Washington, D.C.

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Washington, D.C.
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Outline

• Introduction
• Part I. Historical background
• Part II. Presentation of the city
• Part III. Attractions
• Conclusion
• References

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Introduction

• Capital of the world's most powerful democracy
• Named after the first U.S. president, George
  Washington
  
• Seat of federal government since 1800
• In 1957 Washington became the first major city in
  America with a black majority
  
• After the September 11 on the World Trade Center
  and Washington's Pentagon Building, security was
  tightened throughout the USA's capital city

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I. Historical background

• People started referring to the spot as 'the
  city of Washington' around 1791
  
• Maryland and Virginia agreed to cede land to
  create the District of Columbia (named for
  Christopher Columbus)
  
• French engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant was hired
  to design the city
  
• During the War of 1812, the city was occupied and
  burned by the British
  
• Washington had abolished slavery in 1862

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I. Historical background

• President Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's
  Theater in 1865
  
• By 1940, 44 percent of civilian workers in the
  city of Washington were federal employees
  
• Martin Luther King (1929-1968), clergyman and
  Nobel Prize winner, on August 28, 1963, delivered
  his famous address to 200,000 civil rights
  supporters his I Have a Dream speech
• On September 11, 2001, Washington, D.C., and New
  York City became the targets terrorist attack

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II. Presentation of the city

• City and district, capital of the United States
• Bounded on one side by the Potomac River and on
  the other sides by the state of Maryland
  
• Population 600,000 Area 170 sq km
• Washington's climate is hot and humid in the
  summer and cold and damp in the winter
  
• Most tourist sights are located around the
  Capitol
  
• Federal jobs stimulated the economy and boosted
  the value of real estate
  
• Tourism is the second most important aspect of
  the city's economy

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III. Attractions

• The Capitol
• Seat of the U.S. Congress
• Construction began in 1790
• The British nearly burned it to the ground in
  1814
  
• Rebuilt from 1817 to 1819
• Neoclassical-style building, the Capitol is
  constructed of white marble
  
• The iron dome, also white, is surmounted by a
  statue of a woman representing Freedom
  
• The Capitol is the epicenter of the city as well
  as being its most prominent landmark

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III. Attractions

• Lincoln Memorial
• Located at the west end of the National Mall,
  between the Reflecting Pool and the Potomac
  River
  
• Monument to the 16th US President
• Completed in 1922
• Symbol of America's commitment to civil rights
• Designed to resemble a Greek temple
• The monument's 36 columns represent the 36 states
  in Lincoln's union
  

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III. Attractions

• National Gallery of Art
• The national museum of Western art rivals that of
  the Prado or the Louvre
  
• Founded in 1937 with the gift to the nation of
  the art collection of the financier Andrew W.
  Mellon
  
• Permanent collection of European and American
  paintings
  
• Website
• http//www.nga.gov/

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Conclusion

• Washington isn't as hip as San Francisco or New
  York, but its museums rank with some of the
  country's best (most are free)
  
• Washington is notorious too for the many severe
  problems that trouble its residents
  
• Poverty, crime, and racial segregation are in the
  shadow of glorious monuments proclaiming
  equality for all
  
• Washington, DC, is no model, but it is a
  microcosm - of the grand ideals and grim
  realities of the USA

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References

• Multimedia tour of the city
• http//sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/tour.html
• http//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/photo/visitor
  sguide/G22251-2002Feb04.html
  
• Tourism
• http//www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations
• http//travel.yahoo.com/t/destinations/north_ameri
  ca/united_states/district_of_columbia/67557.html
  
• Encyclopedia
• http//encarta.msn.com
• Pictures
• http//www.kestan.com/travel/dc/monument