HISTORY & POLITICS: Exploring the epicentre of political power

It’s the home of the President, Congress and the Supreme Court - Florence Maylor, Holly Dunkley, Edward Murray and Reuben Gilhooley look back on an action-packed and enlightening trip to the epicentre of political power in America, where they enjoyed visiting world-famous museums, monuments and more

WHILE day one was mostly spent travelling, it was not entirely wasted as we were all able to experience a dinner at the Hard Rock Café, just minutes away from our hotel. The second day of the Washington trip was one of great historical significance.

We spent the day wandering around the famous monuments, discussing their context and influence on American history. These monuments included the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the statue of Martin Luther King. All were magnificent in structure and really captured these significant American figures with such breath-taking designs.

After taking in these amazing feats of architecture, we ended the day with a visit to the White House. It was amazing to be there to see such an iconic building in reality, an opportunity we will relish for years to come.

Day three involved going to Monticello, the former home of the third US president Thomas Jefferson. While this did mean we had to spend a long time on a coach it was worth it due to the incredible preservation of the site, with roughly 60 per cent of it being original. Not only that but it provided us with a valuable chance to explore the experiences of many enslaved peoples in the USA, as Jefferson himself owned many slaves, all interesting information for our upcoming course work. Unfortunately, we were unable to spend lots of time at Monticello as we had to get back on the coach to head to Bar Deco for our evening meal.

On day four we went to Lafayette Square early in the morning for closer look at the White House where we saw many news crews and even a protest in support of the indictment of former president Donald Trump.

On our walk to the National Museum of African American History and Culture we saw the US Treasury which oversees the printing and engraving of the US mint. The National Museum of African American History is not only an incredibly beautiful piece of architecture opened by President Barack Obama but also an exceptionally mind-opening collection of history.

Very linked to our course work, the museum consisted of the history of African American life within the US dating back centuries, exploring African American involvement in the War of Independence, the Civil War and the fight for civil rights.

The museum also featured an interesting exhibit of African American features in the media where the original Black Panther, from the Marvel franchise, was on show. We then took the Metro to Arlington Cemetery where we saw the graves of President John F Kennedy and his wife Jackie, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and former associate justice of the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, known for fighting against gender discrimination. We then took the Metro to the Pentagon Mall where we got to experience the full American shopping style whilst breaking our bank accounts!

On day five we went to Gettysburg, the site of a consequential battle in the American Civil War. After arriving at Gettysburg our tour guide Bob got on the bus, providing an informative and robustly memorable experience with a lot of audience participation over the two hours of the guided tour. Departing the bus at different moments we got a chance to see the military artillery replicas placed around the site. After the tour we were given some free time to look around the visitors’ centre, including the giant Gettysburg Cyclorama, a 360-degree painting, made by French

artist Paul Philippoteaux in 1883, where we were given an informative history of the painting.

The day ended by getting back to DC for a brief talk by Mrs Fell on Ford’s Theatre and Lincoln's assassination, followed by dinner at the British-themed Elephant and Castle pub.

Day six provided us with the chance to visit some of Washington DC’s great museums (or galleries), with so many options, all were able to enjoy themselves, even if the day was a little bittersweet as we had to begin the long travel home shortly after lunch.