Historian Dorris Fanelli discusses the site of the first presidential "White House" in Philadelphia and the discovery that George Washington brought many of his slaves to work there. This discovery led to a new kind of public history and the creation of a commemorative site near the Liberty Bell Center.
Library of Congress scholar-in-residence Catherine Parisian details the history of the first White House Library, founded by the 13th U.S. President, Millard Fillmore, and later dispersed. Parisian reconstructs its contents and considers its significance in 19th-century U.S. history. The presentation includes slides.
The lecture can also be downloaded as an MP3.
February 16 is Presidents Day—but what exactly does that mean? Even though it's a federal holiday, Presidents Day actually doesn't exist. It's officially still named George Washington's Birthday. The observance of Washington's birthday on February 22 began in 1880 (or 1885, depending on where you lived), but in 1971 the celebration changed to the third Monday in February. The chronological proximity of Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12 (never an official federal holiday), state mandates to combine the observance with recognition of other presidents,—even a push from commercial interests to call the day Presidents Day in order to have retail sales promotions—all led to the unofficial name, Presidents Day.
An unquantifiable number of excellent web resources exist for teaching about individual presidents and the presidency in general from presidential libraries to historic sites, to the National Archives and Library of Congress—to highlight perhaps the most familiar—however, several are listed below as supplemental "quick fixes."
White House 101: Facts and Fun for All Ages offers a comprehensive look at the presidency, from biographical slide shows and essays, to a briefing room with a blog of current events and commentary to a look at the categorized agenda of the Obama administration—and of course, a look at the White House and its history.
Constitutional Rights Foundation considers Presidents Day in 2009 as a time for reflection. The site looks at 13 presidents and key decisions and events from each administration from Washington to Lyndon Johnson. The initial article on George Washington, What Made George Washington a Great Leader, also lists the 10 best and 10 worst presidents, voted by 846 historians in 1983. Compare that with a recent C-span survey.
The White House Historical Association interprets the history of the White House, home to the Presidents of the United States since the term of John Adams (1797-1801).
The visitors' center offers exhibits. The website offers lesson plans; educational activities; historic photographs; timelines; virtual tours; educational interactive animations; audio and video clips; and podcasts.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum presents the presidency and impact of John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), 35th President of the United States. Museum exhibits make extensive use of video and sound recordings of Kennedy himself. Still other exhibits focus on Jacqueline Kennedy, the Oval Office, White House restoration, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and the 1960s Civil Rights movement. Events during Kennedy's administration, cut short by his 1963 assassination, include the Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs Invasion, and the Space Race.
The museum offers an introductory film, three theaters, period settings, 25 multimedia exhibits, guided tours and programs for school groups, research library access for students and scholars, and professional development conferences and workshops for educators. Wheelchairs are available for visitors; a sign language interpreter can be provided with advance notice; and all films are captioned. The website offers a digital archive, a virtual tour, and a suggested reading list.
Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows program is America's most prestigious program for leadership and public service. White House Fellowships offer exceptional young men and women firsthand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government. White House Fellows typically spend a year working as full-time, paid special assistants to senior White House Staff, the Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries and other top-ranking government officials. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the private and public sectors, and trips to study U.S. policy in action both domestically and internationally. Fellowships are awarded on a strictly non-partisan basis.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens and have completed their undergraduate education and be working in their chosen professions. Employees of the federal government are not eligible unless they are career military personnel. There are no formal age restrictions. However, the fellowship program was created to give selected Americans the experience of government service early in their careers.
The Democratic political machine was a favorite target of political cartoonists in the late 19th century. Josh Brown of the American Social History Project looks at one particular cartoon about New York's notorious Boss Tweed.
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This A&E clip traces First Ladies' roles in shaping the White House, both architecturally and through decoration and restoration.
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The White House Historical Association works "to enhance the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the White House." The website has a number of useful educational resources if you know where to look.
Start with the Themes and Media page that gathers educational resources from the entire website into thematic categories from African American history to protests. Within each collection, you'll find relevant selections from the website's pool of 10 text timelines, more than 15 online exhibits and tours, and more than 20 lesson plans labeled by grade level. One exhibit covers the political symbolism of, and national reaction to, First Lady Lou Hoover's invitation of Jessie DePriest, wife of the first African American elected to Congress in the 20th century, to tea.
The History page gathers the majority of these resources in one location. From information on artwork in the White House to milestones in White House staff history to White House pets, there's plenty to discover.
Most of the content in the Classroom section overlaps with that in History. However, here you can access all available lesson plans, sorted by grade level (K3, 48, 912), as well as more than 10 primary sources. Finally, this is the place to go for more information on touring the White House or reserving a program for your DC Metro-area classroom.