American Presidents & Their Families

They grew up to be president but what were their childhoods like?

The Truman Dogs

“If you want a friend in Washington,” Harry Truman once said, “get a dog.”

He also said: “Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.”Truman's dog Feller

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Benjamin Banneker’s Letter to Thomas Jefferson, 1791

bannekar-stampPrior to the publication of his first almanac, Benjamin Banneker decided to send a pre-publication manuscript to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, along with a cover letter.  He felt if Jefferson were to see the fine work accomplished by a black man, it might lead to Jefferson re-visiting his personal stance on slavery.

For two weeks, Banneker labored over the letter, and on August 19, 1791 he read his handwritten letter for the last time and sealed it into a package with the manuscript, directing to Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State.

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