6 Click here to learn more about the enslaved households of President George Washington. 5 On October 13, 1792, White House construction officially began with the laying of a cornerstone during a Masonic ceremony. In July, Irish-born architect James Hoban’s design for the President’s House was selected by the commissioners with Washington’s approval, and preparations on the building site commenced. 4 The following year, in March 1792, the commissioners announced and advertised a national design competition for the President’s House and Capitol Building. 3 Together, they selected the site for the White House. 2 Soon after selecting the commissioners, President Washington appointed French-born engineer Pierre (Peter) Charles L’Enfant to survey, map, and plan the new city. ![]() He appointed three commissioners for the District of Columbia in January 1791 to manage federal construction projects: Thomas Johnson, David Stuart, and Daniel Carroll. along the banks of the “river Potomack,” President George Washington took an active role overseeing construction in the Federal City. 1Īfter Congress passed the Residence Act on July 16, 1790, establishing the location for the new capital city of Washington, D.C. ![]() While many authors and historians have dedicated scholarship and research to the construction of the White House, this article builds upon their efforts by weaving in the stories of the enslaved people who often were excluded entirely from this narrative. Obama highlighted, the use of enslaved labor to build one of the most revered symbols of American democracy, and the home of the President of the United States, represents the paradoxical relationship between the institution of slavery and the ideals of freedom and liberty enshrined in America’s founding documents. Enslaved people worked as axemen, stone cutters, carpenters, brick makers, sawyers, and laborers throughout each stage of construction from 1792 through 1800. Enslaved people were involved in every aspect of White House construction-from the quarrying of stone, to the cutting of timber, to the production of bricks, to the physical labor of assembling its roof and walls. ![]() When First Lady Michelle Obama delivered this powerful statement during a speech before the Democratic National Convention on July 25, 2016, she shed light on a less discussed element of White House history.
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