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What Happens in the White House?
Introduction
Ask students where the President lives. Ask where the President does most of
his work. Working at home is quite common now, but Presidents have worked and
lived in the White House since November
1, 1800 (see the EDSITEment resource American
Memory), when John and Abigail Adams moved in. Ask students to think for
a moment about what happens at the White House.
Guiding Question:
What functions does our presidential residence serve?
Learning Objective
After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:
- List activities that take place at the White House.
Student Activity:
Show the class some or all of the following images from the modern presidencies
of Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Compile a list of what happens at the White
House and, if desired, where it happens. (NOTE: All images are available through
the online Archival Research Center [ARC] of the EDSITEment-reviewed website
Digital Classroom.)
- Oval Office (Carter Administration)
- Swearing-In of Secretary of Labor (01/27/1977)
- President Carter Signing the Energy Bill at His Desk (01/27/1977)
- President Carter Press Conference (02/08/1977)
- Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter host State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Trudeau of Canada (02/21/1977)
- President Carter Hosts a Working Dinner (03/22/1977)
- Jimmy Carter in the White House library during a televised Fireside Chat on Energy (02/01/1978)
- The Reagans eating on TV trays in the White House residence, November 6, 1981
- President Reagan holding a National Security Council Meeting on the TWA hijacking, Situation Room, June 16, 1985
- President Reagan leading a Cabinet Meeting, September 11, 1986
- The Reagans being greeted by their dog Rex after arriving at the White House in the helicopter (Maine-1), April 20, 1986
- President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher talking on the patio outside of the Oval Office, July 17, 1987
- President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev signing the INF Treaty in the East Room of the White House, December 8, 1987 (NOTE: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, with signatories the United States and the Soviet Union, eliminated all nuclear-armed, ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.)
- President Reagan and Vice-President Bush eating lunch in the Oval Office Study, March 31, 1988
Assessment
Engage the class in a discussion about the images. The President (and family)
lives and works in the White House. Which images show "living"?
Working?
A combination of the two?
Help students understand the nature of a ceremonial event.
Which images show ceremonial events? Which show work in session?
What kind of "house" is required to facilitate everything a President must
do?
The President's office is the Oval Office. In the activity above, students may have viewed a photo of the Oval Office during the Carter Administration. If desired, students can explore the interactive activity Design the Oval Office for Yourself on National Geographic's Inside the White House, a link from the EDSITEment resource Explore DC.
Selected EDSITEment Websites
- American Memory [http://memory.loc.gov/]
Digital Classroom.)
[http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/index.html]
- Oval Office
(Carter Administration)
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/24/5/24-0456a.gif]
- Swearing-In
of Secretary of Labor (01/27/1977)
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/24/5/24-0453a.gif]
- President
Carter Signing the Energy Bill at His Desk (01/27/1977)
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/24/5/24-0452a.gif]
- President
Carter Press Conference (02/08/1977)
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/24/5/24-0457a.gif]
- Jimmy Carter
and Rosalynn Carter host State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
and Margaret Trudeau of Canada (02/21/1977)
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/24/5/24-0467a.gif]
- President
Carter Hosts a Working Dinner (03/22/1977)
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/24/5/24-0479a.gif]
- Jimmy Carter
in the White House library during a televised Fireside
Chat on Energy (02/01/1978)
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/24/1/24-0068a.gif]
- The Reagans
eating on TV trays in the White House residence,
November 6, 1981
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/12/2/12-0152a.gif]
- President
Reagan holding a National Security Council Meeting on the TWA
hijacking, Situation Room, June 16, 1985
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/12/1/12-0096a.gif]
- President
Reagan leading a Cabinet Meeting, September 11, 1986
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/12/2/12-0127a.gif]
- The Reagans
being greeted by their dog Rex after arriving at the White House
in the helicopter (Maine-1), April 20, 1986
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/12/2/12-0154a.gif]
- President
Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher talking on the patio outside
of the Oval Office, July 17, 1987
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/12/2/12-0141a.gif]
- President
Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev signing the
INF Treaty in the East Room of the White House, December 8, 1987
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/12/2/12-0114a.gif]
- President
Reagan and Vice-President Bush eating lunch in the
Oval Office Study, March 31, 1988
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/12/1/12-0100a.gif]
- Oval Office
during the Carter Administration
[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/24/5/24-0456a.gif].
- Explore DC
[http://www.exploredc.org/index.php]
Standards Alignment
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