Transcripts For CSPAN3 American History TV 20140929 : vimars

CSPAN3 American History TV September 29, 2014

Copy in your packets. I hope youll enjoy that and hopefully become a subscriber to our journal and keeping up with the latest research. Of course, William Seale is an architectural historian and specialist on the restoration and preservation of historic buildings. His handiwork is all over the country in executive mansions and capitols. Hes also, of course, published the president s house, i just mentioned, which is like the, to us, the bible of white house history. The white house garden, the white house the white house, the history of an american idea, which is really the architectural history of the house that he has written. Hes also collaborated with artists. Peter wadell on an artist visits the white house past which is a wonderful little booklet that is available. And the new book coming out and will be available tonight in our gift shop and youll be allowed in early to be able to have a copy signed if youd like to do that at 5 45. The title is the night they burned the white house. So we and also hes contributed many other publications, including our art historic guide book. With that id like you to give a warm welcome to William Seale. [applause] historic guide book. With that id like you to give a warm welcome to William Seale. [ applause ] do i need that on . Hello. Its good to be here. I look forward to it and have enjoyed what ive been able to oh, i do. I have to have a microphone. Machinery. I am going to talk about the symbol of the white house, the survival of it through time. And can everyone hear now . I mean, everyone that wants to. A monument you see, a symbol you feel, rather basic, but if this is a if this simple description satisfies purposes, ill let it sit. It can be said that the white house began as a monument and was a symbol of the american presidency by its final completion in the 1830s. This was unlike the National Capitol which had 30 years to go when the great dome completed during the civil war became the symbol of the union. The white house was conceived and born entirely at the behest of president washington. It was part of his unique conception of the washington citys future as a world class capital, representing also his idea of the tone the usa would present to other countries. When the tree cutting and street clearing began in the early 1790s for the city, washingtons vision for the future was at its peak and the curious french engineer Peter Charles la font had the president s ear. He had drawn a very ambitious plan and it seems was heard on every matter involving the project. La font never surrendered his dream for the city and thats the work that washington supported a lot of it. The basic plan. The president who held greater power than any to come for a century after him nevertheless had realities to consider, no matter his authority over the constitution under the constitution. Washingtons efforts to illustrate this booming nation and great presidency waned over the decade of the 1790s. His idea of world participation shrank as he watched the revolutionary age of which he was part, really, turn in europe to mind this bloodshed. As he saw the collapse of apparently stable governments he came to believe that america must not attach itself to in any but the most baseuc economic involvements with europe. He saw america rise during his administration, close to being second in rank among mercantile countries of europe. The proposed plans of la font still pleased him but he allowed many changes to what la font called the palace. The white house was the most urgent feature of the master plan because it seemed that the most it was most nearly possible for completion on time. The year 1800 when congress specified the city be occupied by the government. What la font had called the palace was already under way when the engineer departed in early 1972. He didnt know much about politics, and he lost his job. Or he left. Stone from old sandstone quarries had been pulled and drawn on its rafts up river to the edge of the strong in the edge of the strong current. Laborors black and white doug the cellars under la fonts direction. However, when la font departed, so much of what he had designed seems to have been, as jefferson put it in his head, that the volunteer commissioners charged with building the city complained about some of the ideas. The president s house they decided was too big. They would run out of freestone before it was finished. Washington listened and as a practical man agreed to advertise for designs for a smaller house. But he paid little attention to the entries apparently in the competition and selected his own man, james hoban, an irishborn architect trained, really a practical builder. He met him in charleston. One thing the president liked about hoban, apart from his skill was he owned many lands of his own. So hoban was on the president s level of thinking. Hoban, one good politician, unlike la font, seems to have realized that president washington was looking for assurance and gave him a model. A plan based upon the dublin residence of the anglo irish duke of lynnster, irelands first gentleman. Obviously knowing who the duke was, nobles were celebrities after all. And about his brother, the dukes brother known to history as the heroic lord edward whose earlier adventures included service with the british at the battle of Kings Mountain and a comfortable tenure as a prisoner of war and washingtons cousins residence in charleston. President washington accepted the whole irish idea it seems with a plan. The commissioners in charge begged him to reduce the house even more. He agreed to reduce it vertically to two stories from three. Built over a partially exposed basement. But at the same time, he increased it that much horizontally. And he ordered stone carving on the exterior as it was to be the richest and finest in america. Although very archaniic in desi at the tomime. The white house was built in this way. It was late autumn, 1793. Walking in a huge cellar that had been dug, president washington himself drove the stakes locating the north door on the in the center where it is now and situating the smaller house. This is the white house we know today. The symbol of the american presidency, the world over. President washington saw his house built but even as he, retiring from office sensed further changing of president ial power, his successor john adams, the first to live in the white house, was even further surrounded by conflicting ideas of government. He didnt like the white house. Preferring a row house closer to the capitol but he yielded. The symbol at last went to work if not quite with respender as envisioned, at levees, adam stood there beneath the great picture that bill altman told us about washington. Old and toothless in his black velvet diplomatic uniform. And puffing his pipe. He was not president ial like his predecessor. Thomas jefferson liked to call his election a revolution. A win is a win but hardly a revolution. Jefferson cast over at his republican simplicity and not wishing to asking congress for money respecting washingtons house he made few notable changes other than the wings to the sides that gave it a sort of a dish to sit upon. The destruction of the white house by fire in august of 1814 was a low point in the american war of 1812 as president madisons butler was poking around in the ruins to rescue what he could. Notably, the kitchen stove. Andrew jacksons miraculous victory arrived in washington by horse back messenger, young hampton ii. Victory had come on the banks of the very American River that they held in such importance. For all its strategic questions, to americans, the west had won the war against england. That was the big show piece. Madison ordered the public buildings repaired, an odd word to use and summoned them to the white house to rebuild what he had built for washington. Exactly as it had been. And in doing this, madison clearly acknowledged the important identity of the house. Thinking it a matter of urgency to restore it to what it had been. The white house, as it was already called by that time, about 1803, so it had been that for a while, achieved its restoration in its restoration, even klclearer, more complex. Yet the press and individuals began to write about the house and even to illustrate it. Madisons successor james monroe moved into the house late in 1817. On new years day 1818, the world was invited to see the house. Even the crew that had worked on it were given crackers and beer in the basement. They never had imagined it before. Many, many came. When it looked exactly the same outside except for unfinish eed boarded up openings in the roof to allow for porticos that were planned. The interior was princely and regal. In effect, washington would have disapproved and jefferson abhorred. Gold leaf french furniture, chandeliers, great mirrors and sumptuous uphostries. It was a palatial symbol of the head of state. Monroes administration opened in the bright glow of what that time was called the era of good feelings. War was over. Americans were in control. The british were gone and prosperity seemed everywhere. Americans exploding ambitions it turned now to enterprise. The president believed that the cancer of rival Political Parties was over. Well, the idea that the era of good feelings is spoken many ways is best exemplified to me in a plaster wall mural taken from a tavern in new england by painted by rufus porter, the distinguished muralist that some people would say folk fur muralist. Copying from an engrafg made by his childhood friend george catlin. Its a poignant expression to kindle feelings of everyday folk after the war. It shows the rebuilt white house backed by gigantic rising sun with rays proclaiming new beginnings. Happily, the painting, which had been cut from the wall, when identified, was purchased for the by the White House Historical association about 20 years ago. So its safely in bills collection. Monroe proceeded, commissioning hoban to add a south semicircular porch called a south portico. Though its not a portico. It can be said with accuracy that his various uses of the house, president monroe established the white house as a National Symbol of the presidency for all time. After him, the tone of the appearance of the white house was for every president important consideration. The symbolic house was central to the climax of the tumultuous 1820s when its legend embraced Andrew Jackson at his inauguration. The inaugural dignity of the past was over. Thousands swarmed on washington, many hoping for government jobs and contracts from the peoples president. Their march home with him from the capital started the tradition of the inaugural parade. Thousands of merrymakers accompanied the frail, sickly jackson who rode a horse down opinion pen avenue and his crowd did not stop as usual as the shops and taverns but went directly into the white house. Nor did the flow stop at the tall mahogany doors. Overnight americans adopted the story of unruly crowds entering the house after jacksons inauguration and in their celebration tearing it up. I think the actual problem was that the people who entered were of all classes and that had never and they had never been comfortable going there before. Many would never have dared to enter the house. Poor man was practically crushed by the rolling tide of people and was literally picked up and carried out the south portico to the hotel. To thin the crowds which had no intention of leaving, the steward put wash tubs of whiskey and orange juice on the lawn. It was immoralized in a cartoon by the famous british cartoonist george krushak. As for the legend that monroes beautiful rooms were torn up, our National Archives and the great thoroughness of its domestic roirds of the white house assures us the white house had no expenditures for damages or anything else that occurred that day. The house ways and Means Committee anticipated the glorious coming of jackson. Money was appropriated to build the portico on the north, the column familiar to us today. Hoban built it and finished only a year before his death as he had the one on the south. It was essentially his house. The image was complete and the image became familiar to the world. Jacksons political backers themselves made some improvements to feature a new occupant of the symbolic house. They commissioned ralph e. W. Earl, a jackson inlaw and friend to paint a heroic image of new orleans and hung it in the big Entrance Hall. You saw it before you saw washington when you went on tour. That was open from 1801 on tours. Now the public had something rather pointed and needed to see and there was more. The east room remained undecorated, although hoban completed the ornate archite architectural shell. A Great Assembly room of the house. The stage where jackson would now appear at receptions and public open houses. The stage was set. Furniture warehouses in philadelphia were called in to finish the mity 85foot space, enormous mirrors, chandeliers are and wundo hangings. Patent lamps, bright yellow rainbow wall paper and carpeting together with 21 spitoons to make the east room as grand as they thought versailles must certainly have been. In addition, stars made of papiermache and gilded were put over the arch door from the hall through which jackson entered during his receptions, symbolically framing the hero. To cover his thin frame, jackson wrapped himself in a full blew great coat extending nearly to the floor. The high blue collar framed his white hair which flew back from his face like wind swept snow. The marine band played a lively march just in case anyone present had missed the fact that the president was entering. How much more president ial could it be . Jackson, like madison before the fire and monroe after it embellished the white house to amplify his presence. Railroads came to washington in his time. Hotels became numerous in the town had many visitors on business. Political business, mostly. This trend would continue through time calling for a different requirement to suit different political circumstances and philosophical ideas. The white house never lost its association with president washington, but moved beyond that, gaining greater fame and respect and legend when madison pulled it back from ruin and monroe emphasized it with his grandeur. As time passed, the buildings symbolism gained a less abstract presence and more substance through the lives of those who lived there by the succession of president s. Each with his own story, each with his own achievements and occasionally failures. It was increasingly seen that a president lived his life as president entirely in that symbolic place. And became a part of his history, as well as that of the house. All president s that have to ask themselves what do i do about the white house . Even doing nothing to it is subject to interpretation. And several early president s had faced that. President s antibellum addressed the problem from van buren to buchanan. They held weekly dinners with representatives always careful in their selection of guests from the power circles in congress. In James Buchanans time, they were cursing each other across the dinner table. He had to invite people of pro or antisentiments. He had to be very careful in that sense. The music scholar elise kirk who is one of us at the association, provides a history of frequent musical performance at the white house performances to draw people. In support of the lively house paper hangers, drapers, upholterers worked continually behind the scenes. Their invoices at the archives suggest the place was in a state of constant improvement. Constant patching might better describe it. For congress contributed little to the decor and does not today. Symbolism was at every turn inserted into the larger symbol, the house, to personalize it. The first had been a museum jefferson set up to display artifacts from the various western expeditions. He even housed two grizzly bears from the Rocky Mountains in an enclosure on the driveway outside. A great show was made by adams and monroe of the visits of general lafayette. Andrew jacksons portrait was a more pronounced symbol, maybe more a monument. Powers, later the famous vermont sculptor of the greek slave and other works displayed his clay bust of Andrew Jackson sculpted from life in the Entrance Hall before he journeyed to italy forever. To have it carved into marble. To identify himself with jefferson, the expansionist, president james k. Polk who through the war with mexico pushed the nations western boundary to the pacific, he had david danjiers full length marble of Thomas Jefferson moved and set up on the north lawn in the middle of about where jefferson kept the bears. His wife sarah had called it home sally. Sarah had symbolic ideas, too. She was one tough first lady. About her jimmy, as she called him, his greatness. She hung a large portrait of the conquistador over the mantle in the blue room. You kanscan see the jefferson se today. Jeffersons was not the only one with live entertainment. Zachary taylor displayed his famous mexican war horse old whitey on the lawn where he grazed in peacetime comfort. The delighted public to whom whitey was well known in prince and other things and a hero, hugged him and petted him and took hairs from his tail until in the president s funeral procession, whitey had no tail left. For all the selfpromotion undertaken by the president s antebellum, little about the white house itself should be included in such sessions such recollections. It was not the president s of this period who would enhance forever the house as a symbol. It was only one of them, abraham lincoln. In lincolns time it was the house 60 years old. Had been rebuilt, modernized but still old. Its cold water laboratories into which the potomac water flowed unscreened leaked and gave a sulphur smell. Water in the three toilets, water closets, rose and spilled when it rained hard. The rooms were huge. Except for the state floor where very sparsely furnished. It was kind of hard living. Odds and ends, except for the state bedroom which mrs. Lincoln refurnished and named the prince of wales room for its only celebrated guest. Yet lincolns white house is more powerful in memory than any other. Even washington. Of course, he never lived there. It comes to us like a stage production with its characters, its ups, downs, few joys, amazing triumphs, many tragedies and sudden sad end. Lincoln seems to have had no particular interest in the white house but respected its history. Two times he referred to it as this damned old house, revealing it was an expensive headache. And then this big white house once when he expressed hi

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