| Capital Cities
The capital of the United States of America is, of course, Washington,
D.C.--named after George Washington. But it is different than most large
cities. It is not part of a state, but instead is part of a district that
is tucked between Maryland and Virginia. It is also called the District
of Columbia, and that portion of its name comes from Christopher Columbus.
The location of the area next to the Potomac River was a major consideration
in choosing the site. President Washington felt that the nation's capital
needed to have close proximity to a major river system in order to transport
people and goods. Washington, D.C. became our national capital on December
1, 1800. Prior to that time Philadelphia had served as the capital and
New York for a short time before that. John Adams was the first president
to reside in Washington, D.C.
Salt Lake City is the capital of our state of Utah. It was founded on
the Jordan River near the Great Salt Lake. Its capitol building was built
in 1914.
Sample some of the following activities to learn more about our capital
cities.
Places To Go | People To See | Things To Do | Teacher Resources | Bibliography
Places To Go
The following are places to go (some real and some virtual) to find out
about our capital cities.
The
White House
Take a virtual tour of the White House. Visit the Green Room, the East
Room, the Map Room, and many others. Learn about the historical significance
of each room, the events that took place there, how they are used now,
and how the look of the rooms has changed over time.
The
White House for Kids
Take a virtual tour of the White House with Socks and Buddy as your tour
guides.
The United States Capitol
Travel to the United States Capitol Building. It is one of the most widely
recognized buildings in the world. It is a symbol of the American people
and their government, the meeting place of the nation's legislature, an
art and history museum, and a tourist attraction visited by millions every
year.
Washington
D.C. Sightseeing Map
Use this clickable map to visit historic places in Washington D.C. It's
interesting to see the location of these historic buildings in relation
to each other. The Supreme Court and the Library of Congress are just
east of the Capitol Building. The Potomac River is west of the Capitol
and the White House is northwest of the Capitol.
The
Old Executive Office Building
Take a virtual tour of the Old Executive Office Building. It is located
next door to the White House. It was built from 1871 to 1888 to house
the growing staffs of the State, War, and Navy Departments. It is considered
one of the best examples of French Second Empire architecture in the country.
This historic building is the site that is associated with formulating
and conducting the nation's foreign policy in the last quarter of the
nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century -- the
period when the United States emerged as an international power. The building
has housed some of the nation's most significant diplomats and politicians
and has been the scene of many historic events.
Territorial
Statehouse State Park
Fillmore in Millard county was Utah's first territorial capital. You can
still visit Utah's first territorial statehouse in Fillmore. It's now
a state museum.
Utah
Visit Utah and learn everything you every wanted to know about
our state and capital.
Salt Lake City
Spend time in our own state capital.
States and Capitals
Travel to the capital of every state.
People To See
Mike Leavitt
Jacalyn
Leavitt
Meet Utah Governor Mike Leavitt and Jacalyn Leavitt.
Things To Do
Santa Fe
Learn about the oldest city in the United States that is also a capital.
Santa Fe began as a collection of Pueblo Indian villages in the 11th century.
Then Spanish citizens settled there in the early 1600s.
FunBrain
- Where Is That?
Participate in an online learning activity where you identify states and
their capitals. Is the capital of North Dakota Bismark or Pierre?
Learn the State
Capitals
Match the capital to the state. What state belongs to the capital city
of Concord?
Utah's
Historic Governor's Mansion
Find out how the Kearn's mansion became the official residence for governors
of Utah. It is located on South Temple Street in Utah's capital, Salt
Lake City.
State
and Local Government on the Net
Find links to the local governments of each state.
Teacher Resources
Online activities are a listing of internet
sites with fun, interesting, and educational tasks attached to each one.
(You can learn how to use this WWW
Activities tool created by UEN for Utah educators).
Virtual Field Trips are teacher and student-created
tours of curricular topics. (You can learn how to use this UEN Virtual
Field Trip tool created by UEN for Utah educators).
Lesson Plans/Webquests
Bibliography
- Ayres, Becky. Salt Lake City. Minneapolis, Minn. : Dillon Press, c1990.
- Debnam, Betty. A Kid's Guide to the White House. Kansas City, MO :
Andrews and McMeel, c1997.
- Guzzetti, Paula. The White House. Parsippany, N.J. : Dillon Press,
c1996.
- Maroon, Fred J. The United States Capitol. New York : Stewart, Tabori
& Chang ; Distributor, Workman Pub., 1993.
- Quiri, Patricia Ryon. The White House. New York : F. Watts, c1996.
- Santella, Andrew. The Capitol. Chicago : Childrens Press, c1995.
- Wilson, Jon. The White House : 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Chanhassen,
MN : Child's World, c1999.
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