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13 Perilous Moments

mostly undamaged. On the morning following the fire, the White House remained standing. The American people were horrified that the British would burn down the home of their president. Even the English people questioned their army’s conduct in the American capital. “The Cossacks spared Paris, but we spared not the capital of America,” wrote the London Statesman newspaper. The Americans and British would eventually agree to peace terms. The White House was rebuilt. President James Monroe and his family became the first occupants of the reconstructed mansion in 1817. And just as Dolley Madison had envisioned, the White House became more than just a place for America’s first family to reside. It would grow into a familiar symbol of the American president, who over the next two centuries would become the most important and powerful person on Earth.

Text-Dependent Questions What was Benjamin Henry Latrobe’s government position from 1803 to 1811 and from 1815 to 1817? What did the job entail? Research Project The War of 1812 has often been called “the Second American Revolution.” To explain this, you will need to research and understand the causes of this conflict, as well as what its resolution meant for the United States and its relationship with Great Britain.