1	The White House By Erika
2	History The White House was built because there was an architectural competition. Whoever won the competition was given $500 and his or her design was going to be made into what we now call the White House. John Hoban, an Irish-born, triumphed greatly. Even though the cornerstone of the White House [back then known as the President’s House] was placed in 1792, the mansion was not yet completed. The East Room was incomplete, therefore they used that room to hang their laundries to dry. The Adams [John and Abigail] were one of the first occupants in 1800. When Jefferson moved in, he made plans for the completion of the mansion. Dolley Madison, one of the First Ladies, continued Jefferson’s plans for making a proper home. Sadly, in 1812, a war broke out, causing the British to burn the mansion and most of its furnitures. One of the things that Dolley saved was the portrait of George Washington [painter was Gilbert Stuart.] The White House was not completely finished until Andrew Jackson became president.
3	Activities and the Impact The White House you see today is the center of governmental activity. The second floor, not only held the first family's private quarters but also the president's offices. It soon became overcrowded, so many wanted to enlarge the estate. When Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901, Theodore, Alice Lee, and their six children, was when the mansion became the most active household. The East Room, was now used for roller-skating contests and wrestling matches. At this time, the mansion was ready for enlargement. There wasn’t any changes in the main building, but the interior was redecorated in a classic style. The most important change was the exclusion of the presidential offices from the second floor.
4	Bibliography Conger, C. Welcome to American Presidency. Retrieved December 10, 2006, from White House Web site: http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid= a2031670-h&templatename=/article/article.html