Washington D.C. is the heart of politics in America. Government and policy in the U.S. thrive there, and it has always been a breeding ground for the American people to fight for what they believe in. Washington holds enormous amounts of the nation’s history, including important documents, monuments and museums that showcase what our country was founded upon and what it still holds today.
After the 2024 election, the city has a different feeling. Washington is filled with tension between opposing parties and hate that is steadily arising in our country. Visiting this city during our nation’s current state is not an experience to take lightly. Keeping the country’s history alive is crucial to moving forward as a nation.
Washington houses the original copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. These documents have been located in the National Archives building since 1952 and are freely available to see for anyone that wishes to view them. The room that the documents are housed in is dim and set at a specific temperature to keep the documents safe and protected.
In recent reports, President Donald Trump has requested for the original copy of the Declaration of Independence to be hung in the Oval Office. This concerns the health of the document, as it cannot be properly preserved in that environment. It is also crucial that the document be readily available to Americans for them to view in the public setting.
Having easy access to these documents allows Americans to gain an understanding of the principles upon which their country was created and what rights they are supposed to be guaranteed as a U.S. citizen. Since this report, Trump has chosen to hang a copy of the document in the Oval Office, but the importance of keeping this document well-preserved and available still stands.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is another spot in Washington that houses a broad range of the nation’s history. This museum is free to the public; however, you do need to make a time reservation online before visiting. This museum houses some of our nation’s most important history, and it is important to keep this information easy for the average American to access.
The museum takes its visitors through time, beginning with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and ending with former president Barrack Obama’s election in 2008. It houses real items from the era of slavery including pieces of wood from a slave ship and one of Harriet Tubman’s handkerchiefs. As you move through the museum’s expansive three floors, quotes from multiple influential African Americans are displayed on the wall, including one from James Baldwin: “The great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it…History is literally present in all that we do,” and Martin Luther King Jr.: “We are determined…to work and fight until justice runs down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
The museum ends with its upper floors being full of African American culture, such as music, film, television and theatre. It also houses an art exhibit full of pieces done by African American artists. Some pieces on display in the museum right now include “80 Days,” 2018 by Deborah Roberts, a portrait of Geroge Jr. Stinney, a young African American boy who was wrongfully accused of a crime, and “Spiral, 2022” by Hank Willis Thomas, a piece created using old prison uniforms of incarcerated African Americans. It is a wonderful end to the museum experience, as the visitor is left off with a sense of hope.
African Americans have been some of the most influential individuals in our nation’s history. In the face of new DEI policies in America, often African American’s work and innovation is pushed aside. Their history, along with topics like critical race theory, is being threatened in schools, and many hardworking African Americans are no longer being considered for jobs. During a time like this, it is pivotal that this and the things they went through to get there are recognized.
Because our country is in such a critical time of divisiveness, there is a high number of protestors throughout the streets of the city. Some are protesting the war in Ukraine, others the war in Gaza. There was a large, organized protest for science under the Lincoln Memorial on March 8, with Bill Nye as a guest speaker. Protests are everywhere in this city, and it has only been heightened after the election.
Other Americans are protesting our current administration and their latest budget cuts in front of the White House. One specific protestor’s sign read “No one voted for Elon Musk,” while the other side read, “Musk defunded children’s cancer research.”
Many Americans are not happy with the current state of our nation’s government and are making a point to share how they feel about it. This bold protestor held her sign directly in front of the president’s home, making sure everyone who walked by could see it. Washington is not only the nation’s capital, but the nation’s home for change. Things get done in Washington, and Americans are not quieting down until change happens.
The tension in Washington right now is apparent, as it has become somewhat of a divisive city. Some visitors walk the city in MAGA gear, posing in front of the White House, while others walk around with protest signs fighting for change.
In our nation’s time of divisiveness, it is important to remember what brings us together. Americans have been there for each other since the founding of the country. African Americans and people of all other races banded together during the Civil Rights movement in the 60’s, and soldiers in the American Revolution stuck together to fight for our freedom from England. We can also see this in our country today through hurricane disaster groups in western North Carolina and funding organizations for the L.A. wildfires. Americans have always stuck together, and this is not the time for that to change.
Our nation was founded on the basis of one thing: liberty. This was the goal of our founding fathers and still continues to be the goal today. Every American deserves liberty and freedom, and it is imperative to continue to preserve the history that teaches them that. Keeping America’s history easily accessible is even more important in what may seem like a time of crisis for the country. If Americans can understand and agree on where we came from, maybe we can be a united nation once again.
There are a multitude of resources available for anyone to learn about American history. The National Museum of American History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington are free for anyone who is in town to visit. Right here in N.C., there is the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh (closed temporarily for renovation) that is free for the public, and the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science in Wilmington with a small fee of $8 for adults. The U.S. history website offers resources on over 50 topics of American history. You can even go to your local library and check out a book on American history. When the nation is in a time of uncertainty like this one, Americans need to keep the country’s history in the back of their minds, so that when it is doomed to repeat itself, we know how to react.
