U.S Congress building in Washington D.C.
Image is from “Hellohowareyoudoing”
Washington D.C. capital of the United States. Home to the document that many people take for granted, although it holds the key to their freedom. Freedom, a guarantee people in many other countries don’t have.
“The monuments are definitely respected, but we could try to learn a bit more about them,” said junior John Schiavone.
Inspired by natural rights, the Declaration of Independence sits alongside the Bill of Rights inside the National Archives Building, both in nearly indestructible cases filled with argon gas to keep them preserved for a very, very long time.
Flooded with tourists, and residents, the National Archives building is but one of the many inspired works of architecture scattered throughout D.C.
But why and how are these structures standing?
Towering 555 feet over the reflecting pool, the Washington Monument was finished on February 15, 1885. This monument is the brainchild of architect Robert Mills, according to the National Park Service. Surrounded by American flags, this humungous obelisk took hundreds of people, and nearly 40,000 blocks of stone to create, and is currently being maintained by over 150 maintenance workers who work hard in keeping the city’s double as a lightning rod clean and ready for the next day.
“This monument is a symbol of the brilliant general who helped find this country. With all the improvements made to the monument since it was built, it will be able to survive flooding, and centuries of erosion,” said Bill, a worker who is in charge of the base area maintenance.
But the Washington Monument is not the only artistic structure standing in Washington D.C.
Just across the reflecting pool stands the Lincoln Memorial.
The proud Murphy marble statue of Lincoln stands above all as a reminder of how an entire race was freed, and a country was united through the loss of countless human lives.
If this monument weren’t maintained by well over a hundred workers, nature would take control, and vines would stretch in, around, and through the memorial.
“It is important that people know how much sweat and tears it took to inspire this work of architecture, and why it will continue to inspire people to aim higher, and higher, knowing that they can,” said the enthusiastic tour guide, who takes tourists throughout the city daily.
Washington D.C. is a modern city, which traces its roots back to when the United States was founded. What happens over in D.C. will continue to be a center of democracy for years to come.
But it is important to keep in mind why these monuments and documents are here. From the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial, to the Arlington Cemetery, these monuments serve as a reminder to what has happened in the past, and what will continue to happen.
