Exploring the history of America. We may be a relatively young nation but it has a diverse and complex history. One which is retold through monuments across the country. From tributes to indigenous peoples to incredible feats of engineering, here are some of the most important landmarks in the US.
Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This elegant red-brick building in the City of Brotherly Love holds great historical significance. The Declaration of Independence – the document that freed the States from British rule – was debated and signed here in 1776, and the hall later became the birthplace of the US Constitution. Indoor visits are temporarily suspended; check the NPS website for updates.
Monticello, Charlottesville, Virginia One of America’s most elegant presidential homes, Monticello belonged to the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson had a keen interest in architecture and his home was fittingly unique. Although the president was a vocal abolitionist, Monticello was also a plantation and hundreds of enslaved people lived and worked here. Their stories are typically told through exhibits and on-site tours.
Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina
In 1861, the first shots of the bloody American Civil War were fired from Fort Sumter, a garrison with a strategic position at the mouth of Charleston Harbor. It played a key role throughout the conflict and the immaculately preserved fort ruins remain today. Guided tours of the historic site, which is accessible only by boat, are usually available, but check the NPS website for current details.
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia
A place of somber beauty, Manassas National Battlefield Park was the site of the first major conflict during the Civil War (the First Battle of Bull Run), and also the pivotal Second Battle of Bull Run. In each bloody clash, the Confederates won. Trails studded with interpretive markers route through the battlefield park.
Trail of Tears, Tennessee and beyond
The Cherokee Trail of Tears, running from Oklahoma to Tennessee, commemorates a tragic event in history. In 1863, the indigenous Cherokee people were exiled from their homelands in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, and forced to live in a new territory, now Oklahoma. Thousands perished in the move which was part of the abhorrent Indian Removal Act of 1830. One of the most poignant tributes is a statue depicting a Cherokee family in Pulaski, Tennessee.
Mount Vernon, near Alexandria, Virginia
This sprawling mansion was the home of George Washington, America's first president. Perched on the banks of the Potomac River, Mount Vernon's 21 rooms are immaculately preserved and fronted by extensive gardens. But this was also the site of Washington's plantation where he enslaved men, women and children. Their story is told through a special exhibition, Lives Bound Together.
Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland
Fort McHenry played a pivotal role in the War of 1812 when the British attacked the fort during the Battle of Baltimore, but were repelled by American troops. The fort also served as a muse for Francis Scott Key, who witnessed the clash. Inspired by the American flag soaring over the bastion, Key penned a poem that would go on to become "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States. The park is undergoing a phased reopening – check the NPS website for details.
Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a living memory of America’s frontier past. It was once a key stop along trader highway the Santa Fe Trail and was home to Wyatt Earp, one of the Wild West’s most famous lawmen. The legendary era is best preserved along Boot Hill Museum’s Front Street, a recreated strip of saloons and houses honoring the city’s 1870s heyday.
Manzanar National Historic Site, California
Manzanar was a military-controlled camp where thousands of innocent Japanese Americans were imprisoned during the Second World War, following tensions after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. Today it’s a National Historic Site used to tell the stories of those who were incarcerated here. See the relevant NPS site for details of open areas and available amenities.
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Washington DC
Dedicated in 2011, this tribute to the late Civil Rights leader was imagined from a specific line in his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope," said King, and the statue sees the great speaker emerge from a hunk of granite rock. The monument is situated close to the National Mall’s Tidal Basin, not far from where King gave his legendary talk on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
National September 11 Memoria, New York City, New York
This moving tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks is built where the World Trade Center's twin towers once stood. Waterfalls cascade into vast pools, the walls of which are inscribed with the names of those who died in 2001. More than 400 swamp white oaks trees, selected for their resilience, surround the pools, creating a serene place of reflection in the Big Apple.
Like it or not, good or bad, it is our history.
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