If These Walls Could Talk ...

• Author: SCHAUMBURG, RON
• Position: History of America's White House

FOCUS: A 200th-Anniversary Look Back at the History of the White House

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To acquaint students with some of the most colorful and tumultuous moments in the two-century history of the White House--a presidential residence, government office building, historical showplace, and unique national symbol.

Discussion Questions:

* What would you tell a foreign student who asks what is the most important thing to know about the White House?

* Reading between the lines in the quotation from the slave Paul Jennings, can you make inferences about the era or his relationship to the Madisons?

* What does the account Harry Truman gave reporters tell about his personali-

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CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

Discussion/Writing: Write this headline on the board: "The White House Is a Symbol of ..." Have students write brief essays that explain in what ways the White House is a symbol of the nation and its values.

If any students have visited the White House, have them describe what the experience was like. Tell them that more than 6,000 people visit the mansion every day. What do they believe people expect to experience or learn from their visits?

Cooperative Learning: Break the class into teams. Have teams write an inventory of items to be sold in a White House gift shop. Each team focuses on two of the events in White House history described in the article. Their task is to design calendar-based posters, buttons, banners, or other items that tastefully commemorate events in White House history.

TV Time: You might have students view an episode of The West Wing, the acclaimed TV drama of life in the White House. Discuss what the program says about politics and governance. How realistic does the show seem? Does it portray the President as imperial, or subject to the same pressures all politicians face? Would students like to work in the White House?

Web Watch: Students can research the White House by logging on to www.whitehouse.gov/WH/html/ faq.html

There they'll find Frequently Asked Questions, history, historical and contemporary tours, information on how to contact the White House, and more.

The White House has 200 years of stories to tell, from intimate to bizarre

The enemy was closing in. At 3 p.m. on August 24, 1814, the dinner table was set for President James Madison and his wife. But instead of eating the meal, they had to flee approaching British troops. By evening, the mansion was in flames.

The White House...