First Edition by MARY WILLCOCK.SON Associate Professor of Elementary Education Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (formerly with Division. of Elementary Education Office of Education) Brought up to date by Supervisor, Washington, DC. Know Your Capital City Bulletin 1958, No. 15 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE ABRAHAM A. RIBICOFF Secretary Office of Education, STERLING M. MCMURRIN, Commissioner Foreword O YOU WANT to see your Capital City! Of course you do because any good citizen wants to know how his Government works. As an initial experience it is necessary to become acquainted with the setting-Washington, D. C. This bulletin will guide your introduction to the Capital. It will give you an historical and a present-day background for appreciating the city that is your own. What kind of community is your Washington? Why does it exist? Was it planned or did it just happen? How large is it? Is there a relationship between its size and its purpose? Does it have the kind of government that you have in your home town? Who are the people? What do they do to earn a living? How well does the community meet their needs? Why is Washington your city? What historical evidences are there that show the past as a prologue to the present? A tour of the city will help you answer these questions and many others. Such a tour may be taken in person or through reading the story of a group of young people. This story is not an actual record of a particular group or tour, but is a composite of many experiences. It is based upon diary records of tours taken by one person as a child, as a youth, and as an adult. To these impressions were added those of many elementary school children and high-school youth who have visited Washington recently. In writing about a subject on which authorities sometimes disagree, every effort has been made to secure accuracy. The Columbia Historical Society contributed the time of several members, especially L. F. Schmeckebier, who reviewed the manuscript. Dr. George W. Hodgkins, of the public schools of the District of Columbia, also reviewed the manuscript. Children, young people, and adults were asked to read the story. They talked about the material that interested them most and how it helped them to understand Washington as the seat of Federal Government. Their reactions contributed to the revision. As a result, this bulletin can be used by upper-grade children and possibly by other citizens who wish information of a simple, factual Final decisions of justice are made in this Supreme Court Building. VI |