Government

July 4th: Of, By and For ALL the People

/ Luanne Shernisky / 1 Comment

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Wishing my fellow Americans a happy & safe Fourth of July celebration.

(Also, hoping & praying that the recent attempts to weaken our democracy fail and we return to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.)

 

Blogging From A to Z Challenge – N

/ Luanne Shernisky / 2 Comments

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Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism. ~ George Washington

Blogging From A to Z – N

“N” is for National, as in National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The National Mall consists of areas that are part of the West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and refers to the entire area between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly west of the center. The Mall is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and receives approximately 24 million visitors each year.

I snapped this photo from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial facing the Washington Monument with the Reflecting Pool separating the two.

There is so much to see and do in the nation’s capitol! For further information on the National Mall and Memorial Parks click the link.

Blogging From A to Z Challenge – C

/ Luanne Shernisky / 7 Comments

 

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To rule is easy, to govern difficult. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Blogging From A to Z Challenge

“C” is for Capitol, as in the United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

It is located at 100 Constitution Ave. NW and is the meeting place of the Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Capitol has 540 rooms and 658 windows. 

The Dome is 8,909,200 pounds of cast-iron with 108 windows, and was constructed between 1855 and 1866. The statue at the top of dome is the Statue of Freedom.

 The Rotunda stands 180 feet, 3 inches tall and is 96 feet in diameter. Paintings and sculptures depicting significant people and events in U.S. history are on display. This room is also where presidents and distinguished citizens lie in state.

Some Facts You Might Not Know About the Capitol

  • The Capitol was built after Thomas Jefferson held a design competition to elicit entries from the finest American architects
  • The capitol has its own subway system
  • George Washington laid the cornerstone for the Capitol on September 18, 1793
  • There were plans for the first president to be buried under the Capitol in an area called the Crypt
  • There used to be a law that restricted any other building in D.C. from being built taller than the Capitol
  • The statue that sits on the dome is called the Statue of Freedom
  • The Capitol almost burned to the ground during the War of 1812
  • The Dome wasn’t added to the building until the 1850s