2023 National History Day Resources
The White House Historical Association (WHHA) offers many different resources for students working on National History Day projects.
Main Content
The White House Historical Association (WHHA) offers many different resources for students working on National History Day projects.
Lonnie G. Bunch III is the fourteenth secretary of the Smithsonian; he assumed his position June 16, 2019. As secretary, he oversees twenty-one museums, twenty-one libraries, the National Zoo, numerous research centers, and several education units and centers. Two new museums—the National Museum of the American Latino and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum—are in development. Bunch was the foundi
Gayle Jessup White is the first public relations and community engagement officer at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the nonprofit that owns and operates Monticello. She is the author of the book, Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant’s Search for Her Family’s Lasting Legacy. A former award-winning television reporter and anchor, Gayle started her career at the New
Stewart D. McLaurin serves as president of the White House Historical Association, founded by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy more than sixty years ago to share and preserve the rich history of the White House. In his nine years as leader of the private nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, Stewart has expanded the Association’s cultural and educational programming through award-winning books, popular vi
Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro is the founding principal at RBM Architecture & Design, a firm that focuses on custom residential design, community urban planning, and the continuing adaptation of traditional values in architecture and urbanism in our modern world. His current work ranges from new residences in Guatemala and Costa Rica and custom office designs, to the revitalization of a historic
The White House Historical Association has established an endowed position, the Marlyne Sexton Chair in White House History, in honor of Marlyne Sexton, cabinet member on the National Council for White House History. The endowment will provide financial support for the Chair in perpetuity. The National Council on White House History was established in 2017 and is made up of 115 members
The Center for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln “Civil War Washington” website has posted the 1862 Emancipation Petitions, providing widespread access to these primary documents. To meet the requirements of the D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862, slave owners filed a petition with the District government that stated their loyalty to the Union, listed the number and
For most of the 19th century, the structure of the White House staff remained generally the same. At the top was the steward, a federal employee who was bonded; the Congress created this position to safeguard the silver and furnishings in the house. The steward was on the government payroll. He functioned as the manager of the house. The job
On August 10, 1989, President Bush announced his appointment of General Colin Powell as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell became the architect of Operation Desert Shield, a staging operation that moved American and international forces and materials to the Middle East to launch Operation Desert Storm. As President Bush’s trusted advisor, Powell helped shape a global alliance that ex
E. Frederic Morrow was the first African American to serve in an executive position on a president’s staff at the White House. Morrow was a minister’s son who had graduated from Bowdoin College and was employed by the National Urban League and the NAACP before entering Army service during World War II. After the war, he obtained a law
One of the most memorable performances in White House history was Marian Anderson’s rendition of Schubert’s "Ave Maria" as the culmination of a gala "Evening of American Music" presented by Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939. The entertainment was planned for a state visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England. Anderson’s powerful voice soared that evenin
Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball on April 15, 1947 signaling a historic step forward in the movement to end segregation. However, a less conspicuous event of greater significance to African Americans was President Truman’s controversial 1948 executive order desegregating the military and banning discriminatory hiring practices in the federal government. Issued in an election year, the executive or