VOICE ONE:
The tallest structure in America’s capital city is the WashingtonMonument. It is named for George Washington, the first president ofthe United States. I’m Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. We tell about the Washington Monument andthe man it honors on the VOA Special English program, THIS ISAMERICA.
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VOICE ONE:
The tallest structure in Washington, D-C, honors GeorgeWashington, the first president of the United States. He led theAmerican colonies in the war of independence against England fromSeventeen-Seventy-Five to Seventeen-Eighty-Three. Later he headedthe group that wrote the American Constitution. As president, hehelped the new United States of America through its difficult firstyears.
Today, millions of people fromaround the world visit the stone structure that honors GeorgeWashington. The Washington Monument stands almostone-hundred-seventy meters high, not far from the Potomac River. Themonument is a white stone structure called an obelisk. Its foursides end in a point at the top.
VOICE TWO:
Fifty American flags surround the monument. They represent thefifty states. The Washington Monument is one of the mostphotographed places in the world. Lights shine on the obelisk atnight. It can be seen from far away. Fireworks are launched fromnear the monument on America’s Independence Day — the Fourth ofJuly — and during other special celebrations.
The monument recently reopened after being closed for more than ayear. Workers made several improvements. They built a new elevatorto carry visitors to the observation area at the top of themonument. New security measures also were added. Workers had carriedout a more extensive repair project beginning inNineteen-Ninety-Eight. That project took two years and cost morethan nine-million dollars.
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VOICE ONE:
Visitors to the Washington Monument begin by getting a freeticket. Long lines often form at the ticket office. Once people havetheir tickets, they stand in a short line near the monument. On arecent day, visitors talked to one another while waiting. Theydiscovered that they came from all over the United States andseveral other nations. Some of the visitors commented about thesurrounding flags, which flew straight out in the spring wind. Theysaid the flags looked as if they had been painted that way.
National Park Service officials supervise the WashingtonMonument. They lead visitors to a big elevator for the ride up tothe observation area at the top of the monument. During the ride,another Park Service employee tells about the history of thestructure. He also tells visitors they can see all of Washingtonfrom the observation area if the weather is good.
VOICE TWO:
The observation area is more than one-hundred-fifty meters high.Many people say “ooh” and “aah” as they stand at the windows.Looking north, you can see such famous places as the White House.You can also see the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Willard Hotel,one of the oldest hotels in Washington. America’s sixteenthpresident, Abraham Lincoln, stayed there. To the east, you can seethe Capitol building, where Congress makes laws. You can also seethe Smithsonian Institution museum buildings.
The return elevator trip to the ground is equally interesting.Two sides of this elevator have windows. Through the windows you cansee some of the almost two-hundred carved memorial stones on theinside walls of the monument.
Every state gave a stone to the monument. Stones also arrivedfrom other countries. For example, one stone came from the libraryof Alexandria, Egypt. The Free Swiss Federation in Switzerland gavea stone that says, “To the Memory of Washington.” Japan gave a stonemade from rock from a volcano.
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VOICE ONE:
It took many years to build the Washington Monument. Americaalmost got a very different memorial to George Washington instead ofthe present one. Congress decided to pay for a statue of GeorgeWashington on a horse. The lawmakers did this even before thesigning of the treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War. Thestatue was to show how General Washington led American troops tovictory against England. However, he said he did not want the nationto spend money for the statue.
VOICE TWO:
A group called the Washington National Monument Society startedraising money for a memorial in Eighteen-Thirty-Three. Officialsplaced the first stone of the monument on July Fourth,Eighteen-Forty-Eight.
The Roman Catholic Church leader Pope Pius the Ninth gave a pieceof marble from Rome for the monument. But the stone was stolen a fewyears later. People suspected that an American group called the KnowNothings stole the stone. Among other things, the group opposed theRoman Catholic Church.
After that, the public almost stopped giving money for thestructure. Many people believed it never would be finished. ThenCongress started to help pay for the monument. But, again, the KnowNothings intervened. They raided the Washington National MonumentSociety office. They claimed the monument was their property.
VOICE ONE:
Finally, in Eighteen-Seventy-Six, Congress voted to pay forbuilding the Washington Monument. On December Sixth,Eighteen-Eighty-Four, the monument was finished. It opened to thepublic four years later.
The Washington Monument is just one of many ways Americans havehonored their first president. The northwest state of Washington isnamed for him. So are many cities, schools and streets in the UnitedStates. Thousands of children have been named George or Washington.
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VOICE TWO: George Washington was born in Seventeen-Thirty-Two.His family lived in Westmoreland County, Virginia. George attendedschool for only about seven or eight years. He wanted to become asailor. However, his mother would not permit this. So George becamean explorer. At age twenty he became an officer in the colonialarmy.
In Seventeen-Fifty-Three, the colonies still belonged to Britain.Major George Washington carried a message from British colonialofficials to French forces. At the time, French forces occupied theOhio River Valley. The message ordered them to withdraw. It was adangerous duty, and George Washington completed it well.
VOICE ONE:
George Washington continued to gain responsibility in the army.However, as time passed, he became angry with the way Englandgoverned the American colonies. Taxes were high. And the colonieshad no representation in the British Parliament.
The war against Britain began in Seventeen-Seventy-Five. TheAmericans named George Washington commander of the Revolutionaryarmies.
Many of his soldiers were untrained. They were poorly equipped.During one winter of the Revolutionary War, his troops almost frozeto death. But General Washington led these Americans to victory. Thelast British troops left America in Seventeen-Eighty-Three.
VOICE TWO:
After the war, George Washington strongly influenced the writingof the new Constitution. Then, in Seventeen-Eighty-Nine, the firstAmerican Electoral College met. It named him the first president ofthe United States. Three years later, he wanted to retire. Heplanned to live with his wife Martha at their home in Virginia,Mount Vernon. But others appealed to him to run for president again.The ballots were counted in Eighteen-Ninety-Three, and he wasre-elected.
George Washington gave the nation a good start. He helped preventthe country from becoming a dictatorship. He prevented it from beingruled by a king. He helped establish freedom of religion.
VOICE ONE:
George Washington was not perfect. He kept slaves at MountVernon. However, he freed all his slaves during his lifetime. Healso urged the nation to end slavery in the future.
A sentence written on the wall in the Washington Monumentexpresses the way many Americans feel about George Washington. Itsays he was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the heartsof his countrymen.”
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VOICE TWO:
This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced byCynthia Kirk. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for another reportabout life in the United States on the VOA Special English program,THIS IS AMERICA.