Two Hundred Years Later.

This Year Marks
200th Anniversary of the
Burning of the White House

"Struggling to Stand"
Copyright  (c) 2008 by Wendell Minor

In August of 1814, during the War of 1812, British troops marched into our nation's capital and set fire to the White House. In the NCBLA's  award-winning anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, young people can learn not only about the building of the White House, but also why it burned in 1814 through its incomparable collection of essays, personal accounts, historical fiction, poetry, and  stunning array of original art. 

Engage young people in the following War of 1812 content in Our White House:

• Wendell Minor's stunning illustration "Struggling to Stand"
• Ralph Ketcham's enlightening essay regarding the days and events preceding the War of 1812 in "The White House Prepares for War: 1812"
• Susan Cooper's poignant, imagined letter written by a British soldier to his parents about the burning of the White House titled "The Burning of the White House"
• Don Brown's story of Dolley Madison in "Dolley Madison Rescues George Washington"
• An excerpt from the 1865 memoir of Paul Jennings, a former slave who worked in the Madison White House, titled "The First White House Memoir: 1865"

Also check out the exclusive articles and education resources available on the companion website OurWhiteHouse.org, such as: 

"Primary Sources: Dolley Madison's Letter to Her Sister About the Burning of the White House" 

"Star Spangled Presidents" by Helen Kampion

"Presidential Fact Files" and "First Lady Fact Files" 

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