You Might Also Like
-
Scholarship
An American Icon
Savior of American portraiture, server of ice cream, dual term first lady and mentor of White House hostesses: all of these titles characterize Dolley Madison’s time in the White House. These aspects are just some of the many highlights of Dolley and her presence in American collective memory. She was idolized not just by her peers, but also by Eu
-
Scholarship
The White House Garden Tours
When the White House gates open at 10:00 am on Saturday, April 13th, thousands of people will stream through for the start of the 2019 White House Spring Garden Tour. Few of them will know that this special tour – one of only two weekends each year that the grounds of the President’s House are open to the general public – is part of the
-
Scholarship
Christmas with the Kennedys
The White House celebrates many holiday traditions, some of which are historic and others more recent. New arrivals to the Executive Mansion bring unique familial rituals that they are often blended with time-tested White House and presidential customs. During the holiday season, the president and first lady participate in public traditions such as receiving a tree for the Blue Room,
-
Scholarship
Eliza McCardle Johnson: Conflicting Memories and Vanishing Evidence of the Enslaved Past
In 1980, Margaret Johnson Patterson Bartlett, great-granddaughter of First Lady Eliza McCardle Johnson and President Andrew Johnson, gave an oral interview at Harpers Ferry about the history of her family. Alluding that her ancestors wanted to keep certain family secrets hidden from the public, Mrs. Bartlett recalled when her father sold documents to the Library of Congress in 1904: “My daddy [Andrew Jo
-
Article
Laura Bush and the Comforts of Home
In 2001, First Lady Laura Bush chose "Home for the Holidays" as the White House Christmas tree theme. Artists from all 50 states and the District of Columbia designed model replicas of historic homes and houses of worship to hang as ornaments. In 2002, Mrs. Bush adopted the theme of "All Creatures Great and Small." Perched on the boughs of the official tree
-
Scholarship
The Historic Decatur House
When Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., and his wife, Susan, moved to the new federal city in 1816, they purchased land on the northwest corner of the President’s Park (today's Lafayette Square) with the prize money Decatur was awarded for his naval conquests in the War of 1812. The Decaturs commissioned Benjamin Henry Latrobe, America’s first professional architect and engineer, to desi
-
Scholarship
African Americans in the White House Timeline
The White House Historical Association has undertaken a research initiative called "Slavery in the President's Neighborhood." With this initiative, the Association seeks to tell the stories of the enslaved and free African Americans who built, lived, and worked at the White House, as well as the surrounding homes on Lafayette Park. While there are few written accounts of their experiences,
-
Scholarship
“A Charming Resort”
For nearly a century, the United States Marine Band’s Saturday afternoon public concerts on the south grounds of the White House from June to September were a fixture of cultural life in Washington, D.C. Performed largely in an era before radio, motion pictures, television and the internet, the concerts offered people a chance to sample free, high quality en
-
Scholarship
History of China State Visits to the White House
On January 29, 1979, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter received Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping and his wife, Madame Zhuo Lin, for an official visit to Washington D.C. The occasion marked the highest-ranking Chinese visitor to the White House since Madame Chiang Kai-shek visited in 1943.
-
Scholarship
Commodore Stephen Decatur: An Early American Naval War Hero
In President Theodore Roosevelt’s description of the capture of the HMS Macedonian by the USS United States in his 1882 book The Naval War of 1812, the future president wrote, “Commodore Decatur handled his ship with absolute faultlessness,” and explained how through Decatur’s bravery and fortitude, a “skillful crew, ably commanded,” was able to defeat their British foes. In this and other en
-
Scholarship
Italy in the White House: A Conversation on Historical Perspectives
March 2 Program9:00am-10:00am Registration and light breakfast at Decatur House 10:00am-10:15am Break and transition to Carriage House 10:15am-10:45amWelcome Stewart D. McLaurin, President, White House Historical AssociationThe Honorable Anita B. McBride, Board Member, White House Historical Association; National Italian American Foundation John Viola, President and COO, National Italian American Foundation Dr. Curtis Sandberg, Director of the David M.
-
Scholarship
Frank Sinatra Sings at the White House
Throughout his legendary music career, Frank Sinatra performed several times at the White House. On April 17, 1973, Sinatra performed at a State Dinner for Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti of Italy. President Nixon introduced Sinatra as “a man whose parents were born in Italy but yet from humble beginnings went to the very top in entertainment.” The singer was so stirred by the