Exploring White House HistoryResources from the White House Historical Association

Courtney Speckmann and Katie Munn

The White House Historical Association

The David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History at Decatur House

Overview and Objectives

• Identify functions of the White House with a special focus on the War of 1812 (i.e. what to teach!)

• Explore primary source document analysis techniques

• Utilize WH teaching activities and resources for the classroom

Park

Stage

Home

Office

Museum

Procedure:1.Follow Instructions to divide image into four corners.

2. Present students with only one corner at a time. Ask questions about the details.

3. After corner 3 or 4, let students make a guess about the picture.

4. Display full image and discuss.

Lower Right

Technique: Four Corners

Lower Left

Upper Left

Upper Right

Procedure:

1. Identify what students are looking for (clues).

2. Identify the image

3. Discuss why the clues are significant to the image

Technique: Scavenger Hunt

Procedure:

1. Ask questions about the image details:

• What do you see in the picture?

• What do these details tell you?

• What type of image is it?

2. Help students make conclusions (who, what, when, where, why)

3. Students stage picture and talk in place.

Technique: Tableau

Technique: Enlarged Details

Procedure:

1. Give students a set of primary source documents covering a single theme or event to analyze.

2. Have students analyze each primary source.

• What type of primary source is this?

• What is the purpose of this primary source? Or, what is happening in this primary source?

• What does this primary source tell us about the topic?

3. Have students choose documents to display in their exhibit.

4. Create an exhibit using the primary sources. Include an exhibit title and labels for each primary source.

5. Share exhibits with the class.

Technique: Create Your Own Exhibit

The War of 1812 and the White House

Type of source What is happening in this source? And/Or:What is the purpose of this source?

What does this source tell us about life in the Lincoln White House?

Use in exhibit?

The President’s HouseGeorge Munger

c. 1814-15Watercolor on paper

Pre-Visit Resource Packet Includes:

•Pre-visit lesson with optional activities•Information regarding the day of the field trip•Additional 1812 resources•Cast List•Script•Character bios and cue sheets for the students

Forged by Fire: Dolley Madison, the White House, and the War of 1812

Forged by Fire: Day of the Field Trip Program

Forged by Fire: Day of the Field Trip Program

Forged by Fire: Day of the Field Trip Program

“Actually being real people had a great influence on them.  It helped them to personalize the history instead of hearing about it without realizing that these were real people.”

“My students will always understand and remember the causes of the War of 1812 and the differences between the two political parties of the day.”

Paths to Freedom: Slavery, Emancipation and the Power of the President

• Standards based with emphasis on historical thinking skills and primary source analysis

• Students:– explore the historic spaces

of Decatur House and its slave quarters

– trace the changing community in and around the White House neighborhood

– piece together stories of real residents of the neighborhood and create their own exhibit

African Americans in the White House Neighborhood

Online Resources

www.whitehousehistory.org

White House History Themes

Classroom Lessons

The White House Art Collection

www.whitehouseresearch.org

Upcoming Programs and Events

www.whitehousehistory.org/programs

Questions?

Courtney Speckmann- cspeckmann@whha.orgKatie Munn- kmunn@whha.org

www.whitehousehistory.org@whitehousehstry