soei D g American Democracy et. 07 America: The Pursuit of Justice Prepared by Susan Sullivan Lagon,Ph.D., Historian, The Jefferson, Washington, DC

The Jefferson, Washington, DC • 1200 16th St. NW • Washington DC, 20036 1 The Jefferson, Washington, DC • 1200 16th St. NW • Washington DC, 20036 How Women Shaped American Life and Culture Prepared by Susan Sullivan Lagon, Ph.D., Historian, The Jefferson, Washington, DC

Having rebelled against King George III of England in 1776, the Founders’ main objective was to prevent concentrations of power in any one person or part of government that could lead to tyranny. The U.S. government established under the Constitution in 1787 has two basic organizing principles, both designed to divide power. The first is federalism, a system in which states retain their distinct character and sovereignty over some things while the national government is responsible for others. The second is separation of powers, a functional division among three co-equal branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. To maintain equilibrium, each branch is given specific powers denied to the others, a system known as checks and balances. As an added safeguard, some offices are elected and others appointed, some for specified terms and some for life.

Inside The Jefferson The restaurant names--Plume and Quill—are an homage to Thomas Jefferson’s role as the lead author of the Declaration of Independence. American colonists considered themselves English and understood the importance of the rule of law. The Declaration sought to justify what would otherwise be considered an unlawful rebellion by providing a lengthy catalog of the king’s transgressions against his subjects across the ocean.

The large gold mirror in Plume reflects federalism with 13 balls representing the original states in a circle formation to underscore continuity. In the Book Room, notice a similar formation of 13 stars in the sailing painting.

In the lobby, the eight original documents that bear Jefferson’s signature provide illustrations which speak to both federalism and separation of powers. Note his different roles: Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State under George Washington, President, and private citizen.

Day One Walking Tour Turn right out the front door of the hotel and head south on 16th St. In a few blocks you can cross Lafayette Square and stand right outside the oldest public building in Washington: The White House. Public tours must be booked several weeks in advance. In many European cities, a palace is the centerpiece. George Washington hired Frenchman Pierre L’Enfant to design the federal city. L’Enfant chose to make the Capitol, home of the legislative branch, the city’s center. The quadrants (NW, NE, SW, and SE) all meet beneath the Capitol dome, but the Capitol and the White House bookend Pennsylvania Avenue as equals.

The Jefferson, Washington, DC • 1200 16th St. NW • Washington DC, 20036 2 A design competition was held for the White House and Jefferson entered, anonymously. To his surprise, he lost to an Irishman named James Hoban who based his design on Leinster House in Dublin, currently the home of the Irish Parliament. Ironically, Jefferson was the first president to live in the White House throughout his term. Although at first he complained that the house was “big enough for two emperors, one pope, and the Grand Lama in the bargain,” he soon enlisted Benjamin Latrobe to add east and west colonnades to the building. Because the house was built of porous local sandstone, it often required painting. It was known as “the White House” as a result but only officially took that name in 1901 when President Teddy Roosevelt put it on the official stationery.

Walk south on 15th St. (one block east of the White House) until you reach “America’s Main Street,” Pennsylvania Avenue. American history has literally found expression here since the early republic, from victory parades to protest marches, presidential inaugurations to state funerals. The broad vista reflects the ideals Washington, Jefferson, and L’Enfant had for the new capital. It was aspirational, designed to rival the great capitals of Europe. Wide, diagonal boulevards would radiate out from squares and circles intended to be small parks. Everything would be superimposed on a traditional grid pattern with numbered streets running east and west from the Capitol while lettered streets ran south to north.

Proceed left (east) on Pennsylvania Avenue to Freedom Plaza, named in 1980 in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If you can dodge the skateboarders, notice that you are standing on L’Enfant’s map that includes the White House and the Capitol. In fact, the pink granite border comes from Texas, the streets are Georgia marble, the waterways are New York sandstone, and the city blocks are Californian granite— federalism cast in stone!

Democracy is all about choices, and you have to make one at 14th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. One option is to walk south on 14th St. until you reach Constitution Ave. The building across Constitution Ave. on your left is the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. But be forewarned, there are so many fascinating things to see that you could easily spend the rest of the day— or week—here. In addition to the permanent collection, the museum is featuring a new “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith” summer exhibit. Among its treasures: the portable writing desk Jefferson used to draft the Declarations of Independence, the inkstand President Lincoln used to draft the Emancipation Proclamation, the desk on which Elizabeth Cady Stanton penned the Declaration of Sentiments, a handstitched liberty banner from the 1790s, the pens used for the 15th Amendment (granting suffrage to formerly enslaved African American men) and 19th Amendment (women’s suffrage), to name a few.

The Jefferson, Washington, DC • 1200 16th St. NW • Washington DC, 20036 3 Back on Pennsylvania Ave. as you cross 12th St., it’s hard to miss the enormous Old Post Office Building, a Romanesque structure completed at the end of the 19th century. Once called a cross between a cotton mill and a cathedral, the historic property is under a 50-year lease as the Trump Hotel. Honoring the American Bicentennial, United Kingdom gifted the U.S. with the tower’s Congress Bells. This landmark is one of only a few buildings allowed to exceed the height restrictions imposed on buildings in Washington. Have you noticed? The city has no skyscrapers.

Pennsylvania Avenue also mirrors the growth of the federal government during the New Deal era. Many of the buildings that house government agencies were erected as public works projects in the 1930s. For example, the Department of Justice (one of the original four cabinet departments along with State, Treasury, and War) moved to the building on your right between 9th and 10th Streets.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) building occupies two blocks between 7th and 9th Streets, and fittingly, the heart of your tour. The public entrance is on the Mall side of the block near 9th St. This imposing edifice is both a museum and a working archive built to house the new government agency in 1935. It stands where Central Market was during Jefferson’s time. There he kept a meticulous log of which fruits and vegetables appeared for sale on which dates, a record now kept in the Library of Congress.

NARA’s motto is “The past is prologue.” It keeps all charters, public laws, and treaties of the U.S., but is best known for the Charters of Freedom permanent exhibit in the main rotunda. Here you can view the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. The building is open seven days a week and there is often a line, but it moves fairly quickly. Be patient, it’s worth it. The large Faulkner murals in the rotunda depict two scenes, one of Jefferson presenting the Declaration and one of James Madison with the Constitution. The scenes are fictional, but the people in each are real.

The Records of Rights permanent exhibit features an original copy of Magna Carta, the English declaration of rights that dates from 1297. A giant touch-screen interactive display explores how Americans have debated issues such as citizenship, free speech, voting rights, and equal opportunity.

Another must-see exhibit on display through September 4, 2017, is Amending America, which honors the 225th anniversary of the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the Constitution passed by Congress ratified by the states as a package in 1791.) The exhibit looks at the struggle to extend civil rights in subsequent amendments through race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and immigration status. For helpful background, read the curator’s article and look at #AmendingAmerica. *For a culinary break, walk north on 7th St. to find numerous restaurants and cafes in Penn Quarter and Chinatown.

The Jefferson, Washington, DC • 1200 16th St. NW • Washington DC, 20036 4 Head back to Pennsylvania Ave. The Newseum is at 6th St. with the words of the First Amendment proudly emblazoned on its façade. There is so much to see here: The gallery of Pulitzer-prize winning photos that gives a kaleidoscopic view of recent history, pieces of the Berlin Wall and the Twin Towers destroyed on 9/11, historic newspapers, interactive exhibits about journalistic ethics, the CNN Politics exhibit about the 2016 presidential campaign, and the current controversy about free speech on college campuses, it’s all here. Outside the museum, you’ll notice the front pages of papers from all 50 states and a few countries displayed daily. *Note that this museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

If you’d like to see the story of America’s diversity one face at a time, you’re close to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery at 7th and F St. and it’s open daily until 7:00 p.m. You can get an intimate perspective on politicians, activists, celebrities, and ordinary citizens here.

Day Two Walking Tour Begin at First and East Capitol St., across from the Capitol and in between the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. You are facing the “front door” of the U.S. Capitol. Since 1981, presidents have chosen to take their oath of office on the West Front side of the Capitol with the sweeping view of the Mall. George Washington laid the cornerstone in 1793 and by the time it was completed, it was the second public building in Washington (the White House being the first). As the building expanded, it dwarfed the small dome that graced the original. The current dome was completed during the Civil War, a potent symbol of the union’s endurance.

The chamber on the right (Constitutional Ave) belongs to the Senate and the one on the left (Independence Ave) to the House. The flag flies over either chamber when it is in session. Tours of the Capitol can be arranged here or through your Representative’s office. Access is through the Capitol Visitors Center (CVC) located below ground. Look for the wide staircase on the west side of First St., SE. *Please note: No food or drink is allowed, even empty water bottles. Medical equipment (Epi-pens, insulin, etc.) is allowed.

The Supreme Court meets in the Greek marble temple at the corner of East Capitol and First St, NE. Originally, the Court met in a small room in the Senate. It was 1935 before the highest court in the land had its own home. Notably, Cass Gilbert completed it ahead of schedule and under budget—rare for federal buildings. The motto “Equal Justice Under Law” is engraved over the columns and two statues flank the main steps. The one on the left is a female figure called “contemplation of justice.” The one on the right is a male figure known as “authority of law.”

The Court is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for self-guided tours and docent-led lectures when justices are not hearing cases. There’s an excellent film worth watching, several exhibits, and the only free-standing 5-story spiral staircase outside of the Vatican. When Court is in session, it is open to the public but seating is very limited.

The Jefferson, Washington, DC • 1200 16th St. NW • Washington DC, 20036 5 Like the White House, the Capitol was set ablaze by British soldiers during the war of 1812. A thunderstorm prevented the buildings from complete destruction, but Congress’s small library was destroyed. In 1815 Thomas Jefferson sold his private collection of more than 6,000 volumes to the U.S. for $23,950 to replenish the Library of Congress. Unfortunately more than half of those books were lost to a fire in the 1850s, but many that remain are on display.

Proceed “down” the Hill past the Capitol to the Mall, the 300 acre lawn that unfolds between Constitution and Independence Avenues maintained by the National Park Service. On the Mall you can walk between the Smithsonian museums, each of which deserves several hours. Cross 9th St. on the Mall and stop in at the red brick “Castle.” This is the original museum built by James Renwick and the first building erected between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Be sure to pick up a brochure that lists highlights and hours for all of the Smithsonian’s 19 museums and plan a future visit when you have more time.

If you walk straight down the Mall (west) you will pass the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial before arriving at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. Recognizable from the penny and long associated with civil rights, this monument to “the Great Emancipator” is one of Washington’s most beloved sites. It is open 24/7 and is as beautiful when lighted at night as it is during the day.

The Greek temple was completed in 1922 and honors not only Abraham Lincoln but also the ideal of national unity. It is supported by 36 columns, the number of states in the nation during Lincoln’s presidency. Walk up the steps and on the landing you will see the exact spot where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. Walk inside and see the 19’ statue of Lincoln seated with the flag draped behind him. The Gettysburg Address is inscribed on one wall and Lincoln’s second inaugural address—still the shortest on record—is on the other.

Make your way south one block from the Lincoln to Independence Avenue and turn left. You will soon arrive at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Completed in 2011, its address is 1964 Independence Ave, SW, paying tribute to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Two massive slabs of stone rise on either side with the inscription “Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope,” a quotation from Dr. King’s most famous speech. The figure of Dr. King is unfinished, symbolizing the country’s unfinished journey towards civil rights for all Americans.

The Jefferson, Washington, DC • 1200 16th St. NW • Washington DC, 20036 6