The idea of an event where any citizen was invited into the White House to shake hands with the President, without any kind of security, sounds odd (and probably unsafe) to our modern ears. However, until 1933, grand public receptions were held in the White House every New Years Day.
George Washington had instituted a Presidential open house reception on the 4th of July, both in New York and Philadelphia. Everyone was invited. No formal invitations were needed.
Washington's successor, John Adams, as Chief Occupant in the new President's House (what we now call the White House) in Washington, especially in a centennial year, Adams believed it was the "people's house" and it was incumbent upon him, its first resident, to extend hospitality. On New Year's Day, 1801, the doors were opened to any an all persons in Washington DC who wished to come by, shake his hand and exchange a greeting. A Year later, Adam's successor, Thomas Jefferson, followed suit and cordially greeted any and all who wished to shake his hand on New Year's Day. With this, a new tradition was born.
Public Presidential receptions differed somewhat from official or private ones. These receptions were created with the purpose to express cordiality to the general public. Refreshments were very modest or not included. If refreshments were served depended on the President, as he was excepted to pay for the refreshments out of his own pocket. This was the expectation until Calvin Coolidge as President (1923-1929).
There were very few rules around who could attend these Presidential open houses. As long as a person, male or female, was properly dressed (most people dressed in their best clothes) and was willing to stand in line, they could attend the reception. One unwritten rule was the blacks, whether free or slave, could attend. This tacit understanding was based on the idea that few blacks would be able to afford to be "properly" dressed, and neither whites nor blacks would feel comfortable standing in line with each other.
The Presidential Reception held by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863 is arguably the most important, and perhaps most famous, of these New Year receptions.
The Civil War was raging, and Abraham Lincoln had made a decision that would shock the nation, and also change the entire purpose of the great war. In 1862, he had announced his Emancipation Proclamation, with it going into effect on January 1, 1863. Knowing the importance of the day, Abraham Lincoln came down to the Blue Room in at 11 am, to begin the New Year Days reception by welcoming high ranking public officials and invited guests. A half hour later, the White House doors were opened to the general public. For the next 3 hours, Lincoln would shake the hands of every person who had waited in line to meet him.
Hundreds of Northerners who had been active in anti-slavery efforts, some for a generation, had come to Washington for this reception, understanding the importance of the day. Thousands had lined Pennsylvania Avenue, waiting to shake the Presidents hand. His arm grew tired, and his kid gloves were stained by contact with thousands of hands. But everyone who came was welcome, and got their chance to meet the Commander in Chief.
At 3 pm, the reception ended, and Abraham Lincoln moved to a different room to sign his name to the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln knew that copies of the important document would be shared around the country, and he wanted his signature to be strong. However, due to hours just spent shaking hands, Lincoln was worried that his hand would shake when trying to sign the document, and that it would be interpreted as hesitation or nervousness on his part on signing this important document. He made a comment that it was necessary to ensure his signature was bold, so he took extra care to ensure no shake would be visible in his signature on the document.
As monumental as the 1863 reception was, it could be argued that the 1864 reception was even more groundbreaking. The reception in 1864 was the first year where a few well-dressed, cultured and educated Blacks were admitted to the Reception. It would mark the first time that Blacks would be permitted to attend a social event at the White House.
Although the tradition of a New Year's Reception at the White House would last for 70 more years, it's popularity and feasibility would begin to fade. The reception became cumbersome and onerous for the President. As the population of Washington grew, so did the number of attendees to the receptions, with the number of attendees at the reception in the early 1900s exceeding 9,000 guests. Presidents complained of the reception leaving them with a sore hand and arm. The more guests that attended, the longer people were expected to stand outside in the cold, wet, damp winter weather. People standing together being chilled to the bone, coughing and sneezing, quickly became a health concern, and led to President Herbert Hoover deciding to be "out of town" on New Years Day in 1933, essentially cancelling the Presidential Reception. No President since has sought to revive the tradition, with obvious reasons playing into that decision.
I find it very interesting that for over a 100 years, this tradition was kept up by Presidents, as a show to the country that both the President, and the White House, belonged to "the people". In ways, it makes me sad that opportunities like this for the President to mingle with the common people is no longer possible, and reminds me of the true intent of the founding fathers, that the President be of the people, not above them.
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