War of 1812

Hello. My name is Dolley Madison. My husband, James Madison, was the president, which is like the leader of our whole country, America. We lived in a big, beautiful home called the President's House. It had many rooms, and I loved to make it a happy place for all our visitors. But during this time, starting in the year 1812, our country was having a big disagreement with another country far across the ocean called Great Britain. This disagreement turned into a war. We all hoped for peace, but we knew it was important to be brave for our country.

One hot summer day, on August 24th, 1814, we got some scary news. Soldiers from Great Britain were coming to our city. Oh my. Everyone was in a big hurry to leave and find a safe place. My husband James was away, and people told me, "Dolley, you must leave now.". But I looked around our beautiful home and saw something very special. It was a giant painting of our country's first hero, George Washington. I couldn't just leave it behind. It was a treasure that belonged to all of America. "We must save the painting." I said. It was stuck in a very heavy frame on the wall. My friends and I tried to unscrew it, but it wouldn't budge. We could hear noises outside getting closer. I knew we had to act fast.

We didn't have much time. I told my helpers, "We must break the frame.". So they carefully broke the wooden frame and rolled up the big painting. Just as we finished, I grabbed a few more important papers and hurried out the door. Two kind men took the painting to a safe place. I was so glad it was safe. Later, I learned the soldiers had burned our beautiful President's House. I felt sad, but I was proud we saved a piece of America's story. The war ended later that year, on December 24th, 1814, and America was still free. Our home was rebuilt, even bigger and better, and it was painted white, so people started calling it the White House. And that special painting of George Washington is still safe today for everyone to see. It reminds us to be brave and protect the things we love.