第1个回答 2016-04-07
For almost two hundred years, the White House has stood as a symbol of the Presidency, theUnited States government, and the American people. Its history, and the history of the nation'scapital, began when President George Washington signed an Act of Congress in December of1790 declaring that the federal government would reside in a district "not exceeding ten milessquare……on the river Potomac." President Washington, together with city planner PierreL'Enfant, chose the site for the new residence, which is now 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Aspreparations began for the new federal city, a competition was held to find a builder of the"President's House." Nine proposals were submitted, and Irish-born architect James Hobanwon a gold medal for his practical and handsome design.
Construction began when the first cornerstone was laid in October of 1792. Although PresidentWashington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived in it. It was not until 1800,when the White House was nearly completed, that its first residents, President John Adams andhis wife, Abigail, moved in. Since that time, each President has made his own changes andadditions. The White House is, nt's private home. It is also the only private residence of a headof state that is open to the public, free of charge.
The White House has a unique and fascinating history. It survived a fire at the hands of theBritish in 1814 (during the war of 1812) and another fire in the West Wing in 1929, whileHerbert Hoover was President. Throughout much of Harry S. Truman's presidency, the interiorof the house, with the exception of the third floor, was completely gutted and renovated whilethe Trumans lived at Blair House, right across Pennsylvania Avenue. Nonetheless, the exteriorstone walls are those first put in place when the White House was constructed two centuriesago.
Presidents can express their individual style in how they decorate some parts of the house andin how they receive the public during their stay. Thomas Jefferson held the first Inaugural openhouse in 1805. Many of those who attended the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitolsimply followed him home, where he greeted them in the Blue Room. President Jefferson alsoopened the house for public tours, and it has remained open, except during wartime, eversince. In addition, he welcomed visitors to annual receptions on New Year’s Day and on theFourth of July. In 1829, a horde of 20,000 Inaugural callers forced President Andrew Jackson toflee to the safety of a hotel while, on the lawn, aides filled washtubs with orange juice andwhiskey to lure the mob out of the mud-tracked White House.
After Abraham Lincoln's presidency, Inaugural crowds became far too large for the White Houseto accommodate them comfortably. However, not until Grover Cleveland's first presidency didthis unsafe practice change. He held a presidential review of the troops from a flag-drapedgrandstand built in front of the White House. This procession evolved into the officialInaugural parade we know today. Receptions on New Year's Day and the Fourth of Julycontinued to be held until the early 1930s.
President Clinton's open house on January 21, 1993 renewed a venerable White HouseInaugural tradition. Two thousand citizens, selected by lottery, were greeted in the DiplomaticReception Room by President and Mrs. Clinton and Vice President and Mrs. Gore.本回答被网友采纳