Male narrator
Download 406.2 Kb.
|
| (male narrator) We begin the tour of the United States Capitol Visitor Center in Emancipation Hall at the foot of the central staircase leading down into the Hall. When you are in position, please press the top half-moon button to hear a description of Emancipation Hall.
(female narrator) Welcome to the United States Capitol Visitor Center, where an array of exhibits invites us to travel through American history. With its architecture and grounds changing over time, the Capitol itself stands as a symbol of the nation's development.
Sandstone, once a part of the East Front portico, features original chisel marks. A plaque above the marker acknowledges the role that enslaved laborers played in the construction of the United States Capitol.
(male narrator) The tour now moves to Stop Number 1, located 75 feet across the Hall from the central staircase. With the stairs behind you, walk forward to proceed through the Hall's wide central aisle. You will be heading West, passing the roped aisles leading to the information desks on each side of the central aisle. A low octagonal metal railing surrounds Stop Number 1, The Statue of Freedom.
(male narrator) Stop Number 1: The Statue of Freedom.
More than 19 feet tall and painted white, the plaster figure depicts an imposing woman with a fur-trimmed robe draped over one shoulder. A brooch bearing the letters "U S" secures the gathered bodice of her tunic-style dress, which hangs in loose folds around her ankles.
(male narrator) Exhibition Hall Overview
Displays are located on both sides of the "hallways," along a central island as well as the perimeter wall. As the tour proceeds in a counterclockwise direction, the perimeter wall will be on your right, and the central island on your left. The "island" is formed by two 12-foot-tall marble walls and a number of large walnut display cases. Each marble wall is 94 feet long, stretching nearly the length of each wing along the island's first North/South hallway, nearest Exhibition Hall's entrance. The display cases form six recessed alcoves along the island's second North/South hallway.
With Exhibition Hall's entryway behind you, step forward to find the Capitol Dome Model, the centerpiece of the Hall. You will be walking West.
On the model, a miniature of the Statue of Freedom stands atop the rounded dome on a tholos, a small circular structure surrounded by columns. Lights inside the actual tholos sometimes glow during the evening hours, signifying that the House or the Senate is in session. The model's tholos brightens at random to demonstrate this activity.
(male narrator) To proceed to the next stop, Number 3, the tour moves to the right, in a counterclockwise direction, to enter Exhibition Hall's North wing. Stop Number 3 is located about 10 feet from the dome model. Pass the narrow path next to the model to find the next stop, which is located on the island's marble wall. The current rotation of documents on display in the following three stops are all related to the larger issue of: Congress and the World Wars World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945) were cataclysmic events during the twentieth century. Congress debated new international commitments and chose dramatically new courses in the aftermath of each world war, defining American foreign policy for the rest of the century. Domestically, Congress passed landmark legislation affecting veterans, women, American Indians, and the structure of the federal government. It also investigated “red scares” with controversial results. As Congress faced the challenges of a post-war world—in 1918 and again in 1945—it considered and enacted legislation that would change the lives of millions of Americans. Stop # 3 World War II: A World Transformed At the end of World War II, the United States emerged as a global superpower. Congress enhanced that influence by creating multilateral institutions, providing foreign aid to war-torn nations, and debating how best to manage America’s potent atomic capabilities. Members of Congress were instrumental in establishing the United Nations and in seeking to contain communism through support for the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. [Photograph ON PANEL— associated with the Introduction to stop #3] First Session of the North Atlantic Council, North Atlantic Council Meeting at the Level of Foreign Ministers, Washington, D.C. (detail), photograph, September 17, 1949 NATO Photos This is the beginning of the specific documents on display in the three glass cases associated with the topic of World War II: A World Transformed [Glass Case # 1] The United Nations Charter As World War II reached its climax, representatives from 50 nations met in San Francisco, California, from April to June 1945 to discuss the coming post-war world. The eight-person U.S. delegation to the conference, appointed by President Harry S. Truman, included a bipartisan group of two senators and two representatives from Congress. These delegates played key roles in shaping the United Nations Charter, both before and during the conference, and subsequently guided it to overwhelming approval in the Senate. [Freestanding Quote associated with the Introduction to this Glass Case] I regard the United Nations Charter as the most important document ever struck off by the hands of men. Senator John H. Bankhead of Alabama, Telegram to Senator Tom Connally of Texas, July 16, 1945 [First document] Members of the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations San Francisco Conference, photograph, April 25, 1945 Congressional delegates to the United Nations organizing conference, pictured here at the U.S. Delegation Office at the Fairmont Hotel, included Representatives Sol Bloom of New York and Charles A. Eaton of New Jersey (seated second and sixth from the left) and Senators Tom Connally of Texas and Arthur H. Vandenberg of Michigan (seated third and fifth from the left). United Nations [Second document] Signature Pages for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America, Charter of the United Nations, June 26, 1945 Fifty nations signed the United Nations Charter in San Francisco in June 1945. The right-hand page shows the signatures of the U.S. delegates, including the four members of Congress. A successor to the League of Nations, the United Nations was founded to create and maintain world peace and security and promote international cooperation on economic, social, and humanitarian issues. General Records of the U.S. Government, National Archives and Records Administration (facsimile) [Glass Case # 2] Regulating Nuclear Technology The United States ended the war in the Pacific by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945, killing more than 100,000 Japanese civilians and demonstrating the devastating power of these new weapons. Neither Congress nor the public understood the terrifying capabilities of atomic weapons prior to August 1945, as development of the bomb had been shrouded in secrecy. Shortly thereafter, Congress debated how to meet the unprecedented political, social, and economic issues precipitated by the revolutionary development of the atomic bomb and nuclear technology. [Quote on Panel associated with the Introduction to this Glass Case] Atomic power must be controlled to prevent a push-button war. Representative Helen Gahagan Douglas of California, Press Release, 1945 [First document] S.1717, A Bill for the development and control of atomic energy (Atomic Energy Act), December 20, 1945 The Atomic Energy Act prescribed how the United States would manage and regulate nuclear technology developed during the war. Congress determined that atomic weapon development and oversight of atomic energy research belonged under civilian, rather than military control. The Atomic Energy Act transferred authority over the country’s nuclear program from the military to an Atomic Energy Commission, a five-member civilian board. Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives and Records Administration [Second document] Letter from Richard Abrams to Senator Brien McMahon of Connecticut, February 9, 1946 Biochemist Richard Abrams worked on the Manhattan Project, the secret effort that developed the world’s first atomic bomb. Abrams and other scientists lobbied Congress for atomic energy regulations following its deployment. Distrustful of the military and concerned about limits on research, scientists advocated for civilian rather than military control of atomic energy. Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives and Records Administration [Third document] Letter from Sally Cartwright, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to Senator McMahon of Connecticut, March 6, 1946 During World War II, the U.S. government built a secret facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to produce the nuclear materials needed for an atomic bomb. Few who worked there knew of the project’s ultimate goals until the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. Sally Cartwright opposed the position of General Leslie Groves, military director of the Manhattan Project, to keep atomic energy under military jurisdiction. Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives and Records Administration [Fourth document] Senator Brien McMahon, Statesman from Connecticut, by Kotzky & Fox, ca. 1946 In 1945 the Senate established a Special Committee on Atomic Energy to study the serious issues relating to atomic energy and appointed freshman Senator Brien McMahon of Connecticut its chairman. The committee met in almost daily sessions for five months, gathering testimony about atomic energy and how it might be safely controlled. This graphic-art pamphlet was issued by Senator McMahon’s 1946 re-election committee. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress [Fifth document (photograph)] Hiroshima after Atomic Bomb (detail), photograph by the War Department, 1945 Records of the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, National Archives and Records Administration [Glass Case #3] Providing Aid to Europe After World War II, Congress approved foreign aid for war-torn nations and grappled with the Soviet Union’s aggressive efforts to impose communism on sovereign nations. As the United States faced a new “Cold War” with the Soviets, Congress approved $400 million dollars of military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey in 1947. Less than a year later, Congress authorized legislation to provide $13 billion dollars of aid to Western European nations, known as the Marshall Plan. [Quote on Panel associated with the Introduction of this Glass Case)] The bill constitutes the foundation of a long delayed and desperately needed foreign policy, for the guidance of our nation in discharging the inescapable responsibilities as world leader in behalf of universal, personal, and national freedom, security, and peace. Representative Charles A. Eaton of New Jersey, Speech to the U.S. House of Representatives on the Economic Cooperation Act (Marshall Plan), March 23, 1948 [First document] S. 938, A Bill to provide assistance to Greece and Turkey (Greek-Turkish Aid Act), March 18, 1947 President Harry S. Truman appeared before Congress in 1947 to request $400 million to assist Greece and Turkey to support “free peoples . . . resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” Congress approved the request, marking a sweeping shift in U.S. foreign policy—from avoiding foreign commitments to supporting nations threatened by Communism. Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives and Records Administration [Second document (photograph)] “Greek Poster Depicts U.S. Aid,” photograph by New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper, February 28, 1948 U.S. aid to Greece was intended to help the nation emerge from the crippling devastation of World War II, as well as thwart the spread of communism. This poster appeared all over Greece as part of U.S. aid programs and encouraged children to drink milk sent by the United States. It says, “Children of Greece, drink milk! It is strengthening and health giving.” Associated Press [Third document (photograph)] Destruction and Reconstruction in Caen, France, Two Years after the World War II Allied Invasion, photograph by Acme Newspictures, Inc., 1946 Two years after the end of World War II, Europe lay in ruins, with cities and economies still devastated, and millions of war survivors displaced and facing starvation. In a speech on June 5, 1947, U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall proposed that the United States create and fund a plan for Europe’s revitalization, known as the Marshall Plan. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress [Fourth document (photograph)] Can He Block It? drawing by Edwin Marcus, March 7, 1948 The Marshall Plan was the United States’ large-scale effort to aid Europe’s recovery from war and thwart the spread of communism by providing economic stability to key Western European governments. This cartoon shows Soviet leader Joseph Stalin trying to block a ball labeled “Marshall Plan” from a basket labeled “European Recovery.” Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress [Fifth document (photograph)] All Our Colours to the Mast, poster by Dirksen Reyn, ca. 1947 Marshall Plan administrators aggressively promoted the benefits of European participation in the program. This poster won first prize in a Marshall Plan poster contest. The design, with its single ship flying the flags of Europe, highlighted the importance of intra-European cooperation. The Marshall Plan laid the foundation for both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the later integration of Europe. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress [Glass Case #4] Approving the North Atlantic Treaty On July 21, 1949, the Senate voted to approve the North Atlantic Treaty for ratification. Written in 1947 and 1948 in response to concerns about Soviet threats to Western Europe, the treaty was a mutual defense pact between the United States, Canada, and 10 Western European nations. It laid the foundation for establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Senate’s approval of the treaty marked a significant break from America’s prior resistance to alliances with foreign nations. The treaty is the longest-standing alliance in U.S. history. Directory: sites -> default -> files files -> Answer True False 2 points Question 2 files -> Northern England’s set-jetting locations files -> Nstructions for Acquiring Excess Equipment online, through the 1033 Program files -> Occupational health and safety files -> The Black Panther Party’s Ten Point Program files -> International programs roel profile files -> Fermi Questions a guide for Teachers, Students, and Event Supervisors Lloyd Abrams, Ph. D. DuPont Company, cr&D/ccas experimental Station Wilmington, de 19880 files -> Personal Information Name: Maha Al-Ammari Nationality: Saudi Relationship Status Download 406.2 Kb. Share with your friends:
|