We Don’t Need Kings — We Build Our Own Republic, Art Architecture, and Historical USA

Ana Bikic 0

 

This painting by Tom Freeman for the White House Historical Association shows the burning north and west facades of the White House when it was set aflame by the British soldiers on August 24, 1814 during the War of 1812. British soldiers can be seen in the foreground. It was commissioned during George W. Bush's presidency, but depicts events that occurred during James Madison's. Artist Tom Freeman Date of Work 2004 Credit Tom Freeman /White House Historical Association
Tom Freeman (1952–2015): The Painter of America’s Spirit in Smoke and Flame The dramatic painting you've seenwas created by Tom Freeman, one of the most respected American historical artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. His work blends precision, deep research, and an emotional realism that turns moments from the past into living stories. —“The Burning of the White House, 1814”—

No Kings, No Tyrants - We Built a Republic from the Ashes

George Munger (1814–1815) painted the ruins of the White House in silence.
Tom Freeman (2000) painted it in flame.
Both told the truth: they tried to burn down a republic, and we refused to die.

 Two Artists — Two Moments in Time

George Munger, a quiet American watercolorist, captured the White House after it was burned in 1814 by British troops. No people. No noise. Just smoke, ruin, and the eerie silence of a wounded nation. His painting is called The President’s House.

A companion painting also shows the burned-out Capitol. These are not just illustrations. They are visual elegies.

Tom Freeman, nearly two centuries later, painted the same event, but with fire roaring out of the windows, soldiers moving across the field, and history exploding in red and gold. It was commissioned by the White House Historical Association in the early 2000s.

Munger shows the grief. Freeman shows the fight.

🏛️ Two Architects — Builders of Liberty

James Hoban (1755–1831): An Irish immigrant, trained in Dublin and inspired by Roman republican ideals. Chosen by George Washington to design the White House in 1792. After the fire of 1814, Hoban returned to rebuild. His original vision was neoclassical, modest, democratic, and civic-minded.

Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764–1820): A British-American architect who redesigned the White House interiors and contributed to the Capitol. Latrobe believed architecture could shape virtue, symmetry, clarity, and strength of form. He left his mark not just in buildings, but in ideas.

Together, they didn’t build a throne. They built a republic.

🗳️ Juxtaposition: The Fire Then, the Fire Now

In 1814, the White House burned.
Today, it is the Constitution under fire.

They tried to destroy the American experiment with flames.
Today, they use propaganda, lies, digital mobs, and soft tyranny.

Back then, Americans fought monarchy and foreign rule.
Today, we fight the modern monarchy of globalist feudalism, a system hidden beneath corporate banners and climate slogans, selling unity while enforcing silence.

President Trump was framed as a tyrant, painted as a king.
The "No Kings" protest was a political act, turning the true defender of American sovereignty into a villain. But Trump does not stand for monarchy, he stands against it.

The real threat is a new form of tyranny:

Globalist agendas

Unelected bureaucrats

Foreign influence over law, speech, and currency

Control dressed as progress

Betrayal hidden behind inclusion

 Just like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, tyranny today wears soft clothing.
It smiles. It offers convenience. But it devours the truth.

 Protagonists Needed — Learn, Speak, Refuse

We cannot be complacent.

We must:

  • Study the Constitution

  • Understand our laws

  • Recognize the symbols and lies used against us

  • Speak truth even when it’s unpopular

We are not just citizens.
We are protagonists in the greatest story of liberty ever written.

Like the builders who returned after the fire, we must rebuild—not just walls, but meaning.

“We don’t need kings. We don’t need masks. We need courage and truth.”

🖼️ Where to See the Paintings

James Hoban (1755–1831)

  • Born in County Kilkenny, Ireland

  • Trained in Dublin, influenced by neoclassical design

  • Immigrated to the U.S., selected by Washington in 1792

  • Designed and rebuilt the White House

  • A man of modesty, vision, and service

Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764–1820)

  • Born in England, became a U.S. citizen

  • Redesigned White House interiors post-fire

  • Helped shape the Capitol and early infrastructure

  • Believed buildings teach values

  • Died working on New Orleans’ water system

 Artist Biographies

George Munger (1781–1825)

Watercolor painting of the burned White House in 1814 by George Munger, showing fire-damaged walls and a collapsed roof, symbolic of national resilience

 George Munger (1781–1825) White House copy of the watercolor Notes by Kloss, William, et al. Art in the White House: A Nation's Pride. Washington, D.C.: The White House Historical Association,


 We Built a Republic from the Ashes

 Two Artists — Two Moments in Time

George Munger (1781–1825)
Munger painted “The President’s House” around 1814–1815, after the White House was burned during the War of 1812. His watercolor shows the hollow, ruined shell of the building in poetic silence. No soldiers. No fire. Just the eerie calm after devastation. It reflects mourning, loss, and resilience.

Tom Freeman (1952–2015)
Nearly two centuries later, Freeman’s “The Burning of the White House, 1814” blazes with action—British soldiers, red flame, black smoke. Commissioned in 2004 by the White House Historical Association, it speaks to the fight, the chaos, and the urgency of defense. His work transforms archival truth into emotional storytelling.

Munger’s painting is grief.
Freeman’s is defiance.
Both tell the same truth: They tried to burn a republic. We refused to die.

🏛️ Two Architects — Builders of Liberty

James Hoban (1755–1831)
An Irish immigrant trained in Dublin. Chosen by George Washington in 1792 to design the White House. Hoban’s vision was modest and civic, not regal. After the fire of 1814, he was brought back to lead the rebuilding effort. His neoclassical style was rooted in balance, clarity, and republican ideals.

Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764–1820)
British-born, later American. Architect of the Capitol’s early designs. Redesigned White House interiors after the fire. Believed architecture could shape public virtue. His work emphasized form, order, and restraint. Died working on New Orleans' water system—a builder until the end.

They didn’t build a throne...They built a republic.

 Juxtaposition: The Fire Then, the Fire Now

In 1814, the White House burned.
Today, the Constitution is under fire....They once used flames and invasion.

Now they use lies, propaganda, digital mobs, and “soft tyranny.”

President Trump was framed as a tyrant, a king.
But the truth? He stood against globalist monarchy, not for it.

The real threat is creeping feudalism, a false unity ruled by unelected elites, tech censorship, foreign policy collusion, and ideological manipulation. This is not evolution. It is deception in a crown.

Like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood—tyranny now wears lace.

Do not be silent.
Do not be complacent.
This is how freedom burns, quietly, until it's gone.

Study the Constitution
 Recognize the signs
 Speak even when it’s unpopular
 Reclaim our republic with truth.

“We don’t need kings. We don’t need masks. We need courage and truth.”

Where to See the Paintings

George Munger – “The President’s House” (1814–1815)
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Collection: White House Historical Association
 View online: whitehousehistory.org

Tom Freeman – “The Burning of the White House” (2004)
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Commissioned by: White House Historical Association
 More: Tom Freeman at WHHA

Architect Biographies

James Hoban (1755–1831)

  • Irish-born, trained in Dublin

  • Selected by George Washington in 1792

  • Designed and rebuilt the White House

  • Advocated civic elegance over monarchy

Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764–1820)

  • British-American architect

  • Redesigned Capitol and White House interiors

  • Believed architecture shaped democracy

  • Died building New Orleans’ water system

Artist Biographies

George Munger (1781–1825)

  • American engraver and watercolorist

  • Painted one of the only eyewitness images of the White House after the fire

  • His work evokes silence, loss, and resilience

Tom Freeman (1952–2015)

  • Self-taught painter from Maryland

  • Official artist for U.S. Navy, Marines, NASA

  • Painted over 1,000 historic works

  • Known for cinematic detail and truth-driven storytelling

🏛️ Final Reflection

We are not just preserving history.
We are living it again.

“The White House rose from ashes. Our republic can too, if we stay awake.”

They burned the house.
They tried to crown tyrants.
But we rebuilt in stone and reason—not in gold or silence.

Freedom is not free.
It takes vigilance, truth, and protagonism.

White House Fire, 1814 Burned White House, James Hoban, Benjamin Latrobe, War of 1812, No Kings, U.S. Capitol Burned, Republic vs Monarchy, Munger Painting, White House History, Freedom Standing

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Group 1: Art & Artists (Historical & Modern)

Tom Freeman historical paintings, George Munger watercolor 1814, White House fire art, War of 1812 painting, American historical artists, symbolic political art, U.S. patriotic art

Architecture & Architects
James Hoban White House architect, Benjamin Latrobe U.S. Capitol, neoclassical architecture USA, Irish-American architects, classical republican design, civic buildings post-war

 Historic Events & Dates
White House burned 1814, War of 1812 destruction, British invasion of Washington, Capitol fire 1814, rebuilding White House 1817, post-war U.S. architecture, fire and rebirth of republic

Countries & Historical Roles - Britain vs America 1812, Irish influence in U.S. design, American republic vs British monarchy, U.S. independence legacy, European architects in America, Washington D.C. war history

 Themes & Symbolism - freedom over monarchy, no kings in America, architectural symbols of liberty, republic vs tyranny, historical art commentary, fire as metaphor, civic rebirth in architecture, Tom Freeman art, George Munger painting, War of 1812 art, White House fire 1814, historical American artists, symbolic U.S. art

James Hoban architect, Latrobe Capitol, neoclassical U.S. design, Irish-American architecture, classical freedom symbols
White House burned 1814, Capitol destroyed, War of 1812 events, British burned D.C., White House rebuilt 1817
Britain vs USA 1812, U.S. republic history, European architects in America, Ireland to U.S. architecture legacy
no kings in America, republic vs monarchy, liberty symbols in architecture, civic values, historical art against tyranny

White House Burning – Historical Event

Artists: Tom Freeman & George Munger

🏛️ Architecture & Rebuilding of the White House

🇺🇸 Republic vs Monarchy / Symbolism & Values

Art as History & Political Commentary

Educational Resources & Context



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