Washington

The Potomac River The Potomac River /pəˈtoʊmək/ is located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States and flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river (main stem and North Branch) is approximately 405 miles (652 km) long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles (38,000 km²). In terms of area, this makes the Potomac River the fourth largest river along the Atlantic coast of the United States and the 21st largest in the United States. Over 5 million people live within the Potomac watershed.

George Washington (February 22, 1732 [O.S. February 11, 1731][b][c] – December 14, 1799) was the first President of the United States (1789–97), the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He presided over the convention that drafted the current United States Constitution and during his lifetime was called the "father of his country".

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 George Washington was born on February 22, 1732. He did not learn how to read, write, or do math in school. Instead he learned at home with a tutor. Math was his best subject. His father died when he was 11 and he lived with his mother until he was 16. George moved to his half brother Lawrence's Estate, Mount Vernon, when he was 16 and he got his first job. They taught him how to be a surveyor. He inherited Mount Vernon when Lawrence died. He lived there for the remainder of his life. Washington married a young widow, Martha Custis, at age 26. Washington and his wife had no children of their own. She already had two children, Washington adopted them. She moved to Mount Vernon to live with him. During his first term he accomplished many new things. Washington accepted Jay's treaty which settled the arguments between America and the British. He was a serious President. Thomas Jefferson was his Secretary of State. Two parties began to develop during his first term. At first, he ran the government from New York City and then later from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Washington did not want to serve a second term, but people begged him so he did it again. He ran for a second term against John Adams. He beat John Adams by 39 votes and Adams became his Vice President. Washington decided that the Bill of Rights should be added to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights changed within 2 years. Washington agreed that they should have Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Press, and Freedom of Religion. George retired because he was getting old and also because he refused to serve a third term. He enjoyed his last three years at Mount Vernon peacefully. He died on a Monday, December 14, 1799.

White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators.

The Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is an American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument. The architect was Henry Bacon; the designer of the primary statue – Abraham Lincoln, 1920 – was Daniel Chester French; the Lincoln statue was carved by the Piccirilli Brothers; and the painter of the interior murals was Jules Guerin. Dedicated in 1922, it is one of several monuments built to honor an American president. It has always been a major tourist attraction and since the 1930s has been a symbolic center focused on race relations.

The Capitol The United States Capitol, often called Capitol Hill, is the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. It sits atop Capitol Hill, at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. Though not at the geographic center of the Federal District. The U.S. Capitol Building is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world.

The Exhibition Hall includes an 11-foot (3 The Exhibition Hall includes an 11-foot (3.4 m) high tactile polyurethane model of the Capitol dome. The hall is dominated by a pair of curving 93-foot (28 m) marble walls lined with artifacts and interactive touch-screen displays. Included in the collection are documents signed by George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Thomas Jefferson He was elected the second Vice President of the United States (1797–1801) and the third President (1801–1809). Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism and individual rights, which motivated American colonists to break from Great Britain and form a new nation. He produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national level. During the American Revolution, he represented Virginia in the Continental Congress that adopted the Declaration, drafted the law for religious freedom as a Virginia legislator, and served as a wartime governor (1779–1781).

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. In a single stroke, it changed the federal legal status of more than 3 million enslaved persons in the designated areas of the South from "slave" to "free".

National Gallery of Art

U.S. Botanic Gardens

National Museum of the American Indian

National Air & Space Museum

The world’s largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft is also a center for study of the history of science and aviation as well as planetary science and geophysics. It is also a reliable source of Astronaut ice cream, just one of the kid-pleasing find in their large gift shop.

National Museum of Natural History

Step inside and you’re greeted by an African elephant, an emblem of the diversity of life: the very subject of this amazing museum. The most visited natural history museum in the world, NMNH, boasts an irresistible (and rotating) collection of 127 million items including dinosaur bones; ancient Egyptian mummies; and the storied Hope Diamond. It is also home to an international network of scientists who engage in research in fields including biodiversity, global climate change and the preservation of human culture.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Smithsonian Institution Information Center in the Castle

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Freer Gallery of Art

Freer Gallery of Art One half of the National Museum of Asian Art – the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is the other half - the Freer houses decorative and devotional objects from across Asia. United, the collections hold over 25,000 objects spanning 6,000 years. Sculpture of wire mesh clouds in the lobby of the Freer Gallery of Art, Shoe exhibit

National Museum of African Art Dedicated to fostering a public interest in the visual arts of Africa, the National Museum of African Art displays part of its collection of 9,000 pieces in subterranean galleries

National Museum of American History A collection of more than 3 million objects take turns telling the story of the United States to the more than 4.3 million visitors a year who treat themselves to a visit to the National Museum of American History. The holdings include items from the Pilgrims’ 1620 landing in Plymouth Rock to the 2012 election.

The National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art has one of the finest art collections in the world. It was created for the people of the United States of America by a joint resolution of Congress accepting the gift of financier, public servant, and art collector Andrew W. Mellon in 1937. European and American paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photographs, and decorative arts are displayed in the collection galleries and Sculpture Garden. The permanent collection of paintings spans from the Middle Ages to the present day.