Tag: freedom

American Leaders, Monumental History

John Aaron Rawlins

“We will stand by the flag of our country and appeal to the God of Battles!”

In a quiet park in Foggy Bottom, between 18th and 19th Streets NW, stands the statue of General John A. Rawlins. South of the General Services Administration and north of the Department of the Interior, the park doesn’t see many visitors even though it has a fountain, two reflecting pools, and plenty of benches. The park is also lined with tulip magnolias, which put on a vivid show of pink blossoms in March.

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American Leaders, Monumental History, Revolutionary War

Washington Circle

“First in war – first in peace – and first in the hearts of his countrymen”

Sandwiched between West End and Foggy Bottom, at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue, is Washington Circle. Two concentric circles of sidewalk ring the equestrian statue Lieutenant General George Washington that stands in the middle of the park. Benches line the sidewalks and trees provide shade for pedestrians and students from nearby George Washington University.

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International Figures, Libertadores, Monumental History

General José Gervasio Artigas Arnal

“Liberty of America is my design and its attainment my only objective.”

In a small park at the intersection of Constitution and Virginia Avenues stands one of the early leaders of South American independence, José Gervasio Artigas Arnal. Crowned by a copse of trees and frequently flanked by tour buses, this 9-foot bronze statue is often overlooked despite the heavy traffic that swarms around it.

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American Leaders, Monumental History, National Mall

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

“With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”

In the middle of a crescent-shaped park in South West D.C., a 30-foot granite sculpture of Martin Luther King, Jr. rises above its surroundings and peers south across the tidal basin. At all hours of the day visitors come to the park to pay their respects to the man who helped lead the civil rights movement of the 1960s and to learn why his legacy is so important to the United States.

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