CIVICS · HISTORICAL MARKER
The President's Oval Office / The Glorious Burden
Civics
2
A full-scale replica of the White House Oval Office stands in this building. When John and Abigail Adams moved into the White House in 1800, it had three oval rooms inspired by changes George Washington made to the Morris House in Philadelphia, where he and Martha lived during his presidency. Theodore Roosevelt ordered construction of the West Wing in 1902 and used a rectangular office there. In 1900, William Howard Taft had the first presidential Oval Office built in the center of the West Wing, and it had no windows. In 1934, Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the Oval Office to its present corner location in the West Wing and added exterior windows and doors for better lighting. The Resolute Desk, a gift from Queen Victoria, is its most recognizable furnishing, and although presidents decorate the room to fit their own tastes and needs, a portrait of George Washington is always present. The U.S. presidency has often been called the Glorious Burden. In 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention created the office with George Washington in mind, trusting him to shape it and define its scope through his character. Much of the office's majesty and power is said to come from the precedents he established. When he took the constitutional oath of office, he added the words "so help me God," and every president since has repeated them. Although the Constitution assigns Congress more than two dozen specific functions and only seven to the president, Washington established many of the rules that guided later presidents, including the function of the Cabinet, the relationship with Congress, and the concept of executive privilege.
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