2023 National History Day Resources
The White House Historical Association (WHHA) offers many different resources for students working on National History Day projects.
Main Content
The White House Historical Association (WHHA) offers many different resources for students working on National History Day projects.
Matthew R. Costello is chief education officer for the White House Historical Association where he oversees education programs, historical research, public programming, partnerships, and the digital library. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. in American history at Marquette University. He received his B.A. in history and political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a scholar, he
Stewart D. McLaurin serves as president of the White House Historical Association, founded by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy more than sixty years ago to share and preserve the rich history of the White House. In his nine years as leader of the private nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, Stewart has expanded the Association’s cultural and educational programming through award-winning books, popular vi
Nancy Kegan Smith is the retired director of the Presidential Materials Division at the National Archives and Records Administration. Ms. Smith started her career in 1973 as an archivist at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, and retired in 2012 as director of the Presidential Materials Division in Washington, D.C., the division at National Archives and Records Administration
Sara Kanawati Stephany is the co-chair of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library New Frontier Network—a cohort of young leaders engaging new generations in the late president’s legacy of service. She works as a communications and public affairs strategist for leading organizations in the healthcare, technology, and human service sectors. A naturalized U.S. citizen from Syria, Kanawati Step
Foreword by Marcia Mallet AndersonTime on the Water: The Floating White House and the Presidents at Sea by Kenneth T. WalshGeorge Washington: Father of the United States Navy by Matthew GoetzThe Resolute Desk: A British Naval Ship Becomes an Oval Office Treasure by Patrick BurrA Titanic Loss: Remembering Archibald Butt and Francis Millet by Matthew CostelloPresident Calvin Coolidge, Lee Ping
To enhance First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day" newspaper columns, Allida M. Black, Director and Editor of The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers and Research Professor of History & International Affairs at The George Washington University, sat down for an interview covering topics from the Roosevelt's style of entertaining to what the White House was like during World War II.
Since 1878, American presidents and their families have celebrated Easter Monday by hosting an 'egg roll' party. Held on the South Lawn, it is one of the oldest annual events in White House history. Some historians note that First Lady Dolley Madison originally suggested the idea of a public egg roll, while others tell stories of informal egg-rolling parties at the
Eleven years after the Easter Monday egg rolling festivities came to the White House, President Benjamin Harrison scored a hit by adding music to the affair. In 1889, he had the United States Marine Band, known as "The President's Own," play lively tunes while the children romped on the South Lawn. John Philip Sousa, who directed the band, took delight in
Once the White House was opened to public egg rolling festivities in 1878, first families had to decide whether they were going to join the throng of celebrants or just organize and play host to it. Previously, the South Lawn was reserved for their own private Eastertide activities. Now the grounds represented a famous rite of spring for the nation's capital.
Over the years, White House egg roll events have been made memorable by new attractions. In 1993, the Clintons scaled back the fanfare so that children would remember the day for its egg rolling games. A generation earlier, First Lady Pat Nixon gave out certificates of participation as a souvenir to eggrollers. First Ladies Betty Ford and Rosalynn Carter distributed plastic
Stewart D. McLaurin serves as president of the White House Historical Association, founded by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961 to share and preserve the rich history of the White House, a symbol of freedom and democracy to billions of people around the world. A private nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the Association continues to fulfill Mrs. Kennedy's vision through its mission to