Washington DC (District of Columbia, in honour of Christopher Columbus) has been the permanent seat of government of the United States since 1790. After the Civil War, the city was granted self-government and it eagerly set about creating stunning new buildings, paving and lighting the streets and installing sewers, which Congress committed to building. By the end of the century Washington Memorial and the Library of Congress were built. The Lincoln Memorial was inaugurated in 1922.
President Franklin D Roosevelt (1931-45) authorised the construction of the Supreme Court and the Pentagon. The creation of the splendid Metro subway system in the later 1970s helped revitalise some of the city’s deteriorating districts.
As the nation’s capital, it is inevitable that Washington would see some of the great political events of the second half of the twentieth century. Key among these were the anti-Vietnam War and Civil Rights protest movements, which came to a head in the 1960s. Martin Luther King made one of history’s great speeches from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 in front 250,000 people. Six years later, 500,000 joined a demonstration against the war in Vietnam.
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Key Study Areas
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Location Click here to view map
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History Excursions
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Our best value sample itinerary from £750
5 Days to Washington
Day 1:
Transatlantic flight to Washington. Meet your transfer to take you to your accommodation and check in. Spend the evening on a walking or bus tour to see the Washington sights by night.
Day 2:
In the morning visit the government buildings either on your own or with an experienced tour guide. In the afternoon visit the National Museum of American History.
Day 3:
Spend the morning sightseeing including memorials to Vietnam, Korean War, Matin Luther King and the Lincolnl. In the afternoon visit the Holocaust Museum.
Day 4:
Spend the morning visiting Arlington National Cemetery, final resting place of The Kennedy's and The Tomb of the Unknowns. In the afternoon meet your transfer to the airport for your return overnight flight back to the UK.
Day 5:
Early morning arrival back in the UK.
