The White House: The First 200 Years

Since the cornerstone was laid on October 13, 1792, the history of the White House has mirrored the American experience. In many ways, the White House represents living history, a beautiful and powerful symbol of American political culture.
In this collection, historians and journalists reflect on and assess the first two hundred years of the White House to provide insights into the evolution of the "people's house" from its limited role in a struggling new nation to its present role as the embodiment of America's view of the presidency.
Among the topics addressed are the ways in which presidents shaped and reflected national taste in the arts, how the national tragedy of the Civil War translated into a personal ordeal for the Lincoln family, the changing public roles of the First Ladies, the White House as a site for protests, and the often manipulative relationship between the media and the presidency.
These papers are an outgrowth of the two-hundredth anniversary symposium sponsored by the White House Historical Association.

Edited by the late Freidel, the noted FDR scholar, and Pencak, professor of history at Pennsylvania State University, these scholarly essays are full of interesting and surprising tidbits that will delight even the casual reader. David Herbert Donald's piece on the Lincoln White House ("This Damned Old House," the president dubbed it) is haunted by war, death and seances. John Milton Cooper adds an excellent essay on presidential disability, centering on Woodrow Wilson. In Robert Ferrell's "The Expanding White House," we learn that the Roosevelts were responsible for major additions: the West Wing belongs to Teddy and the East Wing to FDR. We also discover from Ferrell that McKinley liked to work smoking a cigar and singing a hymn, and that William Taft built the Oval Office. Elise Kirk reminds us of the White House's musical heritage--and that the Marine Corps Band inadvertently struck up a rousing rendition of "The Lady Is a Tramp" one evening while President Ford and the Queen of England were dancing. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Stimulating collection of original essays by distinguished historians on our Executive Mansion and its famous occupants. Since 1792, when John and Abigail Adams moved into what was then called the ``President's House,'' the White House has evolved into an icon of American democracy. Using the architectural history of the mansion and its outlying buildings as focal point, the 11 essays here--edited by Pencak (History/Penn State) and the recently deceased Freidel (History/Harvard)--examine this evolution by analyzing various aspects of the presidency itself. First up is Daniel J. Boorstin, who, writing of the White House as a national symbol, compares the democratic and accessible nature of the design of the mansion with that of Spain's Alhambra; further on, Robert H. Ferrell writes in detail of the expansion of the East and West Wings as the President's role expanded and the business of the Executive Branch became more complex. David Herbert Donald movingly relates the tragic story of the Lincoln family's residence in the building, while John Milton Cooper recounts how Woodrow Wilson's wife virtually ran the country for 18 months while her husband was paralyzed with a stroke, and points out the continuing relevance of this scenario. Richard Norton Smith writes of the history of the presidency as the nation's ``bully pulpit,'' while Edwin M. Yoder, Jr., argues that the use of the presidency as a vehicle for a distinct political agenda is a recent development. Other authors explore Presidents' tortuous relationships with the press; the changing role of the First Lady; and even music at the White House. Finally, David McCullough, in perhaps the most evocative essay here, recalls the sometimes extraordinary but often ordinary people who lived in the White House, and the frequently tragic things that have happened there. Scattershot if insightful perspectives on the presidency--and on how the White House has developed from a private residence into a unifying metaphor for American democracy. (Illustrations--not seen) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

On October 13-15, 1992, a symposium sponsored by the White House Historical Association and the National Park Service was held in Washington, D.C. Architects, engineers, journalists, and historians from 21 states spoke at this symposium, which celebrated the bicentennial of the competition determining the building's design. Twelve of their papers make up this volume--the majority by presidential biographers (Robert V. Remini, Richard Norton Smith, David Donald, John Milton Cooper Jr., Robert H. Ferrell, and David McCullough). Apart from its architectural history, the volume does an excellent job of putting this unique political home into world perspective. The focus is both on the house itself and the personalities of its occupants. Four chapters show how the president, the public, and the media interact to form the modern presidency, and a chapter by Betty Boyd Caroli treats the changing role of the First Lady. Anyone interested in American history will find this volume enjoyable.
- William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The editors have assembled a series of essays illustrating the ever evolving and expanding function of the White House as both a powerful national emblem and the presidential office and residence. These 11 articles, culled from a large number of papers presented at a recent symposium commemorating the two hundredth anniversary of the executive mansion, reflect the multidimensional role the White House has always played in the social, cultural, and political history of the U.S. A representative tribute to the quintessential symbol of American democracy. Margaret Flanagan