Part III. Annexation and Division - Our White House

Part III of Our White House, “Annexation and Division,” focuses almost exclusively on our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, and his family. This section of the book opens with a poignant illustration of Union soldiers encamped in the White House (pictured at left), followed by an excerpt of Charles Dickens’ own impressions of the White House in the mid-nineteenth century. Also included is the story of former slave Elizabeth Keckly and her work as First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln’s seamstress, as well as tales of the young Lincoln boys, poetry mourning the Lincoln family’s tragic losses, and a first-hand account of the Civil War in our nation’s capital.

If you do not have a copy of Our White House in your classroom or home, please consider checking out a copy from your local library or purchasing one online here.

To print the Education Resource Guide that includes activities and discussion questions regarding the content included in Part III of Our White House, click here.

The table of contents for Part III of Our White House is listed below. To the right of each article or illustration title, in the “Read More” column, are links to relevant, supplemental content on this website to help you expand the educational potential of the book’s contents.

Table of Contents	Read More
ANNEXATION AND DIVISION Illustration by Timothy Basil Ering	Presidential Fact Files Choosing Sides: The Rise of Party Politics The Donkey and the Elephant
From *American Notes* by Charles Dickens illustrated by Claire Nivola	Looking In, Looking Out by Gregory Maguire Memory of the White House by Susan Cooper Field Trip Guide: Visiting the White House with Children and Teens Presidential Fact Files: John Tyler
**On Looking into Dresses Worn by the "First Ladies" of the White House (Paper Doll Cut-outs), 1938** by Nancy Willard illustrated with original book cover and paper dolls by Maybelle Mercer	First Lady Fact Files From White House Hostess to American Powerhouse: The Evolution of the First Lady’s Title and Role
Elizabeth Keckly: Seamstress to First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, 1861-1865 by Patricia C. and Fredrick L. McKissack illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon	First Lady Fact Files: Mary Todd Lincoln From White House Hostess to American Powerhouse: The Evolution of the First Lady’s Title and Role
*High Spirits in the Lincoln White House* by Russell Freedman	Presidential Fact Files: Abraham Lincoln First Lady Fact Files: Mary Todd Lincoln Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Wild Animals at the White House The White House Library: A Twice Told Tale Knock, Knock! Whoooo’s There? Spooky Stories from Children of the White House
*Mary Todd Lincoln Speaks of Her Son’s Death, 1862* by Paul B. Janeczko	First Lady Fact Files: Mary Todd Lincoln From White House Hostess to American Powerhouse: The Evolution of the First Lady’s Title and Role Presidential Fact Files: Abraham Lincoln Knock, Knock! Whoooo’s There? Spooky Stories from Children of the White House
Memoir by Mary Henry: Eyewitness to the Civil War in the City of Washington	Presidential Fact Files: Abraham Lincoln
*In Early April* by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Chris Sheban	Presidential Fact Files: Abraham Lincoln First Lady Fact Files: Mary Todd Lincoln The White House Library: A Twice Told Tale Knock, Knock! Whoooo’s There? Spooky Stories from Children of the White House