The function of government is a staid, serious affair. Behind the walls of the White House, world-changing decisions are made, while on the lawn, kids have the time of their lives rolling Easter Eggs.
This is the Forgotten History of the President Who Let Them Play.
Rutherford B. Hayes was a serious man. A lawyer by trade, he was a staunch abolitionist who joined the Union Army following the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. He was injured in battle five times and rose through the ranks to become a major general. When the South surrendered, he was elected to Congress and served for two terms before winning the governorship of Ohio in 1868.
In 1876, he ran for President and won the most contentious, controversial election in American history when the House of Representatives awarded him 20 contested electoral votes in what ruefully became known as the “Corrupt Bargain.” With the country so divided and the tail end Reconstruction further pulling apart the southern states, America could ill afford an unserious man to lead it, and Hayes was up to the task.
During the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, Hayes got as tough as he possibly could, calling in the Army to break the will of the strikers. They did more than that, sparking open conflict between workers and militias and the National Guard in multiple states that eventually led to the deaths of upwards of 100 people.
President Hayes earned a reputation as not only a serious man, but also one who was not to be tested. The following April, though, he proved he could be as soft as well as tough.
For decades, the children of Washington DC had a fun unofficial tradition. The day after Easter Sunday, they would gather on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol and roll eggs (and themselves) down the hill. In the early 1800s, First Lady Dolly Madison observed this game and invited even more children the following year. She laughed and clapped along with White House staff as the children gathered every Easter Monday to roll their eggs.
When the Madisons left office, the tradition waned, but roared back in earnest during the presidency of Andrew Johnson following the Civil War. President Johnson invited children in his family would dye eggs on Easter Sunday to roll on the Capitol grounds and on the White House lawn the next day. First Lady Eliza Johnson would watch from the White House portico, and the tradition was reborn.
Each Easter Monday entire families would pack a picnic lunch—and of course their Easter eggs—and gather on the Capitol grounds to play all day. By 1876, there were so many families and so many kids rolling down the hill that the beautifully manicured lawn was badly damaged, forcing Congress to pay a substantial sum of money for repairs—money that Congress just didn’t have.
Leaders simply couldn’t afford to allow egg rolling on the grounds the following year, so a law was passed prohibiting the practice. Easter Monday 1877 saw a torrential downpour, so the egg rollers stayed inside and played at home, but they fully intended to return the following year, regardless of what the law said.
On Easter Monday, 1878, though, egg rollers who showed up at the Capitol faced local law enforcement, who shooed them away. Dejected, the walked toward the White House on their way home, but happened upon President Hayes taking his morning walk.
Mr. President, the children asked, could we roll our eggs on the White House lawn? They wouldn’t let us on the Capitol grounds.
Hayes, the quintessential serious man, was unaware of the tradition. The egg roll had been rained out in the first year of his presidency, so he had no idea what the children of Washington DC were doing. Still, he didn’t see a problem with it.
Flanked by children, Hayes walked back to the White House and, as they waited outside, he conferred with his staffers about whether it would be alright for the kids to roll their eggs on the South Lawn. Hayes walked outside and, with a big (and rare) smile on his face, made an official proclamation: Any children who arrived at the White House to roll eggs would henceforth be allowed to do so.
Word quickly spread among the egg rollers who were being turned away from the Capitol. Dozens and then hundreds showed up as the President and First Lady joyfully watched them play. A new tradition was born. More and more children arrived each Easter Monday of the Hayes presidency, and subsequent presidents turned the Easter Egg Roll into a bigger and bigger event.
It now features music, celebrities, and of course thousands of decorated eggs, and it’s all thanks to a serious man who realized the importance of letting children play.