Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. October 2012. : 無料・フリー素材/写真
Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. October 2012. / denisbin
| ライセンス | クリエイティブ・コモンズ 表示-改変禁止 2.1 |
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| 説明 | Washington, District of Columbia. The site for the new national capital was selected in 1790 with land donated from Maryland and Virginia- 2 southern states. A southern site was chosen as Alexander Hamilton, the treasure and Thomas Jefferson got the North to agree to a compromise, the new national government would pay of all the state War of Independence debts if the capital city was located in the South. Most of the Southern states had already paid off their war debts so this was the carrot that enticed the North to agree. The city was named after the first President and founded in 1791 but the Congress did not move to Washington until 1800. Peter L’Enfant was given the task of designing the city and he placed the Capitol (Congress) on a hill at one end of a long mall with the President’s house at the other end. Thomas Jefferson proposed a competition for the design of the Capitol which was won by William Thornton a French architect in 1793 but his design was much modified. The senate wing was completed in 1800 and the Congress and dome in 1811 although congress had met in the Capitol since 1807. During the War of 12 with the British part of the Capitol was burned in 1814 as was the White House when the British sailed up the Potomac River and attacked. The Capitol building was much enlarged and took its current form in the 1850s using slave labour! The current dome is three times the size of the original 1811 dome and it was completed in 1863. It was Thomas Jefferson who insisted the Congress be referred to as the Capitol as he wanted the US legislature to draw upon democratic ties with ancient Rome. The quadrants or sectors of Washington DC are all drawn from a central point in the US Capitol. Adjacent to the Capitol is the Library of Congress and the US Supreme Court also designed in the classical style. The Library of Congress, a research library was established by Congress in 1800. Most of the early collection was destroyed by the British in their raid on Washington in 1814. The Library for Congress now consists of 3 buildings but the oldest was opened in 1797. It terms of shelf space and the number of books it is the largest library in the world. Its original function was a research function for politicians in the Capitol. Nearby is the US Supreme Court. Remarkably it is a modern building. The US Supreme Court met in a basement of the Capitol building until 1935 when the current classical style Court was opened. The façade is made of marble mined in Vermont. The Supreme Court is exceedingly important in the US as it is one of the three separate powers of government: the Presidency; the Congress and Senate; and the Supreme Court. The legislature makes the laws; the Supreme Court decides if they are consistent with the US Constitution and therefore legal. Presidents have to have their appointments to the Supreme Court ratified by Congress. It is not an easy process. The Justices are there for life or until they retire. Their judgements have been major milestones in the history of America. From earliest days justices, and politicians, have been categorised into two camps when it comes to interpreting the US Constitution:- the “loose constructionists” and the “strict constructionists.” The loose group argue that if the Constitution does not prohibit something, then it can be made into law. The strict group argue that if the Constitution does not mention and identified something it cannot be made legal. These arguments still continue. The first big argument emerged over the establishment of the first US Bank in the 1790s. Apart from interpretations of the Constitution the US Supreme Court has made many momentous decisions. One important one was the 1954 ruling that facilities and schooling for black Americans could never be equal to that of whites if it was separate. That led to desegregation, the Civil Rights movement and the later student bussing controversies of the 1970s. But the Court changes over time and this 1954 ruling was a repudiation of an earlier ruling of 1899 when the Court ruled that separate but equal facilities for blacks did not breach the 14th amendment to the Constitution of 1866 which gave black Americans equal rights and Civil Rights. The US Supreme Court if one for the three major arms of US government. Washington DC has 600,000 residents and just over 50% are black residents but it used to be over 70% black residents. But the white suburbs flow out across Maryland and Virginia and the metro area has 5.6 million people making it the 7th largest US city. Although a planned city with some beautiful boulevards, and a large complex of government buildings, including the Pentagon which covers acres, it is also a city of black slums and tenements. But one distinguishing feature is the lack of skyscrapers. In 1899 Congress passed a Heights of Buildings Act when a 10 storey hotel was erected. It limited building heights to 110 feet, and this was further lowered by a 1910 amendment which meant no building could be higher than the width of the street that it faced. The only exception has been the Catholic National Shrine (Cathedral) opened in 1959. Thus the Washington Monument is the second highest structure in Washington DC. The Capitol building is 4th highest but it is placed on a hill so it can dominate the city skyline. The city‘s economy is based on government services, political lobbying groups, national offices of professional and trade organisations etc. A number of universities are located in the city and it has a strong arts sector with the Kennedy Performing Arts Centre being the home for the National Symphony Orchestra, National Opera, Washington Ballet Company, National Theatre Company etc. Arlington Cemetery and the Custis-Lee Mansion. This is the former home of General Robert E. Lee (built 1802), the leader of the Rebel or Confederate Army. Lee’s Virginia home was where he paced the floor all night trying to decide if he would lead Lincoln’s army or Jefferson Davis’ Confederate army. He chose the latter. During the Civil War the gardens of his home were turned into a cemetery for the war dead to make sure the “traitor” Lee would never live there again. It was named Arlington National Cemetery for war dead and national heroes. The assassinated President John Kennedy was buried here. We can visit the interior of this gracious Southern slave home and enjoy the beautiful landscaped grounds of the cemetery with views across the Lincoln Memorial and the Pentagon. General Robert E. Lee was a great general but the South was always doomed to defeat because it failed to win international support for its war about slavery; it failed to sell its supplies of cotton in 1861 when it could have before England and France found other sources; it had less than a third of the population and miles of railroad of the North; and it had less money and ammunition and general supplies. Lee surrendered for the Confederacy in April 1865 at Appomattox Court to General Ulysses S Grant. In 1882 the US Supreme Court ruled that the home had been illegally seized during the Civil War and it should be returned to Lee’s son who then sold it back to the government. The White House was designed by James Hoban and built between 1792 and 1800 when John Adams as President moved in. The second President to occupy the White House was Thomas Jefferson who moved there in February 1801. During the 1814 attack on Washington the interior was destroyed and the exterior was charred. Reconstruction began immediately and President James Monroe moved back into the “new” White House in 1817. The famous South Portico with its fine curved colonnade was added in 1824. The West Wing was created in 1901 for all the administrative offices and the Oval Office for the President was part of that addition. From the early days it was known as the White House as the new American Republic wanted to avoid terms like President’s Palace or Mansion. Security was non-existent in the early years and people wanting to visit President Lincoln, for example, would walk up to the door and ask to speak to him. Times have changed. The Lincoln Memorial. He lived 1809-65. He is remembered as one of the three greatest presidents who had the toughest job. He led the North into a Civil War that cost about 700,000 lives with a death toll equal to that of the US involvement in the First and Second World wars death tolls combined. But he was also the Great Emancipator. On 1 January 1863 he freed the slaves in the rebelling sates only. He did not have the power to abolish slavery as it was mentioned in the US Constitution. After the Civil War ended, despite the assassination of Lincoln, President Johnson pushed on with the amendment to abolish slavery. Lincoln is also memorialised for his sharp constitutional legal arguments. He did not declare war on the South; he waited for them to attack Fort Sumter in April 1861. He was a great humanist and a very humble man. Northerners generally loved him but his presidency was a troubled one. His assassination at Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC was a great tragedy. It was Lincoln’s plan for a non-punitive Reconstruction phase for the South that so riled his assassin. But Lincoln was also championing rights for the freed blacks. He was assassinated just 5 days after the surrender of the Confederacy. His Memorial which was built in classical style was not approved by Congress until 1914. The statue of Lincoln in the memorial was completed in 1920 and the building opened in 1922. Lincoln will always be remembered for some of his fine words such as “government for the people, by the people. “ Lincoln had 4 sons but only one grew to adulthood.The Jefferson Memorial. He lived 1743-1826. He is remembered as the main writer of the Declaration of Independence, and the third President, 1801-9. He was a gentleman philosopher, an advocate of the scientific method, President for the American Philosophical Society and the Secretary of State for President Washington. He designed his own gracious classical style mansion, Monticello in the hills of Virginia his home state. He was a staunch advocate of liberty and democracy. He had a vision of America as an agrarian paradise and he favoured states rights- a big issue with Southern slave states. As President he is remembered most for this bargain basement purchase of the Louisiana Purchase (US$15) in 1803 which doubled the area of America by acquiring most of the lands west of the Mississippi River from France. He was also a state legislator in Virginia, a Governor of that state and the founder of the University of Virginia. Despite his “all men are equal” statement in the Declaration he was a slave owner. He married and had 6 children but only 2 daughters survived to adulthood. Recent research has shown that he had a 40 year affair with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings after his wife died. He fathered 6 more children with her who were 7/8th white but still slaves. Jefferson freed all his Hemming-Jefferson offspring when they reached about 21 years of age. The rest of his slaves were freed after his death as dictated by his will. They were sold off to settle his debts.The Washington Monument. He lived 1732-1799. He is remembered as the General in charge of the Revolutionary War which the colonies eventually won against the then mightiest power -England. He was involved nearly all major campaigns- Valley Forge, Boston, New York and Jew Jersey( Princeton) and Yorketown in Virginia. Washington’s defeat of Lord Cornwallis at Yorketown in 1781 was the deciding battle of the War. In addition to be a revolutionary in the Continental Congress he was the first President 1789-97. Washington was a Virginian slave owner. He had no children. His wife freed his slaves after his death. He was buried on his Virginian property- Mt Vernon- near Washington. His obelisk is 555’ high and was completed in 1885. Work ceased on it during the Civil War. |
| 撮影日 | 2012-10-20 07:10:04 |
| 撮影者 | denisbin |
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| カメラ | FinePix S2000HD S2100HD , FUJIFILM |
| 露出 | 0.008 sec (1/120) |
| 開放F値 | f/7.0 |
| 焦点距離 | 5 mm |