SURPRISING FACTS? WHITE HOUSE FACTS
1 THE WHITE HOUSE WAS PARTIALLY BUILT BY ENSLAVED WORKERS
Construction on the White House began in 1792 on a site in Washington DC selected by the first US president, George Washington. Over the next eight years, a mix of free African-American and white wage labourers, enslaved workers and skilled craftsmen toiled on the project, undertaking duties such as carpentry, stonemasonry and bricklaying.
Some of the enslaved workers were owned by the city commissioners charged with overseeing the project, as well as the building’s architect, James Hoban. The vast majority, however, were hired from their owners in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland, who then pocketed the enslaved people’s wages.
Interestingly, many of the construction crews were shuttled back and forth between the White House and the nearby United States Capitol (built between 1793 and 1800), depending on which building site
