DAY 2 EXPLORE WASHINGTON, D.C.

July 2, 2015: 

The highlights of my second day in Washington D.C. are:

• Enjoying the Washington Monument
• Visiting Arlington National Cemetery and paying tribute to the fallen soldiers, visiting John F. Kennedy's gravesite and seeing the Eternal Flame, and witnessing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
• Going to the Lincoln Memorial and standing where MLK Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech
• Sharing thoughts about the day’s events at the leadership meeting.

I found the following facts in my People to People program guide. I thought you would like to see what I'm learning about the places I'll be visiting on my second day.

-Andrew

THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT is the tallest building in Washington, D.C.

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Ø  Born in 1732 and died in 1799

Ø  First President of the United States (1789–1797)

Ø  Revolutionary War hero 

GEORGE WASHINGTON MONUMENT

Ø  In 1833, the Washington National Monument Society began to raise funds for the Monument

Ø  On July 4, 1848, the first cornerstone was laid using the same trowel George Washington used to lay the cornerstone for the Capitol in 1793

Ø  Height is 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches, stands 50 stories tall,  and weighs 90.854 tons

Ø  Took 25 years to complete due to delays and resulted in a discoloration in the stone used

Ø  Completed on December 6, 1884

Ø  Surrounded by Flags representing the 50 states and six U.S. territories

Ø  Interior walls are finished with 193 commemorative stones

Sources:

wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument

nps.gov/wamo/index.htm

nps.gov/wamo/faqs.htm

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY honors those who fought for our country.

Arlington National Cemetery

Ø  Pays tribute to the fallen soldiers.  

Ø  Site of John F. Kennedy's grave

Ø  Site of The Tomb of the Unknowns

Ø  Memorializes than 240,000 American military men and women and their dependents

Ø  Is on same land that once belonged to members of George Washington and Robert E. Lee’s families

Ø  Began as a burial ground for Union dead

Sources:

arlingtoncemetery.org

THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL is the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Ø   Born in 1809 and died in 1865

Ø  16th President of the United States, 1861–1865

Ø  His legacy of social justice, freedom for all, and national unity live on

The LINCOLN MEMORIAL

Ø  Looks out on the Reflecting Pool with a view up the Mall toward the Washington Monument

Ø  Construction began on February 12, 1915

Ø  Height is 99 feet above the ground, 80 feet above foundation

Ø  Weight of the statue is 120 tons

Ø  Lincoln’s statue was doubled from its original size so it would not be dwarfed by the building itself

Ø  Is carved from 28 blocks of marble because no single block was large enough

Ø  The Gettysburg Address is inscribed on the wall of the southern section

Ø  Was dedicated on May 30, 1922

Ø  Citizens come here to draw attention to causes and issues that divide as well as unite us

Sources:

nps.gov/linc/index.htm