You Might Also Like
-
Article
Rebuilding the White House and U.S. Capitol
On August 24, 1814, British forces marched into Washington, D.C. and set fire to the White House, the Capitol, and other government buildings. After the British left the city, the government hired James Hoban, designer of the original President's House, to supervise the rebuilding of the mansion and executive office buildings, while Benjamin H. Latrobe returned as Architect of the Capitol.
-
Article
The Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson arrived in New Orleans on December 1, 1814, and took charge of the city's defense, commanding that waterways be obstructed and placing guns, soldiers, militia, volunteers (including free African Americans), and Jean Laffite's Baratarian Pirates (who Jackson called "hellish banditti") at approaches to the city. The Battle of New Orleans, fought on January 8, 1815, was a remarkable American victory. The British
-
Article
The Navy Yard, Treasury Department & Other Buildings
Washington awoke to a humid, cloudy day as an occupied city on August 25. Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn and Captain John Wainwright of Cockburn's flagship, the HMS Tonnant, went to the Navy Yard to supervise the ignition of several structures that had survived American attempts to burn them the day before. British troops set fire to the three ropewalks of
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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,
-
Educational Resource
Saving History
The events leading up to the burning of the White House during the War of 1812 have been well chronicled. Eyewitness accounts and recollections by American and British soldiers, sailors, and civilians have helped bring to light this humiliating episode of America's second war with Great Britain. Among the most celebrated events of the war was the saving of George Washington's
-
Educational Resource
Using Art to Study the Past
When studying events that occurred before the widespread use of photography, historians have used artwork to supplement resources such as documents, diaries, and artifacts. While an artist's view of an event is less accurate than first-hand written accounts, many paintings and engravings can tell us what events were found important enough to document in this way. Artists, after all, were
-
Video
Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day": Visit of the British Royals in 1939
An interview with Allida M. Black - Director and Editor, The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers; Research Professor of History & International Affairs, The George Washington University - Eleanor Roosevelt "My Day" columns.
-
Video
Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day": World War II at the White House
An interview with Allida M. Black - Director and Editor, The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers; Research Professor of History & International Affairs, The George Washington University - Eleanor Roosevelt "My Day" columns.
-
Video
White House History with Ann Compton: Suffragists at the White House
The White House Historical Association's second lecture in our series "White House History with Ann Compton" featured Rebecca Roberts, author of Suffragists in Washington, DC: The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote. This lecture was hosted in conjunction with the Supreme Court Historical Society and the U.S. Capitol Historical Society as part of the National Heritage Lecture and