Arlington Visit: (Ted Kennedy 1932 - 2009)

On August 25, 2009, Senator Edward M. Kennedy died, due to the effects of brain cancer, a malignant glioma for which no known cure exists. Mr. Kennedy fought a brave last fight.

[Legislatively, Ted Kennedy personified the decades-long, political journey toward national, all-citizen covered Health Care Insurance. It would be interesting to hear his comments on how Congress (esp. his Senate colleagues on either side of the aisle) has approached the matter, given its recent penchant for - typically - a watered down plan touted as "reform". Of course, as of Jan. 1, 2010, that is exactly what has happened].

I respect Senator Kennedy's clear and valiant commitment to civil rights and his career-long quest to help all American citizens become covered by guaranteed U.S health care, "a right and not a privilege". It is ironic that this passionate advocate of universal health care for the citizens should, in the end, have been afflicted himself with such a difficult and terminal diagnosis, and which no amount of personal wealth could ever alter.

This week, I have returned to Arlington to re-visit, and to find some new reflection by viewing Senator Kennedy's final resting place.

It is quite a powerful impression: seeing all three Kennedy brothers sleeping in the same location. I believe time and events have already suggested that Ted Kennedy achieved more than his two predeceased brothers, for obvious reasons.

Kevin Martin

nlicari in Washington DC

From the outer structure to the inner sanctuary of the Supreme Court we find the nine justices seating behind the columns of antiquity. (At least we see their chairs!) Equal Justice Under The Law predominates every architectural structure that pursues that notion. It is an attempt to physically visualize what the internal values of a nation reflect.

The notion of Equal Justice Under the Law predominates the overriding values the Founders of our nation attempted to ingrain within. The structure of the Supreme Court reflects that notion derived from antiquity and is seen in the Greek and Roman revivalist structure.

nlicari in Washington DC

One of the scales of justice in front of the Supreme Court introduces the concept of Justice and Equality before the law. It is a fitting example of what how the architecture reflects the concept of the Supreme Court.

Searching for the Mayor of Castro Street; or, a Monument of One’s Own

But, you may say, we asked you to speak about women and fiction—what has that got to do with a room of one’s own? I will try to explain.

Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

But, you may say, we asked you to speak about national monuments and American identity—what has that got to do with the Mayor of Castro Street, Harvey Milk? I will try to explain.

Washington, DC, Monday, July 27, 2:00 pm

I've been assigned to blog about the Library of Congress, the first historical site that we will visit during our four-day expedition to the nation’s capital to study the complex relationship between place, memory, and citizenship. What are the facts about this cavernous repository of books, a repository so vast that both the gorgeous late-nineteenth-century Jefferson building that has housed its impressive collection beginning in 1897 and the John Adams building that was added in 1938 were no longer sufficient to accommodate its ever-expanding holdings? I won’t really be able to answer that question today, however, since our first meeting takes place in the map room of the Library’s most recently acquired, but architecturally unimpressive, James Madison building. We’re here to study early plans for the District of Columbia. I stop feeling disappointed by the exterior of the structure and instead become absorbed by L’Enfant’s vision of this new city—an absorption that is heightened by a lecture on the history of a swamp that became the seat of American government and of multiple marches on the city by wide-ranging groups of the marginalized, the disenfranchised demanding that their voices be heard, demanding their right to equality and participation in the democratic process.

Washington, DC, July 27, 9:00 pm

Although I have been to Washington many times since my first visit in the early 1980s, I have seen the Lincoln Memorial only from a distance, so I am excited about finally climbing the steps to the sculpture of a President who has been immortalized in history books for preserving the Union and for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. I’m not expecting the well-spring of emotions that are churned up by the magnificence and majesty of the work of art itself and, perhaps more importantly, by the man it commemorates, a man whose name is synonymous with equality and freedom. I look up at him looking down at me and feel nothing but reverence. This reaction starts me thinking about emancipation, about equality, about freedom, and I realize that I have mapped onto a man, a sculpture, and a place—all of which have figured prominently in the ongoing struggle of African-Americans to achieve equality—the story of my own quest for liberation and equity. At the top of the stairway, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. These words have been carved into a stone right in front of my feet. I have a dream, too. I hope that I will live to see on the Washington Mall not just the Lincoln Memorial and the massive sculpture of King that is in the making, but a monument to Harvey Milk, the first openly gay member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who, like Pres. Lincoln and Dr. King, was assassinated by a man with hatred in his heart.


Washington, DC, July 27, 11:00 pm

I don’t realize as I stand here gazing at the Washington Monument and at the cupola of the Capital that this hope will shape the rest of my week in DC. But by the time I get back home late Thursday night, I will know what I’ve been seeking, but haven’t yet been able to find: a monument that says to America, “I am a part of your history, too. Yes, me. Me, a man, who had the courage to love other men in a time and place when love like ‘that’ was for most Americans still unspeakable, when that love still seemed like just cause for murder.” A monument that says to America, “We all matter. We all must be remembered. We must remember all. Not just me, but everyone who has lived and died in the name of emancipation, equality, and freedom. Chief Joseph and Susan B. Anthony and César Chávez and K. Patrick Okura and others.” A monument that lets me say to America, “Hey, I’m here. I was here. And when I’m gone, I’ll still be here. Carved in this statue of ‘The Mayor of Castro Street’ is my story, too. And the stories of generations of men and women who like him, like me, believe in a world in which everyone is truly free.” I know now what I’m seeking and in my lifetime still would love to find: a monument to Harvey Milk, a monument of my own.

Reflections...

After discussing the blog with Carolyn, we decided it would be inappropriate for us to edit the blog. We found the comments to be quite personal and to tamper with that would diminish the authenticity of the blog. For us, the blog is more of an ongoing dialogue among teachers than a published website with interesting facts that we can share with our students. It could potentially be used as an example, but it would have to become something else if we wanted it to be a resource for students.

Things that were useful from the blog that we can use in the classroom were the initial requirements that were labeled on the site: 1. The essential question 2. Asking for the historical context of the assigned monuments with accompanying visuals and 3. Reflecting on each other's work.

One suggestion for improvement would be requiring students to reflect on the day of the actual visit in order to have a more immediate/ fresh response. After conducting some research I came across these helpful suggestions... (below, is a modified version of what I found)

1. Decide the Main Use for Your Blog and be clear about its purpose

2. How you structure classroom blogs depends on its utility. Here are various approaches:

a. Classroom management: Use a blog to post assignments, handouts, and notices. You can also put up study notes and have students take turns summarizing what happened in school that day.

b. Learning journal: uses individual or small-group blogs as a place for students to "write reflectively" on what they learned from a particular assignment and how they might do better next time.

c. Class discussion: set up a single blog for the whole class. You may post entries for discussion, or have individual students and guest bloggers post entries.

d. Use blogs to post homework for traditional evaluation but with the added component that students must choose a follow classmate's entry and compose their response to what they have read.

In all cases, it will be important to decide in advance how the work will be graded.

We are interested in hearing your feedback in order to better implement this tool with our students. Please post a comment.

Thanks!
Cindy

protests

I've had time to think about the purpose and audience for the protests held every day in the nation's capital. A few of us went tot he White House and oiutside were various people, not really groups who wnated their voices heard. Some more frivolous than others. It made me think of two kinds of protests in Washington-those large, massive marches of King, the singing of Marion Anderson as supported by Eleanor Roosevelt, and of ocurse the Vietnam protests( two of which I attended). Then I saw this past wkeek the smaller protests in front of the Whiter House and Supreme Court-on some ways more intimate and less likely to be seen or heard by those in power. The White House protesters seemed to want the President to take notice while the larger, more well known protests, seem more for the nation as a whole. The smaller groups seemed more of education for those who would stop and question or read their posters (convincing us one by one).Sharon

From the Arlington Experience

PHOTO - http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/laosmem.htm

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞Interesting Twist: A Secret Army∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Remembering Persons Who Fought a "Secret War"

Something I Had Not Known

The U.S., as a major world military power in the 20th century, has often conducted "secret" missions and "secret", or"proxy", wars in faraway places. Some efforts were successful but had bad consequences for innocents (the local populations), as in the case of Chile in 1973, when the U.S. government interfered with the rightful sovereignty and democratic processes of the socialist but freely-elected Salvador Allende government, making the way for August Pinochet and his right wing thugs. (To get a moral whiff of the political rot and societal repression resulting from the extremely active Nixon-Kissinger supported Allende overthrow, see the excellent film called "MISSING" with Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, and John Shea).

In terms of regionally, indigenously political strife and perhaps on a more brave-sacrifice scale, however, is a story of secret fighting against communist North Vietnamese forces in Laos over a dozen years, by the Hmong and Lao groups of combat soldiers, - supported by JFK, LBJ, and finally Nixon - starting in 1961 and lasting to at least 1973. (Thousands of Lao people have since made their homes in the U.S.) It remains in some ways, a story still untold to the American public, but the INFO is out there. It is likely a story filled with courage on all sides. (Real history will tell us that adversaries have their own true heroes, too). That said, of course, everyone knows by now that the overall U.S. policy in Southeast Asia from the late 50s to the late 70s was still a great big flop.

The fighting effort by Hmong and Lao forces against communist North Vietnamese forces is officially acknowledged by a memorial stone formally placed in Arlington by the U.S. government in 1997 and its plaque reads - in part:
"In Memory of the Hmong and Lao Combat Veterans and Their American Advisors Who Served Freedom's Cause..."

Go to the Following Web Address for More Interesting Details about the SECRET ARMY that is Memorialized at ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY:

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/laosmem.htm

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Some more on Arlington

Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia is a military cemetery in the United States, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna (Custis) Lee, a descendant of Martha Washington. Roughly 320,000 people are buried in the cemetery, which is still active. According to the National Park Service rangers, casualties and veterans from each American conflict, from the American Revolution to the present day wars, have been interred at Arlington.

The first soldier to be buried in Arlington was Private William Henry Christman of Pennsylvania on May 13, 1864. Although Christman’s grave reads #19, he was the first to have his grave finished on the first day of interment when dozens of soldiers were laid to rest.

The cemetery is administered by the Army. Arlington House (Custis-Lee Mansion) and its grounds are administered by the National Park Service as a memorial to Lee.
When Robert E. Lee turned down command of the Union armies and instead took command of the Confederate forces, many Union soldiers and commanders considered Lee a traitor. His property across the Potomac from Washington, D.C. was prime real estate to capture and was easily taken. In order to spite Lee, Union officials demanded that to keep the property, he would personally need to come to Washington to pay taxes. When, for obvious reasons, he did not, Lee’s property was confiscated permanently. To further spite Lee, the Union turned his land in to a cemetery for the Union dead.

While the cemetery has always been a place of reverence, it’s beginnings are clearly tainted by the veil of revenge that the U.S. government had for Lee. But Arlington’s entire nature has been duplicitous, as it has been home to a segregated African American section; was actually home to thousand of Freedman’s Bureau freed slaves after the war; has Confederate, foreign, and any thousands of nameless soldiers buried in it; and other seemingly incompatible features about it. (see the Arlington National Cemetery website for more information [Click this link])

The list of those who are eligible to be buried in Arlington is extremely long and can be found here at Wikipedia. Interestingly, because of the eligibility of Timothy McVeigh to be buried in Arlington, Congress has since passed laws prohibiting those convicted of both state and federal capital crimes, those serving life sentences, and those who flee their conviction of such crimes.

An interesting note about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. While remains were first interred here in 1921, the Marble tomb we see above ground today was not put in to place until 1932. The Tomb contains remains from WWI, WWII, and Korea, but no longer contains remains from the Vietnam war, as DNA technology allowed for these remains to be identified and no new remains from the Vietnam war have been placed there. The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the oldest active regiment in the U.S. military and known as “The Old Guard” stands watch over the Tomb 24-hours a day, while also conducting funerary services at Arlington. More information on the history of the 3rd Regiment can be found here on Wikipedia as well as here on the Arlington National Cemetery site.

The meaning of Arlington has certainly changed over time and changes to this day with the personal beliefs of the person being asked. Some see it as a solemn remembrance of those who died for their country; others see it as a living example of the hypocritical nature of the American government’s actions throughout the 19th and 20th centuries; still others see Arlington as both a living memorial to fallen heroes, great and small while also being a testament to both current and future citizens to be wary of war. Arlington is one of the few sites in D.C. which can have so much duplicity and an changing nature based solely on one’s own viewpoint as well as evolving its meaning over time based on current and past American actions. Take this phrase in contrast to the Library of Congress, which is and always shall be an institution of learning and knowledge. While Arlington’s purpose has not changed, the light Americans view it in has evolved and will continue to do so. Arlington will mean different things to different generations, these meanings being constantly in flux, as well as opposition to one another.

Online Resources:

Arlington House - http://www.nps.gov/arho/

Arlington National Cemetery, Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_national_cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery Historical Information, U.S. Government site - http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/historical_information/index.html

The Old Guard, Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_United_States_Infantry_Regiment_(TOG)

The Old Guard, U.S. Gov't site - http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/ceremonies/old_guard.html

Arlington tribute site - http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/

The Capitol as a Symbol both Inside and Out

The fateful deal between Hamilton and Jefferson to made make what is now know as Washington D.C. the Federal City set the wheels in motion to create a Congressional building that would serve a symbol of the new Republic. The architectural history of the building, as spelled out above, is a multi layered and as complicated at the city itself. About 6 designers and 6 presidents oversaw the construction of this building, designed to express the new political and social order of the day.

The outside of the Capitol is not the only feature that symbolizes the countries national identity. Inside, visitors and congressmen alike can witness the interpretations of American history through art. Most notable, the Apotheosis of Washington, atop the inside of the rotunda by Constantino Brumidi in the 1850's, deifies Washington as the nations first president. Brumidi also began the frieze of U.S. History that lies just below the rotunda that highlights historical events in U.S. history chronologically. This frieze was originally intended to be carved stonework. However, Brumidi convinced Congress he could complete it faster and cheaper if he painted it to look like stone. Look closely. Does is look like stone to you? Two other artists went on to finish where the other artists left off to complete this frieze. These works as well as others include American flora and fauna to immortalize the people, events and landscape of America.

Both inside and Out, the Capitol Building expresses the new Republic as defined by our founding fathers and offers itself a visual manifestation of the political history and challenges since the beginning of our Nations Capitol.

Vietnam Memorial

The memorial situated between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument has two walls filled with names that points in both directions. It memorializes those who died in the only war the U. S. ever lost. The war itself was a military, political and social disaster, however the men and women who lost their lives needed to be remembered. Because the war itself caused such turmoil among our citizens and among family members, the monument itself was to be a symbol of healing. The wall itself caused tremendous controversy because it did not capture the preconcieved image that many veterans had regarding how soldiers should be remembered. The World War II memorial is probably more in line with the traditional idea of a memorial to the fallen soldier. Most people do not quibble with the images of eagles and laurel wreaths along with bronze and granite mixed with neoclassical architecture. The simplicity and starkness of the wall along with the use of black granite was shocking to many.
As a person who lived through the time period I see the wall with all those names of mainly young men who really never had an opportunity to experience so many of life's joys as a wall of witness. It is a painful reminder of a government gone wrong and young who may have been.

Arlington Experience

PHOTO: Google Images

Net-Info: Flowers and Wreath-Placing at ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY –- The gift of flowers at a memorial site is a ritual that occurs around the world, understood in every culture. The floral tributes at funerals bespeak both the beauty and the brevity of life and evoke memories of other days. These sorts of offerings are made each day at Arlington National Cemetery, at the dozens of funerals occurring there and in solitary communion with a departed loved one.

More formal ceremonies involve the laying of a wreath and the attendance of others at this ritual. These, too, are held with frequency at Arlington. You may have the opportunity to observe such a ceremony during your visit to Arlington. You even might be taking part in one.

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Note: Flowers and Wreaths are accepted at any grave site in the cemetery, except at the Columbarium, the above ground site containing ashes of deceased persons. (KM)

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Below:

John F. Kennedy is Laid

to Rest at Arlington National Cemetery*

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Long JFK Funeral Procession Approaching Arlington

Caisson of JFK Enters Arlington for Internment

Raising the Flag From the Casket During TAPS
(Notice Military Personnel at Salute While Bugler Plays Out of View).

JFK's Eternal Flame at Arlington National Cemetery
(Photo by Kevin Martin; 2009)

Arlington National Cemetery is the Final Resting Place of America's 35th President, John F. Kennedy, - Interred Beneath the Eternal Flame

I find that, having visited Arlington National Cemetery this past week, the responsibility of each citizen to advocate for a more peaceful world environment is more morally imperative than ever. No one of us fragile human beings maintains a monopoly on virtue, and to see the graves of so many thousands of war dead starting with the seemingly countless number of Civil War casualties and continuing up to the present moment with those brave, selfless men and women who have fallen in either Afghanistan or Iraq, - and to bear witness to all this firsthand - naturally imposes a necessity of reflection of any person who may care about making his or her little area on this earth ever slightly better than before. It is a very demanding but positive challenge that awaits any individual. This visit with my colleagues to Arlington National Cemetery reminded me of this.

The grave site of the assassinated President, John F. Kennedy (above), also includes his late widow, Jacqueline, and their two infant children. The grave is situated in a place on a sloping hillside, over-viewed by the Custis-Lee Mansion (known today as "Arlington House"). Although JFK was this nation's military commander-in-chief, he was also a decorated naval PT-boat commander in World War II. Just 11 days before his own death, the president visited Arlington as part of a Veterans Day tribute. It is reported that he commented to an Arlington official that he found the place to be so strangely beautiful and appealing that he "could live here forever"; the solemnity and serene, simple beauty of the site deprives it of any morbidity.

In 1967, the permanent gravesite was completed, with the eternal flame surrounded by Cape Cod field stones and selections from President Kennedy's Inaugural Address etched on marble panels that face the nation's capital. The new eternal flame device was fed by an underground natural gas line designed and created by the Institute of Gas Technology of Chicago.

The Eternal Flame was Jackie Kennedy's idea, - having had seen one exactly like it at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Arc d' Triomphe in Paris during a 1961 state visit with the late president. Over time, the eternal flame has become a universal symbol that honors the loss of persons of great significance, in addition to major tragic and momentous events. (KM)

* Above Black & White Images of the Kennedy Funeral: Google Images

Arlington National Cemetery

After having visited Arlington I too came away with a lot of mixed feelings as well as interesting reflections. I last visited Arlington when I was a child and the First Gulf War had been finished. I remember that seeing the changing of the guard was extremely profound. I felt that the Cemetery was a monument to the American dead.

However, after having processed what we learned today as well as having watched the movie Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery on HBO (click here for the synopsis), my views have changed. Arlington is a place of extreme dichotomy: we have heroism
But we also have segregated sections of the cemetery where blacks, American citizens and former slaves who served before them, were placed apart for their white counterparts. And furthermore, Confederate soldiers have a separate and preserved section for themselves, separate from black soldiers and Union soldiers. While certainly many of these men simply fought to protect their homes, some certainly understood treason and believed they were fighting to preserve a horrible institution. How can such a place, a place that is supposed to be about heroic men, have such a dirty past?

After having watched Section 60 which details the stories of men and women who have fought and died in Iraq and Afghanistan and are buried in the new Section 60 of the cemetery and chronicles the lives of their still living loved ones, I also changed my view of the Cemetery. I am personally against the war for too many reasons to bore you with. So, what's the point? The point is, while undoubtedly these men and women who are in Section 60 are heroes who should be honored as such, to me Arlington is now, more than ever, a reflection of the stupidity of the American government in the early 21st century as well a permanent reminder for all future generations to take a more active role in government, while also to be mindful of the fact that the actions of the present can possibly tarnish America for decades to come.

Section 60 is the living part of Arlington; it is constantly being filled with the newly deceased and therefore Arlington is never a complete monument. It will constantly change, as it's meaning has changed over the past decade for myself and probably for many other Americans.

Also, the fact that while most of Arlington has the lovely, plain, and egalitarian headstones,


I was troubled by the quite ostentatious headstones of some of our past Judicial and Military leaders.


Certainly these men are important, served their country in various capacities, but are their contributions more important to the country than a Private who dies for his country? I don't know, really, but I feel like the Cemetery is supposed to be about perceived equality, and that can never be achieved with these much more grandiose headstones. Even JFK, and to an even greater extent RFK's headstones seem more appropriate than those above.

Now on a different side, I was able to tape most of the Changing of the Guards ceremony and here is a link to the YouTube video. It's a little shaky!

How much time for memory and myth?

After last night's visit to the Vietnam Memorial, a question keeps me wondering. When is the time appropriate to honor historic events? I ask this after seeing the two additional sets of statues of the three soldiers and the women's section. Why couldn't the nurse( the women's statues) hold a Vietnamese child in her arms, instead of a soldier's helmet? Why did the three soldiers look like something from Apocalypse Now? Memory and myth-so what are we saying about this unpopular and lost war by these three structures? How do we honor those that have given the ultimater sacrifice? Do we always need the actual figures? Sharon

Symbolic Connections in the Library of Congress

Symbolic connections abound among the statues looking down on the main reading room of the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. Each pillar in the room is labeled with an art: history, science, religion, etc. Two representative portrait statues then flank each pillar -- for example Homer and Shakespeare stand on each side of the pillar of poetry.

I loved this subtle connection: because the statues flank their pillar, each statue stands beside the representative of a different art. I noticed, for example, Sir Isaac Newton (science) standing beside Moses (religion). I cannot say there is purposeful meaning in any specific pairing, but I cannot help but knit them together and ponder the novel combinations. What message might Beethoven and Herodotus create together?

The Capitol

Originally the Capitol was supposed to be built by L'Enfant but he wouldn't give President Washington any sketches so he had to get rid of him. He was also difficult with the city planners The man who eventually designed it had no formal architectural training (Dr. William Thornton). He did have some help from the runner up Stephen Hallet because he really had no knowledge of how to execute the plan.

During the War of 1812 the Capitol was burned but wasn't completely destroyed. In 1827 the two wings were joined by a dome. In the 1850s with new states joining the Union they had to expand the wings even more. Right before the Civil War they began to replace the old dome but had to stop once the war began. Soldiers at this time even set up camp in the Capitol to protect DC. After assassinated, Lincoln was the first President to lie in state (about 30 people had the honor since him).

The visitor center we waited in is fairly new-- completed only last year. Before the center, people had to wait outside to tour the capitol.

Washington Study Day One

Thank you all for your fortitude and your intrepid approach to learning about the history of Washington D.C. We are off to a great start with Jake's wonderful lecture, "Founding a Federal City, Finding a Federal Politics" and our viewing and discussion of the amazing and moving Lincoln Memorial. What I think might not have been mentioned last night, was Lincoln's own comittment to erecting the Washington Memorial. As a young congressman, he was in Washington when the cornerstone was laid in the late 1840s. From our conversation I learned that the meaning of the Civil War is still contested, which I suppose should not be surprising. Nevertheless, Daniel Chester French's brilliant memorial statue does seem especially well tuned to accomodate the complexity of Lincoln himself and the greatness of his mind and spirit. The golden tones of the temple setting against which the brilliant white statue is set brings to mind notions of purity and hope.

The Supreme Court Building

The Supreme Court Building, built between 1932--1935, was designed by architect Cass Gilbert, who also built the Woolworth Building in New York. Architect Cass Gilbert is often praised for pioneering the skyscraper, yet he looked back to ancient Rome when he designed the US Supreme Court Building. The Neoclassical style was chosen to reflect democratic ideals. Ironically, Gilbert's friendship with Mussolini helped him obtain the marble used for the interior columns.

Although the first session of the Supreme Court was February 1, 1790, it took 145 years for the Supreme Court to get a permanent residence of its own. No provision had been made for a Supreme Court building, so Congress lent the Court space in a chamber in the Capitol building. Finally, in 1929, former President William Howard Taft, who was Chief Justice from 1921 to 1930, persuaded Congress to authorize a permanent home for the Court.
On the main entrance of the Supreme Court Building, sixteen marble Corinthian columns support the pediment. Along the molding just above the columns are the engraved words, "Equal Justice Under Law."

In the western pediment sculptures by Robert Aitken represent Liberty seated in a throne and guarded by figures that represent Order and Authority. Although these sculptures are metaphorical figures, they were carved in the likeness of real people.

Right side:
· Chief Justice Hughes
· the sculptor Robert Aitken
· Chief Justice Marshall as a young man sit
Left side:
· Chief Justice Taft as a youth
· Secretary of State Elihu Root
· the architect Cass Gilbert

On either side of the main steps of the Supreme Court Building are seated marble figures. These large statues are the work of sculptor James Earle Fraser. On the left is a female figure, the Contemplation of Justice.

On the right side of the main entrance to the Supreme Court Building is a male figure by sculptor James Earle Fraser. This sculpture represents the Guardian or the Authority of Law.
On the back, east side, of the Supreme Court Building are the word "Justice the Guardian of Liberty" carved above the columns.

The sculptures in the eastern pediment of the US Supreme Court Building were carved by Herman A. McNeil. At the center are three great lawmakers:

· Moses
· Confucius
· Solon
These figures are flanked by figures that symbolize ideas:
· Means of Enforcing the Law
· Tempering Justice with Mercy
· Carrying on Civilization
· Settlement of Disputes Between States

Herman A. MacNeil's pediment carvings stirred controversy because the central figures were drawn from religious traditions. However, in the 1930s, the Supreme Court Building Commission did not question the wisdom of placing Moses, Confucius, and Solon on a secular government building. Rather, they trusted in the architect, who deferred to the artistry of the sculptor, Herman A. MacNeil.

MacNeil did not intend his sculptures to have religious connotations. Explaining his work, MacNeil wrote, "Law as an element of civilization was normally and naturally derived or inherited in this country from former civilizations. The 'Eastern Pediment' of the Supreme Court Building suggests therefore the treatment of such fundamental laws and precepts as are derived from the East."

Cost to build: $9.74 million

Sculptors:
· John Donnelly, Jr: Cast bronze entrance doors
· Robert Aitken: Carvings in western pediment
· Herman A. MacNeil: Carvings in eastern pediment
· James Earle Fraser: Scuptures at entrance

MEANING OVER TIME

The Supreme Court Building has changed meaning over time, specifically with the knowledge that as a coequal branch of the United States government it was not provided with a build­ing of its own until 1935, 146 years after it was established. The Supreme Court moved locations many times, and at least a half dozen times within the Capitol, where it stayed until 1935. The building itself was expected to reflect dignity and importance that was equal in grandeur to the Capitol and White House. Each branch of government was established as separate but equal entities of government. The Supreme Court Building metaphorically represents that very idea of separate and equal branches.

COMMENTS

Upon visiting the Supreme Court, I was struck by the classical Corinthian architectural style and the detail and beauty of the friezes. The building is infused with elegant marble and one knows upon entering it that they are in a place of importance. The courtroom itself is elegant and formal, yet because of its relatively small size has an intimacy that does not overwhelm. The Court is open to the public, which can hear oral arguments presented before it. The beauty and splendor of the Supreme Court Building is important in establishing it as a permanent, separate, and equally significant piece of our democratically established government.

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress currently occupies three buildings on Independence Avenue in Washington, DC. The Library of Congress has two main purposes: research institution for the United States Congress and the national library of the United States. It also houses the Copyright Office.



The Library of Congress is directed by the Librarian of Congress, a position appointed by the President and approved by Senate. Since its inception in 1800, thirteen Librarians of Congress have held the post.



The Library of Congress is open to the public for all individuals ages 16 or older. Ten thousand items are added to the Library of Congress each day. Approximately 1.6 million visitors and researchers visit each year.

The Library of Congress is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. It was originally located in the Capital building. The Thomas Jefferson Building, the earliest of the three current Library of Congress buildings, was completed in 1897. The John Adams Building followed in 1938, and in 1981 the James Madison Memorial Building was completed.

A competition was held in 1873 to design the Jefferson Building, which was won by architects John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz. (Smithmeyer and Pelz, who immigrated to the U.S. from Austria and Germany, respectively, also designed Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Carnegie Library in Allegheny, PA, and the Army and Navy Hospital in Hot Springs, AR.) Construction of the Jefferson Building began in1886, and was completed in 1897, at a cost of $6.5 million. The building was reopened in 1997 after renovations.



The John Adams Building was constructed as an annex to the main building. Congress approved the purchase of the land in 1928, and the Architect of the Capitol, David Lynn, commissioned the firm of Pierson & Wilson to design the building. Construction was completed in 1938 and the building opened to the public on January 3, 1939. Construction costs totaled $8.2 million.



Congress approved funding for the construction of the James Madison Memorial Building in 1965. The architectural firm of DeWitt, Poor, and Shelton designed the building. Construction began in 1971 and was completed in 1976, costing over $130 million. The building was opened to the public in 1980. Along with the Pentagon and the F.B.I. Building, the James Madison Memorial Building is one of the three largest buildings in Washington, DC. In addition to housing the Library of Congress, the building is also the United States’ official memorial to President Madison.



As the national library, the Library of Congress itself represents knowledge, as embodied in the owl in the lobby:


What struck me as a visitor to first the Madison and then the Jefferson buildings fo the library was the sheer size and scope of its collections, and the physical space required to house all of that knowledge. That so much of the library's holdings are immediately available to the public -- both in its digitized collections, and in the exhibits in the Jefferson building which can be viewed by visitors -- make the clear the dual function of the library as not just the library OF CONGRESS, but also the library of the American public. Being able to stand in a room with Jefferson's original library (or what remains of it after the fire) was an opportunity to stand in history (even if they were behind glass): http://www.myloc.gov/Exhibitions/jeffersonslibrary/Pages/Overview.aspx



References
ArchInform. “John L. Smithmeyer. http://eng.archinform.net/arch/6252.htm, retrieved 26 July 2009.
ArchInfrom. “Paul J[ohannes] Pelz.” http://eng.archinform.net/arch/40432.htm, retrieved 26 July 2009.
Library of Congress. “About the Library.” http://www.loc.gov/about/ , retrieved 26 July 2009.
Library of congress. “On These Walls.” http://www.loc.gov/loc/walls/, retrieved 26 July 2009.

Vietnam Memorial

The Vietnam Memeorial was completed in 1982; its architect design was won by a competition by Maya LIn of Yale University
1. Wall is made of 2 black granite walls 246 feet 9 inches(75m) long; granite came from Bangalore, India; tone cutting from Barre, Vermont.
2. The Wall lists 58,159 names (completed in 1993); as of May 2007, there are 58,256 names including 8 women; approx. 1200 are listed as MIA, POW denoted with a CROSS; comfirmed dead listed with a DIAMOND.
3. A short distance from the Wall is another Vietnam memorial of The Three Soldiers because many objected to the lack of traditional depictions of soldiers (each soldier is identifialbe as an White, Black, and Hispanic soldier)
4, First official beginning of the Vietnam Wall is Nov. 1, 1955 when under Eisenhower we bacme more than advisors; fall of Saigon April 30, 1975 is the official end of the war
A poem by one who served and died:"If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have laways. Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in tthat time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.- Major Michael Davis O'Donnell, 1 January 1970, Dak to, Vietnam-LOOK FOR HIM ON THE WALL. Sharon

Marching on Washingon

Newsreel footage of the 1932 Bonus Army in D.C. Very interesting shots of the Capitol juxtaposed with protest in the Great Depression.

The Lincoln Memorial

Watch this video of Marian Anderson singing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.

The Capitol

The White House

Watch this informal survey taken at the gates of The White House...

The White House has come to represent much more than the official residence of the President and his family. Construction of this Georgian style building began in 1792 by Architect James Hoban and was completed in 1800. His plan for the White House was inspired by the Irish country houses he was surrounded by and is typical of English and Irish architectural styles. Hoban's idea was chosen out of nine submitted proposals for what was to become the White House. It its constructed of white painted Aquia sandstone and has been the home of every president since John Adams. The building has its own rich history, having survived two fires, multiple additions and expansions over the years and restoration projects in an attempt to capture the history of the building

The Supreme Court

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Arlington National Cemetery

Library of Congress