Significant Events

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State Dinners

A State Dinner honoring a visiting head of government or reigning monarch is one of the grandest and most glamorous of White House affairs. It is part of an official State Visit and provides the president and first lady the opportunity to honor the visiting head of state and his or her spouse. In this collection, explore the history of

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Educational Resource

The White House at War

LESSON PLAN:The White House Burns: The War of 1812In August 1814, President James Madison (1809-1817) learned that 4,000 British sailors were entering the Chesapeake Bay and threatening to attack Washington. Madison cancelled plans to visit his Virginia plantation home and gathered his advisors together at the White House. One hundred soldiers camped out in front of the President’s House to pr

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