The Buring of the Capitol and the White House

​Describe the burning of the Capitol and the White House

​On August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812 between the United States and England, British troops entered Washington, D.C. and burned the White House, the Capitol, and destroyed the whole city in retaliation for the American attack on the city of York in Ontario, Canada, in June 1813.

Multiple Choice

What City did the American troops attack in 1813?

• Toronto

• Montreal

• Ontario

• Quebec

When the British arrived at the White House, they found that President James Madison and his first lady Dolley had already fled to safety in Maryland. Soldiers reportedly sat down to eat a meal made of leftover food from the White House scullery using

​White House dishes and silver before ransacking the presidential mansion and setting it ablaze.

Multiple Choice

When the British arrived at the White House they found that:

• James Madison and Dolley Madison had fled to Virginia.

• James Madison and Dolley Madison had fled to Maryland.

Multiple Choice

When British soldiers invaded the White house what did they do?

• They ate and went to sleep.

• They ate left over food from the White House Scullery, ransacked it, and set it on fire.

• They set a picture of George Washington on fire.

Multiple Choice

What historical document did the British Soldiers violate when they invaded the White House?

• The Stamp Act

• The Bill of Rights

• The Declaration of Independence

• The Sugar Act

​Dolley Madison and a few servants scanned the horizon with spyglasses waiting for either Madison or the British army to show up. As British troops gathered in the distance, Dolley decided to abandon the couple’s personal belongings and instead

​saved a full-length portrait of former president George Washington