
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Article
Fashion and Frugality
Sarah Childress Polk (1803–1891) was first lady from 1845 to 1849, during the administration of her husband, James Knox Polk. A fashion trendsetter, she used her keen intelligence, abiding religious faith, pleasant manner, and superb organizational skills to artfully regulate the White House, serve as her husband’s main political partner, and orchestrate an exhausting social schedule of receptions and dinners that helped Polk
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Article
Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day," 6/10/1939
WASHINGTON, Friday—The long expected arrival of Their Britannic Majesties has at last taken place. We drove down yesterday through an avenue crowded with people. In the course of a long life I have seen many important events in Washington, but never have I seen a crowd such as lined the whole route between the Union Station and the White Ho
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Video
Interpreting African-American History in the President’s Neighborhood
Many people think of the White House as a symbol of democracy, but it also embodies America’s complicated past and the paradoxical relationship between slavery and freedom in the nation’s capital, including the president's neighborhood. In recognition of Black History Month, this episode of White House History Live will explore new educational tools and visuals for teaching and lear
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Press Release
The White House Historical Association Annual Symposium: “The Presidency and Historic Preservation”
The White House Historical Association, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, hosted its annual day-long educational symposium Thursday, May 26, 2022, 8AM-4:30PM at the historic Decatur House located at 748 Jackson Place NW, Washington, DC. This year’s program, themed "The Presidency and Historic Preservation,” included panel discussions on the topics of “Women in Historic Preservation,” “Presidential Sites of Enslavemen
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Educational Resource
Slavery, Freedom, and the White House
Although many people think of the White House as a symbol of democracy, it is also a part of our country’s history of slavery. From the start of White House construction in 1792 until emancipation took effect in Washington, D.C. in 1862, enslaved men, women, and children labored at the Executive Mansion. The stories of these individuals, working under the op
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Press Release
SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, May 26 - White House Historical Association Annual Symposium
The White House Historical Association, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will host its annual day-long educational symposium, this year themed, "The Presidency and Historic Preservation,” which will include four panel discussions with White House staff, historians/experts from museums, presidential sites and historical associations. Topics will include: “Women in Historic Preservation,” “Presidential Sites of Enslavement,” “Preserving Presidential
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Video
The Presidency and Historic Preservation Symposium - Afternoon Session
Our 2022 symposium, The Presidency and Historic Preservation, was a day-long event hosted by the White House Historical Association in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This symposium featured prominent scholars, historians, preservationists, and professionals who discussed preserving presidential sites; women in historic preservation; presidential sites of enslavement; and preservation of the White House. This video is the morning
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Press Release
NEW Episode: The White House 1600 Sessions Podcast “David Rubenstein on Patriotic Philanthropy”
The White House Historical Association released a new episode of The White House 1600 Sessions podcast today, “David Rubenstein on Patriotic Philanthropy.” In the episode, Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, speaks with best-selling author David Rubenstein about his new book, How to Invest: Masters on the Craft, and his lasting legacy of patriotic philanthropy. Rubenstein worked in the
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Educational Resource
Provoked by Pearl Harbor
President Franklin D. Roosevelt called Sunday, December 7, 1941, a day that would "live in infamy," for on that day the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack against the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Within a day the United States was at war with Japan, and only three days later with Japan's Axis allies, Germany and Italy. Great Britain,