Glencoe Keyboarding with Computer Applications

SOCIAL STUDIES CONNECTION: Research the White House

Introduction
Learn about the White House and its history, and then use the information to create a table with facts about the White House.

Directions
Read the information below and apply what you learn to answer the questions. Key your answers into the spaces below.

Then, create the table shown on page 346 of your textbook.

The White House
The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. George Washington (1789-1797) supervised the start of its construction in 1792. The first president to occupy the White House, however, was John Adams (1797-1801) in 1800. It wasn't known as the White House until Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) made it the official name in 1901. Before then, White House was only a nickname and it was usually called the President's House or the Executive Mansion.

Theodore Roosevelt also began enlarging the original building to the imposing structure we see today. The White House is six stories high and has 132 rooms. Probably the most famous room is the president's office, known as the Oval Office because of its oval shape. The Oval Office is located in the West Wing, or executive offices, of the White House. It was built in 1909 and first used by William Taft (1909-1913). Before then, the president's office was rectangular.

The White House is owned by the federal government, which means that it is paid for by taxpayers, and thus truly owned by the people of the United States . Although it is the president's private residence, it is always open to the public.

Find Information on a Web Site With your teacher's permission, use the Internet to find out more about this topic. Here are some useful Web sites: www.whitehousehistory.org and www.whitehouse.gov.

Activity Questions

1			What is the street address of the White House?
2			Who was the first president to live in the White House and when did he move in?
3			What is the name of the president's office and where in the White House is it located?
4			How many rooms are in the White House?
5			Who owns the White House?