From the American Revolution to the Constitutional Convention to the presidency, George Washington’s steady leadership was a source of admiration around the globe. George Washington is our nation’s most celebrated leader, so it’s fitting that his monument towers over Washington, DC. Standing over 555 feet (169 m) tall, his monument is the tallest stone structure in the world. In this book, readers will learn how the architectural feat was achieved and enjoy photographs of Washington and the monument standing in his honor.
The Washington Monument is the tallest and most famous tribute to our nation's capitol. But do you know the real history behind the monument? Historic, primary source photos and explorative infographics help kids learn even more about this famous structure.
Shortly after George Washington's death in 1799, Congress recognized the need for a presidential monument in his honor. However, progress did not begin on the structure until 1832. The Washington Monument traces the construction of the monument from its design by Robert Mills to halts in construction due to lack of funds and the Civil War to its dedication in 1885. Today, the world's largest obelisk stands as an eternal reminder of the accomplishments of the nation's first president.
"Developed by literacy experts for students in kindergarten through grade three, this book introduces the Washington Monument to young readers through leveled text and related photos"--
The Washington Monument is one of the most easily recognized structures in America, if not the world, yet the long and tortuous history of its construction is much less well known. Beginning with its sponsorship by the Washington National Monument Society and the grudging support of a largely indifferent Congress, the Monument's 1848 groundbreaking led only to a truncated obelisk, beset by attacks by the Know Nothing Party and lack of secured funding and, from the mid-1850s, to a twenty-year interregnum. It was only 1n 1876 that a Joint Commission of Congress revived the Monument and entrusted its completion to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.In "To the Immortal Name and Memory of George Washington": The United States Corps of Engineers and the Construction of the Washington Monument, historian Louis Torres tells the fascinating story of the Monument, with a particular focus on the efforts of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Lincoln Casey, Captain George W. Davis, and civilian Corps employee Bernard Richardson Green and the details of how they completed the construction of this great American landmark. The book also includes a discussion and images of the various designs, some of them incredibly elaborate compared to the austere simplicity of the original, and an account of Corps stewardship of the Monument up to its takeover by the National Park Service in 1933. First published in 1985. 148 pages, ill.
Known as one of America’s greatest leaders, George Washington led an army of rebels to independence. Today, we honor his successes through the Washington Monument. Beginning readers will find informative text and features along with eye-catching photos from cover to cover in this title about the Washington Monument!
In Here, George Washington Was Born, Seth C. Bruggeman examines the history of commemoration in the United States by focusing on the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Virginia's Northern Neck, where contests of public memory have unfolded with particular vigor for nearly eighty years. Washington left the birthplace with his family at a young age and rarely returned. The house burned in 1779 and would likely have passed from memory but for George Washington Parke Custis, who erected a stone marker on the site in 1815, creating the first birthplace monument in America. Both Virginia and the U.S. War Department later commemorated the site, but neither matched the work of a Virginia ladies association that in 1923 resolved to build a replica of the home. The National Park Service permitted construction of the "replica house" until a shocking archeological discovery sparked protracted battles between the two organizations over the building's appearance, purpose, and claims to historical authenticity. Bruggeman sifts through years of correspondence, superintendent logs, and other park records to reconstruct delicate negotiations of power among a host of often unexpected claimants on Washington's memory. By paying close attention to costumes, furnishings, and other material culture, he reveals the centrality of race and gender in the construction of Washington's public memory and reminds us that national parks have not always welcomed all Americans. What's more, Bruggeman offers the story of Washington's birthplace as a cautionary tale about the perils and possibilities of public history by asking why we care about famous birthplaces at all.
