The White House Was, in Fact, Built by Enslaved Labor Smart News
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Slave ownership was popular at the time in America, and those owning slaves received a pay out for the work of those enslaved. The White House had a series of stables to house the president’s horses, carriages, coachmen, and grooms. In its early years, it was used for storage, sleeping quarters for free or enslaved servants, and a hiding place for the presidents’ children.
The architectural style of the White House
Rebuilt after a British attack in 1814, the “President’s House” evolved with the personal touches of its residents, and accommodated such technological changes as the installation of electricity. The building underwent major structural changes in the early 1900s under Teddy Roosevelt, who also officially established the “White House” moniker, and again under Harry Truman after WWII. Counting the Oval Office and the Rose Garden among its famous features, it remains the only private residence of a head of state open free of charge to the public. This May 1795 payroll lists the carpenters who worked on the President’s House. The government did not own slaves, but officials did hire out enslaved laborers from their owners. Slave carpenters Peter, Ben, Daniel, and Harry were noted as owned by James Hoban.
Meet the Man Who Designed and Built the White House
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Slaves at the White House Did More Than Just Build It.
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Early maps referred to the White House as the “President’s Palace,” but in 1810, the building was officially named “Executive Mansion” in order to avoid any connection to royalty. The residence has also been called “President’s House,” or “President’s Mansion.” In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt changed the official name to “White House,” a moniker that had been used throughout the 19th century. Jefferson announced the competition—which offered a prize of $500 (or a medal of equal value)—and even reportedly submitted a design himself under the initials “A.Z”. In July of 1792, Irish-born architect James Hoban’s submission was selected by Washington, and he was hired to build the White House. The second president of the United States, John Adams, moved into the still-unfinished presidential mansion on November 1, 1800.
The History of Advent
Burned to the ground by the British in August 1814, the President’s House was nearly left in its smoldering remains as lawmakers contemplated moving the capital to another city. Instead, Hoban was brought back to rebuild it nearly from scratch, in some areas incorporating the original, charred walls. Upon reassuming residency in 1817, James Madison and his wife Dolley gave the home a more regal touch by decorating with extravagant French furniture.
The first president to live in the White House was John Adams, the second president and first vice president (serving under George Washington), whose family took up residence in 1800. Hoban was hired as the superintendent not only for the White House but also for other public buildings. On the morning of July 19, 1792, three volunteer commissioners that Washington had appointed to oversee the building of the federal city—Daniel Carroll, Thomas Johnson, and David Stuart—watched Hoban stake out the foundations of the President’s House. He had trouble doing so, as L’Enfant’s plan called for a much larger palace; the cellars already dug out swallowed up the footprint of Hoban’s house. Hoban and the commissioners left it up to George Washington, the former surveyor, to locate the north wall. Hoban made the adjustments and directed laying out the wall foundations from a post designated by Washington that indicated the center of the North Front door.
“The Back Building”
The building’s history begins in 1792, when a public competition was held to choose a design for a presidential residence in the new capital city of Washington. The structure was to have three floors and more than 100 rooms and would be built in sandstone imported from quarries along Aquia Creek in Virginia. Labourers, including local enslaved people, were housed in temporary huts built on the north side of the premises. They were joined by skilled stonemasons from Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1793. Over the course of the next eight years, enslaved laborers worked alongside white wage workers and craftsmen to produce raw materials and construct the President’s House. First, laborers cleared the land, built roads, wharves, and bridges, and felled trees to make way for construction.
Discover some of the best historic sites in the United States, from iconic sites like the White House, Statue of Liberty, and Mount Rushmore, to the more hidden historical gems like Historic Jamestowne, Taos Pueblo, and the Freedom Trail in Boston. The first Inaugural open house at the White House took place in 1805 and was held by President Thomas Jefferson following his swearing-in ceremony. This payroll from August 1795 shows the payroll for enslaved sawyers working at the President's House; Simon, Jerry, Jef, Charles, Len, Dick, Bill, and Jim. Enslaved workers were typically noted in the payrolls with an "N" or "Negro" to indicate their status. This oil painting, completed by artist Peter Waddell in 2007, depicts White House construction as it may have appeared in 1796.
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Reconstruction and expansion began under Hoban’s direction, but the building was not ready for occupancy until 1817, during the administration of Pres. Hoban’s reconstruction included the addition of east and west terraces on the main building’s flanks; a semicircular south portico and a colonnaded north portico were added in the 1820s. The mansion quickly became a focal point of the new federal city and was symbolically linked to the United States Capitol by way of Pennsylvania Avenue. Following his inauguration in March 1801, Jefferson became the second president to reside in the executive mansion. In keeping with his ardent republicanism, he opened the house to public visitation each morning, a tradition that was continued (during peacetime) by all his successors. He personally drew up landscaping plans and had two earthen mounds installed on the south lawn to remind him of his beloved Virginia Piedmont.
Was the White House Built by Slaves? - Snopes.com
Was the White House Built by Slaves?.
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Who Was the First President to Live in the White House?
Security expanded considerably during the US Civil War ( ) but relaxed afterward. Not until the 1890s did security begin to seal off open access to the White House grounds. A sentry box, or security guard post, was added in 1894 for the first time. August of 1814 saw British raids along America’s coast, with the Brits emboldened by their recent defeat of Napoleon in Europe and a desire to keep the United States focused away from Canada. On August 24, the British defeated the Americans at the Battle of Bladensburg and then moved on to Washington DC.
According to the White House Historical Association, the cost of construction was $232,372. The White House is the official office and residence of the president of the United States. The wallpaper had hung previously on the walls of another mansion until 1961 when that house was demolished for a grocery store.
The Royal Exchange and Newcomen Bank also influenced Hoban’s designs for the home of American presidents. The house was burned down by British troops in 1814 and only its outer walls remained. It was redesigned and reconstructed by both Latrobe and Hoban between 1815 and 1817. The portico on the south was built in 1824 while the north one was built in 1830.
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