Inside the French State
Visit
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/02/11/inside-french-state-visit
This morning,
President Obama, Vice President Biden, and the First Lady welcomed French
President François Hollande to the White House – the first state visit by a
French president in nearly 20 years. Chief Official White House Photographer
Pete Souza is documenting the visit via Instagram, including this morning’s
arrival ceremony and activities throughout the day.
France State Visit
President Obama and
the First Lady welcome President François Hollande of France to the
White House.
President Obama and
President Hollande Visit Monticello
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/02/10/president-obama-and-president-hollande-visit-monticello
This afternoon,
President Obama and French President François Hollande visited Monticello, the home of former President Thomas
Jefferson, just outside of Charlottesville,
Virginia. Jefferson, who drafted
the Declaration of Independence, was a noted
Francophile, and served as the U.S. Minister to France from 1785 to 1789.
Monticello, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, is widely regarded as an architectural masterpiece.
Jefferson began work on his home at age 26, designing – and continually
redesigning – the house following neoclassical principles.
After touring Monticello, President Obama remarked that it symbolizes
the “incredible history between the United States
and France,” and the
"incredible bond and the incredible gifts that France
gave to the United States.”
The house also represents the "complicated history of the United States," President Obama said, as
well as the “complex relations” between Jefferson
and the institution of slavery. President Obama added that for France and the United
States, Monticello
is “a reminder for both of us that we’re going to continue to fight on behalf
of the rights of all peoples."
Tomorrow morning,
President Obama and the First Lady will welcome the French President to the
White House, holding a state dinner in his honor tomorrow evening.