Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Federal Hall



- Built in 1700 as New York's city hall

- Was the first capitol building of the United States

- George Washington was inaugurated here and the bible used is still on site

- 1st congress met here and discussed the Bill of Rights

- John Zenger was tried in the original building and now there is an exhibit to commemorate that

- The original building was demolished in 1812, but the memorial building (Federal Hall National Memorial)
was built in 1842 and still stands there today

- The new building was designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant (who designed Washington D.C.)

- Designed in Greco-Roman style to symbolize democracy

- Today the memorial functions as a free museum

- There is an over-life sized statue of George Washington being inaugurated (built by John Quincy Adams Ward) which was placed on the exact spot Washington stood decades before, during his inauguration.

 

5 comments:

  1. Did George Washington make another trip to federal hall ?

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    1. Well since this was the nation's capital, I'm sure he came quite often to discuss policies and head debates and things of that nature (the same way a modern-day president would attend and participate in events in Washington D.C.)

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    2. Yes, this is correct, In fact, he once visited the Senate in person for "advice and consent" on a treaty he had negotiated, but he became so frustrated and angry that he vowed never to go back (and he didn't). Unintentionally, his action set the precedent that Presidents do not visit the Senate personally to seek confirmation of treaties.

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  2. Other than George Washington being inaugurated here, was there any other significant event that happened in federal hall?

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    Replies
    1. The first congress met here and discussed things such as the Bill of Rights. Also this was the nation's first capitol, and everything that is now in Washington D.C was located in this building (supreme court, capital hill, etc.)

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