The
National Mall
, often just called
the Mall
, is an open
park
in the city center
Washington, D.C.
It has many museums, like the
Smithsonian
and the
National Gallery of Art
. It is found between the
United States Capitol
and the
Washington Monument
, which are about one mile apart. It is a popular place, and is used for
exercise
,
recreation
, music
concerts
,
festivals
, and
protests
. It is also visited by many
tourists
- over 25 million people come to the Mall each year.
[1]
Officially, the Mall is the area between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument. However, there is another park that is right next to the Mall, which is from the Washington Monument to the
Lincoln Memorial
. The
Reflecting Pool
is in this park, as well as many monuments and museums. Many people say that this park is also part of the National Mall.
The National Mall has many trees. Most of them are
elm
and
cherry
trees. The cherry blossom trees were given to the United States by Japan in 1912.
[2]
Pierre L'Enfant
, the man who planned Washington D.C., wanted to have a park in the middle of the city. However, the National Mall was not always a park. In the
19th century
, there was a
railroad
that ran through the Mall.
Cows
also grazed (ate grass) on the Mall.
[3]
There was a large
market
on one side of the Mall. During the
American Civil War
, there were many buildings on the Mall. There were even
slaughterhouses
on the Mall - places where animals are killed and turned into
meat
.
[4]
In 1901, the
Senate
passed the
McMillan Plan
. This cleaned up the National Mall and moved the railroad to
Union Station
.
Many events happen at the National Mall. The
National Park Service
says that over 3,000 events happen each year, but most of these are tours.
[1]
Some of the biggest events that happen each year are the
Cherry Blossom
Festival, the National Book Festival, an
Earth Day
festival, and
parades
on
Veteran's Day
and
Independence Day
.
Protests and rallies also happen at the National Mall. One of the most famous was the
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
in 1963, where
Martin Luther King, Jr.
gave his
I Have a Dream
speech. A rally in 1969 to end the
Vietnam War
was the biggest protest on the Mall. Over 2 million people came and marched to the White House.
[5]
In 1995, the
Million Man March
was held on the Mall.
Museums and monuments in the Mall
[
change
|
change source
]
This
USGS
picture of the National Mall was taken by a
satellite
on April 26, 2002. The Capitol on the right was
pixelated
before release for security reasons.
There are many places very close to the Mall. The
Library of Congress
and the
United States Supreme Court building
are just east of the Capitol. The
White House
, the
National Archives
, the
Old Post Office
, and,
Ford's Theater
(where
Abraham Lincoln
was killed) are just north. The
National Postal Museum
, and
Union Station
are northeast. The
Jefferson Memorial
, the
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
, the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
, and the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
are to the south.
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