Inauguration | Annie Fox's Blog

#5: A visit to the Capitol

January 17, 2009

U.S. Capitol Building

The U.S. Capitol is one of the world’s most recognizable buildings. (That’s Capitol with an “o” not to be confused with “What’s the capital of ______?”) But what does it look like inside? Most people haven’t had a peek. Today we did.

Our tour guide Paul knows every cornice, balustrade, and column of the place. And even though other tour groups criss-crossed our path in the hallways and chambers (“It’s Inauguration Weekend. Only happens once every four years, you know!”) he remained calm, friendly and very funny. Way to go, Paul!

Capitol Building tour guide, Paul

Paul also knew lots of great stories… such as: On the underside the world-famous Capitol dome is an incredible painting of George Washington in heaven. Constantino Brumidi, a gifted Italian artist, painted it over a period of 11 months, lying on his back while being suspended 180 feet in the air! He then started painting a mural around the base of the dome. After finishing about one-third of it, he slipped and dangled by his fingertips for 15 minutes until his frantic shouts attracted attention. After he was brought down safely he quit. Two other artists completed the rest of the circular mural. (The second guy was fired for painting his self- portrait on the trunk of a tree. He “lost face” by getting fired, but his face is still up there in the mural.)

Beneath the dome of the Capitol Building

Capitol Building frieze - can you find the artist's portrait in the tree? (click for a larger version)

A portion of the Capitol Building frieze -- can you find the artist's self-portrait in the tree? (click image for a larger version)

At the end of the Capitol tour, I took away one big idea about America: Over the centuries, many have stood up in Congress and spoken up for people from every corner of every state in the Union. Today, our elected representatives still work together to find common ground. What they work to achieve daily in the Capitol is just like it says in Latin on the Great Seal of the United States… E pluribus unum: Out of many, one.

Capitol Building's National Statuary Hall -- one of the Inauguration receptions will be held here.

Capitol Building's National Statuary Hall -- one of the Inaugural Balls will be held here on Tuesday, January 20th.

Dome of the Statuary Hall.

Entryway to the the chambers of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Filed under: Inauguration,Politics,Teens — Tags: Capitol Building, Frieze, Inauguration — Annie @ 11:35 am

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#1: Inauguration Blog for Teens – DC bound

January 6, 2009

President-elect Barack Obama

For the rest of January, I’ll be writing a special Inauguration blog for middle and high school students. This is the first entry.

On Thursday January 15th I’m heading to Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. I know DC is way chillier than what I’m used to, but I’m too excited to worry about cold hands and feet. This will be an amazing adventure that will take me back into America’s historic past and forward into our nation’s future.

Want to come along? No, I don’t have an extra plane ticket (sorry about that) but I do have a virtual seat for you in the front row. Through this blog you can be right beside me from the moment I arrive at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Jan. 15th until my return to the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ll only be gone for 7 days, but I’ve got tons of stuff planned for my time in Washington. Come along and be part of the experience at:

The Library of Congress the largest library in the world with over 20 million books. And that’s not counting all the discs, tapes, movies, maps, photographs, posters and drawings! Teachers: check this out.

The Supreme Court, the highest court in the land and the final word on the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. The court was established in 1789 (the year George Washington was inaugurated).

The U.S. Capitol home of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Check this out.

President-elect Obama’s Inauguration Welcome Event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Shaw Jr. High School where I’ll be lending a helping hand sorting 10,000 books during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

The National Mall where millions of people will witness Barack Obama’s Presidential Swearing-in Ceremony.

The traditional Inaugural Parade where I hope to find a good viewing spot along the 2 mile route from the Capitol to the White House

And that’s just a fraction of what I’ll be blogging about through text, video clips, as well as audio and pix.

Want to be a part of America’s history and our next chapter? You can start right now by thinking about these questions…

Why should you or any middle school student care about what happens in Washington?
What does the election of the first African-American president say about us, as Americans?
If you were going to be inaugurated President of the United States on January 20th, what would be the first thing you’d do to make our country better?
What could you do to make your school a better place?

What do you think… about any of it? Got something else you want to say about President-elect Obama, the election, the Inauguration, America, democracy, freedom, etc.? Post your comments here. Got a whole lot to say? Be a guest blogger! I’ll publish a few of the best student blogs I receive. Just . Your ideas and opinions matter! Go ahead. Feel free.