Washington
DC
By
Meredith Gbur
Cedarville
University
History of the Capitol
|
Fun Facts About Presidents
|
What does DC stand
for?
|
Symbols and
Facts
|
African American
Heritage
|
Monuments and Attractions
|
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to United States Page!
Most of
the text on this website is adapted from the World Almanac for Kids
History
of the Capitol
· 
1790
The site for Washington is approved on this date. Because the South paid
for North's war debts, the Northern states agree to a Southern capital.
The site along the Potomac River had been supported by George Washington,
who had camped in the area as a youth. Pierre Charles L'Enfant is hired
as city planner, but fired after one year.
· 
1793
Construction of the Capitol begins.
· 
1800
The first wing of the Capitol is finished. The Library of Congress is opened
the year after.(1801)
·1814
During the War of 1812, the British march into Washington. The Executive
Mansion is burnt but the Capitol is saved by a large thunderstorm. The
rain actually helped calm the fire down!
· 
1817
The Executive Mansion is rebuilt and painted White. It is renamed the White
House. It is the same building where our President lives today.
Look
at this HIstory Timeline of the United States
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Fun
Facts About Presidents
(click
on the name to find out more!)
-
James
Madison was the shortest president, measuring 5 feet, 4 inches.
-
W.
H. Harrison had the shortest presidency. He only served one month in
1841.
-
Tyler
had the most children (15 all together!).
-
Taft
was the largest president. He stood about 6 feet (180 centimeters) tall
and weighed more than 300 pounds (136 kilograms).
-
President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, were cousins.
-
Nixon
was our only president to resign.
Click on the
flag to learn other fun facts about presidents!
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Page!
African
American Heritage 
-
The first
black African slaves in America arrived during the early 1600's, when slavery
based on race became a way of life in all 13 colonies.
-
During
the mid-1800s, abolitionists began to enter politics. They wanted
to "abolish" slavery, which is how they got their name. Many abolitionists
used their homes to help black slaves escape the South to enjoy freedom
in the North. This was called the "Underground Railroad" even though it
wasn't underground and didn't involve any trains.
-
Congress
established the Freedmen's Bureau in 1865 to help former slaves resettle
into life. Despite its accomplishments, the Freedmen's Bureau did not solve
the serious economic problems of black Americans. Most continued to live
in poverty.
-
In 1905,
the Niagara Movement was founded by a group of black scholars and teachers
led by W.E.B. Du Bois. The group also worked to eliminate racial discrimination.
-
In the
early to mid- 1900's, racial discrimination became worse and worse in some
parts of our country. Strict segregation and "Jim Crow Laws" were very
common in the South.
-
Many African-Americans
served the United States nobly in World War II. After the war, they
began to work for fair treatment and desegregation in our country. THis
was called the civil rights movement.
-
On August
28, 1963, the civil rights movement reached its height of attention and
impact with a huge March in Washington, D.C. The March on Washington attracted
more than 200,000 marchers to the Lincoln Memorial. At the march, Martin
Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
-
In 1968,
Martin Luther King Jr., who many believe was the most important leader
of the civil rights movement, was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee,
at the age of 39.
-
In 1983,
the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a famous civil rights leader, announced his plan
to run for President. Although he did not win, this still showed people
that blacks play a key role in national politics.
-
On October
16, 1995, the Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan, organized
the Million Man March. About 400,000 people, mostly black men and boys,
participated in the march.
Think
about it!
Imagine
you are a black student in 1956. You are aware of the civil rights movement
and want to participate. What do you do to help the movement?
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Monuments
and Attractions
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Page!
What does
DC stand for?
D.C. stands for District
of Columbia. It is called District of Columbia
because it was built on land of the Territory of Columbia, originally a
10 mile square piece of land, that used to be part of Virginia and Maryland.
Washington DC is now 68.2 square miles. The territory of Columbia
was named after Christopher Columbus.
The District of Columbia—identical
with the City of Washington—is
the capital of the United States. It is located between Virginia and Maryland
on the Potomac River.
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Symbols
and Facts
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Page!
