Presidential House

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The President Homes ( Presidential Homes ) are a kind of historical sites in the US. The majority of these are the houses in which the US presidents lived before or after their term in office. In some cases, their Presidential Birthplaces , such as For example, the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site in Brookline near Boston, or there are houses in which later presidents spent their youth such as the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in Dixon (Illinois) .

overview

What all presidential houses have in common is that they are now run as museums, almost always have original items from the possession of the president and his family, such as furniture, works of art and books, and are usually open to the public. An exception is the house of President John Tyler (term of office 1841–1845) near Williamsburg , Virginia , from which only the park can be visited, as his descendants still live in the house today. The ownership of the houses is very different. In the case of Mount Vernon , it is a women's organization founded in the 19th century, The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.

Many homes are under the administration of the US National Park Service , such as Hyde Park (originally called Springwood), the estate of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945), and Sagamore Hill, the home of Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) on Long Iceland. Others are locally privately owned, such as the Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893) Home in Indianapolis. Visitor numbers vary between more than a million a year at Mount Vernon and a few thousand a year in the homes of almost forgotten presidents such as Millard Fillmore (1850-1853) House in East Aurora , New York .

The presidential houses span almost three centuries. The residences of the first two presidents, George Washington and John Adams, date back to the first half of the 18th century. The houses reflect the change in the American presidency from a domain of wealthy landowners to a middle-class living environment, such as that embodied in Abraham Lincoln's house in Springfield , Illinois .

The early days (1789–1845)

Four of the first five presidents were landowners in Virginia . In particular, the mansions of George Washington (1789–1797), Mount Vernon, and Thomas Jefferson (1801–1803), Monticello , are opulent estates on what were once considerable lots. The museums or visitor centers tell in both cases - just like on James Madison's (1809–1817) Montpelier and James Monroes (1817–1825) Ashlawn-Highland of the roles that these statesmen played in the founding of the United States how they shaped the United States of America. Museum didactics must take into account the fact that men like Jefferson, who articulated man's ideals of freedom and made them the basis of American independence, kept other people in bondage themselves: all four founding presidents from Virginia were slaves . The same applies to Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), whose country estate The Hermitage near Nashville , Tennessee , bears witness to the social rise of the ex-general, which among other things made it possible for him to keep slaves.

The rise of the bourgeoisie (1845–1901)

With increasing democratization, heavy immigration, and the conquest of the American West, it became more and more opportune for top politicians to come from a decidedly simple background. The log cabin , the wooden hut in which a candidate should be born, became a political catchphrase. The (supposed) hut in which Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) was born is today in Hodgenville ( Kentucky issued). The exhibits in the historic national park around his house in Springfield, Illinois, provide much more authentic information about the civil war president and slave liberator's political career and worldview.

Homes of presidents who came from a humble background and who fulfilled the American dream of ascending to the highest office of the state include Andrew Johnson (1865–1869) in Greeneville, Tennessee, and by Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877) in Galena, Illinois and by James Garfield (1881) in Mentor, Ohio.

The 20th century

More than ever, professional politicians moved into the White House in the modern age. One of the few exceptions is Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961), whose fame as Commander-in-Chief of the Allies in the war against Hitler was the basis of his political career. Eisenhower and his wife bought a farm near Gettysburg , Pennsylvania in 1950 , the site of the decisive battle of the American Civil War and the most famous speech by Abraham Lincoln. Eisenhower received state guests to whom he wanted to express his appreciation, including the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer . With its original furnishings, the house reflects the personal modesty of the Eisenhowers and the typical taste of the 1950s. The house is one of the “youngest” of all presidential houses. By Lyndon B. Johnson apart (1963-1969) and his farm in Texas, there is by any of his successors until now an authentic, accessible to the public house.

The presidential houses are not places in which history should be "objectively" presented. Rather, it is intended to remember the respective presidents as in the cases of Warren G. Harding (1921–1923) Home in Marion , Ohio , and in the Herbert Hoover (1929–1933) National Historic Site in West Branch , Iowa .

Presidential Libraries

Presidential libraries have been owned by every president from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Bill Clinton and, depending on the definition of “Presidential Library,” some past presidents.

Since 1978, the Presidential Records Act has governed how to deal with the President's records that document his constitutional, legal, and ceremonial duties: they remain the property of the United States government. At the end of the term, the United States archivist will hold the documents. According to the law, these documents can be kept in the respective presidential libraries.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ronald D. Barley: Rendezvous with America's President. On the way to the places of their lives. Primus, Darmstadt 2012. pp. 61–65.
  2. ^ Henry Wiencek: The Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson. Smithsonian (Magazine), October 2012
  3. ↑ Lincoln Home National Historic Site (US National Park Service)

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