Presidential Trivia of the Week

Presidential Trivia Questions to Share
with Your Class, Family, or Friends!

Copyright (c) 2008 Bagram Ibatoulline

In honor of this year's presidential campaign, the NCBLA is posting three presidential trivia questions each week. Why not take a few minutes to share these trivia questions with your family, class, or group of young people and see what they know?!

This Week's Trivia Questions

1. The Trust for the National Mall is in the midst of a redesign competition for our capital's National Mall, with the goal of restoring and maintaining this national treasure to a "level befitting its role as an irreplaceable piece of our American fabric."  What is the name of the architect President George Washington asked to design our nation's capital?
2. Who is the only American president to have served in both World War I and World War II?
3. Which first lady, well known for her regular communication with the public and her social activism, was the first to meet with reporters on a weekly basis and write a weekly newspaper column?

A go-to resource for discovering more about America's presidents is the NCBLA's interdisciplinary anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, and it's coordinating educational website OurWhiteHouse.org! An incomparable collection of essays, personal accounts, historical fiction, poetry, and a stunning array of original art, Our White House offers a multifaceted look at America’s history through the prism of the White House.

Answers and Information for Learning MORE!

1. Pierre L'Enfant. In "George Washington's Vision of His City on the Potomac," Mary Brigid Barrett writes, "When L’Enfant envisioned a grand and glorious city, Washington agreed. He knew building a big, bold, beautiful city of solid stone-a city that could eventually hold its own with London or Paris-would let the world know that the people of the United States of America were serious, that they, that we, were here to stay. To George Washington, building a beautiful elegant city, with a mansion for the president, a magnificent house for Congress, with beautiful parks and fountains, and a world-class university symbolized the united power he knew we needed if the nation was to survive." To read the entire article, click here. 
2. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Like two of his predecessors––Presidents Washington and Grant––Eisenhower came to the presidency as a heroic military commander. Eisenhower was the only president to have served in both World War I and World War II. In World War II Eisenhower served as commanding general of the Allied forces in Europe and was most notably the commander who lead the troops to invade France on D-Day. But Eisenhower was no warmonger. Rather, he brought a penchant for peace to the White House, and he is credited with helping to end the Korean War in 1953. Learn more about Eisenhower and the other presidents' legacies in The Presidential Fact Files on OurWhiteHouse.org.
3. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor raised the bar for all her successors by transforming the role of first lady into a position focused on communication and social activism rather than as primary White House hostess. As first lady Eleanor dedicated herself to improving basic human rights, a passion that developed into a lifelong pursuit. Though many of her predecessors had served as political partners to their husbands, Eleanor actually traveled and spoke on her husband’s behalf, sitting in on meetings and even speaking for him at the Democratic Party Convention. During World War II she served as an ambassador for the president by visiting American troops around the world and touring Europe. Her legacy is nonetheless highlighted by her tireless efforts advocating for the expanded rights for women, children, and African Americans. Though Lou Hoover had often addressed the nation via the radio, Eleanor was the first to meet with reporters on a weekly basis and write a weekly newspaper column. Learn more about all the first ladies in the First Lady Fact Files on OurWhiteHouse.org.
   

 

Our White House is available
in both hardcover and paperback from Candlewick Press.
Ask for it at a library or bookstore near you!

And be sure to check out the companion educational website, OurWhiteHouse.org, which provides expanded book content that includes additional articles, resources, activities, and discussion questions related to book topics as well exclusive resources and articles regarding the presidency, presidential campaigns, and presidential elections.