Senator Daniel Webster

Being a well known orator and politician Daniel Webster was very famous in early American society. Webster was an advocate for the Compromise of 1850 holding the Union together as long as possibly could be held onto. The Compromise ended the slave trade in DC, Webster held many ideals and views that Lincoln did. Being an early advocate for the Union and ending Slave trade Webster was well respected and liked in DC. His home is now part of the recorder of deeds building. The old neighborhood in which his home stood was once a very prominent neighborhood housing vice presidents and senators. Also the homes were close to the Capitol which were pivotal for all of these politicians who lives so close.

Old City Hall

The old city hall was designed by George Hadfield and was finished in 1850. It was the home of the city's court, the city council and mayor until 1871. This building also has history with the end of slavery. In this old city hall a 3 man commission had to come up with the dollar amount of ex slaves to repay their former slave owners. This was Lincolns idea as a way to slowly win over union citizens who had had slaves before the emancipation proclamation. The only place this commission actually worked was in DC. In the front of the old city hall was a statue of Abraham Lincoln serving as the first national monument to the former President.

The National Building Museum

Being the only museum to honor American architecture, urban planning, construction, engineering and design the National Building Museum is housed in a structure that fits its purpose,designed to look like the nations capital. being built in 1887 this building was built to house the pension bureau. The pension bureau issued money to the families and ex civil war veterans. The building was designed by General Montgomery C. Meigs a Quartermaster who had lost his own son in the Civil War. Some people even consider the building the Vietnam Memorial of the Civil War. Inside the circular shaped top depictions of all the areas of the Union Army. The men are depicted as carvings in the wall. Each area is represented From the cavalry and Infantry to the Medics and Quartermasters. In 1960 the building was threatened with being demolished but citizen action kept the building around.

Lillian and Albert Small Jewish Museum

The Lillian and Albert Small Jewish Museum is the oldest surviving synagogue in DC. It was built in 1876 and served the German-Jewish immigrants that lived in the neighborhood. After serving the community for many years the synagogue was moved to a new location where it became a museum.The area in which the synagogue first stood was an area with many immigrants and offered them a foothold when first moving to America. As a museum the synagogue was named after two of its former members who helped keep the building and turn it into a museum.With such a strong immigrant population in the area many religious buildings have changed. For instance in the same location the Lillian and Albert Small Synagogue stood, A Greek Orthodox church was built once the synagogue was moved. Many other religious buildings have seen this happen to, When one would move away another even different religions would move in.

Mary Surratt's boarding house.

Being 5 blocks away from Fords Theater Mary Surratt's boarding house served as a home for conspirators in the Abraham Lincoln assassination. John Wilkes Booth was a famous actor at the Fords theater and had a hatred for the president for sometime. He gathered a group together to take down many union figure heads. Three days after the assassination of Lincoln authorities visited Mary at her boarding house and arrested her later hanging her for being a conspirator. The boarding house, although never housing a real meeting, was referred to as "the nest in which the egg was hatched". Mary's son who had more to do with the murder than her was acquitted. Mary housed union and confederates alike during her days running the house but had both sons who fought for the confederacy.

Chinatown

The first Immigrants from China arrived to DC in 1851 and by 1884 the first Chinatown was established in DC on Pennsylvania Avenue with approximately 100 people. By 1903 Chinatown not only had residents but many shops and businesses as well all run by Chinese families.The area grew throughout the early 1900's until the Federal Government forced the Chinese families out because of the development of the Federal Triangle Project. Although many of the families moved away from the area in the 1970's The Chinese culture still remains very strong due to organizations that keep up with history and culture of the area. The Friendship Arch greets those who enter China town and is the largest Chinese archway in the nation, It symbolizes the friendship of Beijing with DC.

Fords Theatre

A National park as well as a theater to this day the Fords Theater is famous because it is where John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. The Museum is still in very good shape and is considered a National Park so it is taken care of by Park Rangers. When first walking in you go through a basement like museum with many exhibits ranging from weapons used to kill Lincoln to pictures of Lincoln through his presidency depicting how his face withered through the years. It is fascinating to know that the artifacts in the museum are actually the real artifacts and not replicas. John Wilkes Booths boot he wore is on display and even has the leather cut from where his foot had to be cut from his boot because of his broken leg. Being in the place where something in history happened is hard to put into words but it almost feels like you are part of it. Walking into the Theater you can look into Abraham Lincolns actual box where he was killed and see the escape route Booth took. The Theater is still in production today offering plays as well as tours. Also many of the buildings around the Fords Theater are historical spots as well, directly across from the Theater is where Lincoln was taken and actually came to rest.

Food Stops

Not only were we exposed to some of the most historical sites and artifacts as well as immersed in years of knowledge but we also were able to eat at a few places that were awesome. As we drove up to what looked almost to be an old fishing village we were given the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a fresh fish market right on the Potomac, where the fish,crab, and shrimp is cooked right before your eyes. This Market shows the diversity of the city, not only can one eat at a nice restaurant but you can get fresh things as well. Our next stop was Ben's Chili bowl which is an old chili parlour that boasts some of the best chili in the nation. Patrons of Ben's chili bowl include Bill Cosby and Our own President Barrack Obama.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDWquLZzNTs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrg2S-cJWKw

Newseum

One of the coolest and most interesting places to visit in DC is the Newseum. The Newseum is just what it sounds like, a museum with news. Offering many hands on exhibits, interactive software, and even a 4-D movie which was very fun. There are 7 floors of exhibits so it is hard to see everything in one day that is why you have a 2 day pass. The bottom floor offers prize winning pictures as well as weapons and stories from mobsters and a piece of the berlin wall ( by piece I mean tower and 20 feet of wall). Working your way up each level offers something new. The building itself boasts modern day architecture and the view of the capital from the top balcony is on of the best in DC. Besides the layout of the museum some of the more interesting exhibits are dogs of the presidents, front page headlines and the 9/11 section dealing with movies clipings and the radio transmitter of one the world trade center. In the dogs of the presidents exhibit dogs are shown with their respective presidents. It shows how news has covered many different aspects of peoples life and just how intimate the relationship of media and people go together. A president does not have a lot of time but the fact that someone was able to article this and tell a story with it shows a lot about news. The next exhibit I really enjoyed was the front page headlines, In this exhibit rows of papers showing the front page of certain newsworthy days. For Instance Katrina and 9/11 were shown alot. This was interesting to me because you get to see how different papers write differently about the news but all have the same basic point to get across. The last exhibit I visited was very interesting as well as sad. It was the 9/11 exhibit offering pictures letters and movies about the victims their families and even the one reporter who died trying to cover the story. For a Journalist the Newseum is our history, the past and the present, It lets us know that even if sometimes a story is not as big as another there is someone out there who really appreciates it.News tells our history and keeps records of it and the Newseum is a great way for young students as well as adults to learn more about the great profession of journalism
and Journalists.

National African American Civil War Museum

When First getting of the subway stop to go to the National African American Civil War Museum you are met with a magnificent memorial dedicated to African Americans who fought in the civil war. The statue shows emotion and is very detailed almost giving the impression of real people. A few hundred feet from the memorial in a back alley is where you will find the museum. Although some might agree that the tour guide was a little bias towards his views it was a very interesting museum. Filled with memorabilia from the Civil War and it showed the history of how African Americans came to be in America. I learned that African American troops in the Union army were very disciplined and good soldiers, they had a feeling of belonging for the first time in some of their lives. Being a part of something and being free to fight for their beliefs is one of the early stepping stones in African American history. The views of the Union army are also expressed in this museum, General Ulysses S. Grant believed the African American fighting force was a powerful ally to have.

4 Little Girls-Birmingham Bombing

Birmingham Alabama was known for its civil rights violence, bombings and strong "southern tradition" it was also one of the battle fields of the civil rights movements. On a Sunday Morning in 1963 four little African American girls would attend their last church service. The sixteenth street Baptist church was a church known for housing civil rights leaders and many racist whites knew this. On the morning of september 15, 1963 reports came in of a white man getting out of his car and being seen wandering around the church soon after at 10:22 am a bomb went off killing four little girls. Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair all young girls were killed in the blast. The case was unsolved for sometime until Attorney General Bill Baxley reopened the case presenting evidence that was not used in the first case and found Robert Chambliss guilty and sentenced to life in prison. ALthough the families will never fully heal many of the the parents in the movie seemed to be a little better off knowing that Chambliss was found guilty.

(I wrote this blog post on my commercial appeal blog see that page for video)

Arlington National Cemetery

The Arlington National Cemetery located in Washington D.C. is one of the most famous cemeteries in the nation. It is the resting place of many past presidents, war heroes and many other national heroes as well as iconic people. When first arriving you notice that the newer graves are all neatly alligned and all the same size but the further you get in some of the graves are more boisterous and bigger. When the cemetery was first built there was not really a plan the government at the time wanted to take away General Robert E. Lee's home and not give the Confederates a key strategic location overlooking D.C. so they decided to make his back yard a cemetery.
The grave of the unmarked soldier is also here. Every 30 minutes the guard changes in a routine that is very precise and must be done right. Being one of the guards is also a very big honor.

A Civil Rights activist is also burried in the cemetery but not because his work as a civil rights activist rather he served in the military. Medger Evers was murdered in front of his home in Jackson Mississippi because he believed in the rights of African Americans. I read that he knew that he might be killed and that he did not think he would live past 50 but he still did the things he did because he believed in them. His grave is covered with rocks from people showing respect for him.

Lincoln Memorial

The lincoln Memorial is a National Monument honoring Abraham Lincoln. Set at the top of a hill overlooking the city, the monument models itself after a greek palace holding the almost godlike statue of Abraham Lincoln inside. Not only is this monument important because it is a memorial to the man who freed the slaves but it is also a very important site for many early protesters. The water in front of the monument has been the site of many protests as well being seen in movies such as forrest gump and many famous pictures shoe people in the water during protests. One such protest and speech goes down in history as a very famous day. Martin Luther King visited many places but on August 28 1963 MLK delivered a speech that would go down as history as one of the most famous speeches of all times. Although the speech is very long I picked out the last part of the speech because I believe it is very powerful. Just imagine thousands of supportive people with the backdrop of the nations capital and that is what MLK was seeing that day."When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

This video depicts not only the importance of his speech but the location. Being in the nations capital where 100 years earlier African Americans gained their "freedom" from the man seated in his monument silently and motionlessly listening to what he had set into motion.

National Archives

Many people dont know just how important the National Archives in Washington D.C. really are. Not only do they boast a vast array of books and trinkets from the past but also host a library that registered library goers can access. Archives link the past and future and without them we would not get the full story. Researchers in the videos I watched explained that throughout history when records have not been written down stories tend to change, offering a story with to many endings (meaning a story that is told in many different ways.) The National Archives has many historical records but out of everything in the museum only 1-3 % of it is kept forver. These documents that are kept forever are the most important to the Federal Government as well as for we the people to be able to access them. I enjoyed the early maps and artifacts of the early crusaders to America, This exhibit kept very good records of how the spaniards landed and where they set up camps in early America also the portraits of battles fought are depicted very well, as if the artist had read archived information and then draw what he saw.

Clarksdale Blues Museum

African Americans used blues to tell their story, usually sad ones with lots of rhythm. The Blues Museum has many trinkets and instruments from many famous blues artists as well as clothes they wore. I noticed that many of the Blues artist although coming from poor backgrounds all wore the nicest clothes and had the neatest instruments. One man had a bass guitar that was made out of an old gas canister. Although in a small town in Mississippi the Blues Museum in Clarksdale is known world wide and even saw visitors from across the country while we visited.

Memphis Civil RIghts Museum

The Memphis Civil Rights Museum is unique in the fact that not only is it a museum but also the location of Martin Luther King Jr's assassination.The Museum offers many cool ways to learn about the Civil Rights movement from telephone conversations to documentary movies. Also there are many artifacts from the civil rights era. I learned that although MLK's killer was found there are other theories to his death. Some believe the mob was involved while other think that the government might have had a hand in it. Also It was interesting to see out the same exact window James Earl Ray looked out of it to see what he saw that fateful day in April.

Murder in Mississippi

The beginning of freedom summer in Mississippi marked the start of a battle that would see much violence and controversy in the south. Students from the North came down to the south on their own free will to try to change the views of traditional southerners as well as educate and help African Americans. Many of these small towns in the south were not used to people coming in and trying to change the way they had lived so long and naturally they met these activist with violence and hatred. These early activists were treated just like the blacks meaning they were beaten and treated in the worst ways.

In the beginning Mickey Schwerner and his wife moved down to Meridian Mississippi to prepare for the freedom summer. Being Jewish they were not liked from the beginning. Schwerner and James Chaney a local African American formed an early friendship and used each other to spread the word of these new changing times. After raising African American awareness and stirring up the black community Schwerner was targeted by the Klu Klux Klan.

The last time Mickey Schwerner, James Chaney, and new recruit Andrew Goodman would be seen would be in jail before their bodies were found in a walled up damn. These three men were martyrs to their cause and because of them Mississippi would see drastic changes.

Mickey Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, James Chaney

Rosa Parks

February 4, 1913- Rosa Louise McCauley is born in Tuskegee, Alabama

1932- Marries Raymond Parks in Montgomery, Alabama

December 1943- Joins the NAACP and becomes secretary to NAACP President E.D. Nixon.

December 1, 1955-Refuses to give up her seat on a bus and is arrested and fined 14$

December 1955- Stands trial and is found guilty of breaking segregation rules starting the bus boycott. Leading to a 381 day boycott.




Rosa Parks was one of the most influential Civil Rights activists of our time. Not only was she passionate about her cause but inspired others as well. Her actions caused the Montgomery Alabama Bus lines to rule out Black and White sections on Buses. In the video I learned Many things I knew alot about Rosa Parks before but I never knew she was the secretary for NAACP President E.D. Nixon. Another thing I learned was that Black children where not allowed to try on shoes but rather had to outline their shoe size then bring them to the department store.

Rosa Parks Interview of the day she was arrested.