Washington, DC, History for Kids: The Making of a Capital City
Time Line 1608 Captain John Smith is the first European to explore the Washington area 1660s First European settlers arrive 1820s Rebuilt and expanded Capitol is completed 1748 Bellhaven is founded soon to become Alexandria 1751 Georgetown is founded 1789 George Washington becomes the first president of the United States 1790 The Potomac is selected as the site for the future capital of the United States 1791 Pierre L’Enfant begins to lay out the new city 1792 Cornerstone of the White House is laid 1793 Cornerstone of the Capitol is laid 1800 US government officially moves to Washington 1814 British burn Washington during the War of 1812 1816 St John’s Church is built vi
1844 Cannon explodes aboard the warship Princeton 1846 District of Columbia loses part of its area is no longer diamond shaped 1848 Construction of the Washington Monument begins 1855 Smithsonian Castle is completed 1861 Civil War starts and troops begin to amass in Washington 1863 New Capitol dome is completed 1865 Civil War ends President Lincoln is assassinated 2001 Terrorists crash plane into the Pentagon 1872 Parking Commission is created to beautify Washington 1888 Washington Monument is opened to the public 1912 3,020 cherry trees arrive as a gift from Japan 1922 Lincoln Memorial is completed 1943 Jefferson Memorial is dedicated 1957 First segment of the Beltway opens 1962 Dulles Airport opens 1963 250,000 people participate in the March on Washington protesting for civil rights 1976 Metro subway service begins 2011 Earthquake damages the Washington Monument vii
Introduction The story of Washington DC is the tale of a grand vision It shows how a swath of swampy wilderness along the Potomac River became a beautiful and majestic capital city It’s a fascinating tale that unfolded very gradually over the last three centuries The city that was once ridi culed as an inconvenient underpopulated muddy mess of a place took many years to become the national capital that its designer originally envisioned As each puzzle piece fell into place Washington continued to evolve and grow Along the way many of the key moments in our coun try’s history both tragic and triumphant happened here Today Washington DC is a thriving and inspiring metropolis filled with history culture and natural beauty This is the story of how it got that way ix
