Being that he was the First President of the United States of America (1789-1797), George Washington is a key figure in American History. Known as the “indispensable man,” George Washington was a steady, determined leader and helped “shepherd the fledging American Independence movement through the dark days of the Revolutionary War,” according to the National Park Service. After such a successful military career, George Washington was called to serve as the First President.
To say that the construction of the Washington Monument was a process would definitely be an understatement. As early as 1783 it was decided by Congress that a statue of George Washington should be constructed close to the new site for the Congressional building. According to History.com, architect Pierre L’Enfant left a location open for the tribute statue near the Washington Monument’s current location near the western end of the National Mall.Thirty three years after George Washington died, a private Washington National Monument Society was formed and there was a competition held to pick the design for the monument. Construction for the structure began on July 4th, 1848 by laying a 24,500-pound white marble slab to serve as the foundation. Construction was stopped six years later because of low funding and it wasn’t completed until President Ulysses S. Grant authorized the structure to be finished after the Civil War. Finally, on December 6th, 1884, the final aluminum pyramid was placed 555 feet in the air on top of 36,000 blocks of marble and granite to complete the Washington Monument. When it was finished in 1884, the Washington Monument was the tallest structure in the world.
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