The Oval Office: A Place in History Elizabeth Kibler 1America's presidents have had to make many important decisions during thei
r terms in office. They made many of these important choices in the famous Oval Office. The Oval Office is the private office of the President of the United States of America. Located in the West Wing of the White House, the Oval Office represents the power and responsibility of the president. 2Before President Howard Taft built the original Oval Office, most presidents living in the White House did their work in the room that is now called the Lincoln Bedroom. In 1909, President Taft built the first Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House. Taft built the office because he wanted his staff to have a center from which they could all work. A fire in the West Wing damaged the original Oval Office in 1929. President Herbert Hoover, however, restored the office after the fire. When Franklin Roosevelt became president, he moved the Oval Office to a different section of the West Wing so he could easily enter the office in his wheelchair. President Roosevelt completed the modern Oval Office in 1934, and it has stayed in the same place ever since. 3Although the structure of the office has remained the same, each president has decorated the office in his own way. The style of the room often changes when a new president takes office. The first Oval Office had green drapes and carpeting. Since then, the drapes and carpeting have been many different colors. Presidents also change the arrangement and types of furniture in the office. 4Presidents even have the opportunity to design a special carpet for the Oval Office. The Oval Office carpet includes the Seal of the President of the United States. The seal shows the eagle holding an olive branch, which represents peace, in its right foot, and arrows, which represent strength, in its left foot. A banner above the eagle reads e pluribus unum, a Latin phrase meaning “out of many, one.” Fifty stars representing the fifty states surround the eagle. President George W. Bush’s Oval Office carpet had the seal in the center surrounded by yellow sunbeams. 5One fixture of the modern Oval Office is the Resolute desk. The Resolute desk was a gift from the Queen of England to President Rutherford Hayes in 1880. In 1855, American sailors found an abandoned British ship called the HMS Resolute. The United States government returned the ship to England as a sign of peace. When the British Navy retired the Resolute, the Queen had the ships' timbers turned into a desk. Since 1880, all but three presidents have used the Resolute desk. President John F. Kennedy was the first to put the desk in the Oval Office. A famous photograph shows him working at the desk while his son plays underneath it. 6The Oval Office’s style may have changed over the years, but its importance has not. American presidents have welcomed heads of state, representatives, and royalty to the Oval Office. Furthermore, many presidents do their most important work from the Oval Office, including meeting with members of Congress, vetoing and signing legislation, and making formal addresses to the nation. The Oval Office is a symbol of the president and will interest the public for generations to come. Question: Ms. Kibler shares interesting facts and information about the Oval Office. Analyze the central ideas in sections three and six. Hint: Be sure to identify the main idea of both sections AND consider how those ideas are similar and different.
