The Washington Monument - WALKING TOUR and HISTORY | Washington, DC

Hey there everyone, my name is Eduardo Arroyo but you can call me Ed and today we are here visiting the Washington Monument here in Washington, D.C. Yes you guys, you heard that right. Today we are visiting the Washington Monument, one of the most recognizable structures not only in the United States but in the entire world. The goal for today is simple, to tell you a little bit more about it and to show you around so that you know what you'll find if you choose to visit. So if that interests you, come with me. Starting with the obvious, the Washington Monument was built in honor of George Washington. He was not only the first president of the United States but also a founding father and the general of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. The main purpose of the monument was to embody the respect and gratitude that the nation felt for the most important figure in American history. The Washington Monument is shaped as an Egyptian obelisk, which is a four-sided tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the very top. And you might be wondering, why this specific shape? The answer is that they wanted to quote-unquote, evoke the timelessness of ancient civilizations. And fun fact, this is actually the tallest obelisk in the entire world, because America. The structure is 555 feet tall and it is located within the National Mall here in Washington, D.C. Just FYI, the National Mall is the area here in Washington, D.C. where you will find a lot of the famous monuments and government buildings. From the Washington Monument, you can make your way to the White House if you walk north, the Capitol Building and the Library of Congress if you walk east, and the Lincoln Memorial if you walk west. In this channel, I have already made videos of the White House, the Capitol Building and the Library of Congress. And the next video in this channel will be all about the Lincoln Memorial right there in the background. So stay tuned if you want to check that out. I'll also leave links to the other videos in the description down below if you're interested. At the base of the monument, you will see a bunch of American flags. There's actually 50 of them, so one per state. The flags are also a symbol of unity and I think they complement the monument nicely. There are also circular paths, just like these ones, where people can walk or bike to capture all the amazing angles of the monument. As of the release of this video, the Washington Monument is the second most visited monument here in Washington, D.C., just behind the Lincoln Memorial. And to think that this structure almost didn't happen. But I'll tell you more about that next. When I say that the monument almost didn't happen, I'm talking about the many complications that came up, which delayed its construction for so many years. The general story of the monument goes something like this. The Washington Monument Society was created in 1833. This organization was tasked with acquiring the necessary funds for the construction of the monument. This took a decade, but construction finally began on 1848. Construction continued until 1854, when some events made it difficult to continue. First of all, there was a change in management. The new people in charge led the organization to bankruptcy. This meant that construction had to stop. And for 20 years, the monument stood unfinished. Instead of being a symbol to honor George Washington, it was more of an embarrassment to the U.S. in the eyes of the world. The second event that delayed construction was the Civil War. It was not until the Reconstruction period after the Civil War that attention could be paid to the project once again. So fast forward to 1876, and Congress took charge of the project. So finally getting back to it. You think it'd be straightforward from here, right? It wasn't. As construction restarted, it was determined that the structure's foundation was inadequate, so it had to be reinforced. This process took 4 years to complete. To continue construction, they had to again source stone, which was now a problem. You see, it had been 22 years since construction had stopped, so the initial stone quarry used was no longer available. So they had to source stone from a different location. This went well at first, until they realized that the quality and the color of the new stone was not consistent with the original. By this time, however, a considerable amount of the stone was used, which is still noticeable today. Let me show you up close. Can you spot the difference in coloration? The transition should be around this area right here. A third stone quarry was eventually used, which had better quality, but the colors never matched the original. Some people say they can actually spot 3 colors, but I can only identify 2. As construction was now actually happening, there was also a few change of plans. For example, the original plan was for the structure to be 600 feet in height. This was then later changed to 555 feet. There were also plans for adornments, the bells and whistles, as some people call them, but these were scrapped to keep the design clean. The thickness of the walls also changed from 13 to 9 feet, something not noticeable from the outside. These changes had two impacts. First, it would change the original aesthetic of the structure, and second, it would make it way cheaper and faster to complete. So after many years, the monument was completed in 1884, over 50 years after the first idea was initially conceived. To end this video, I would like to walk around and share a few more facts about the monument with you guys. When the Washington Monument was inaugurated, there were 4 presidents in attendance. James K. Polk, the current president at the time, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, and Andrew Johnson. The Washington Monument is the only presidential monument that requires a ticket. Now you might be wondering, a ticket for what exactly? There is actually an observation deck at the very top of the Washington Monument, which visitors can access. The ticket is only $1.50, so totally worth it. I really wanted to do it, but sadly, my backpack is over the allowable dimensions. When the Washington Monument was completed, it was actually the tallest structure in the entire world. That only lasted for 5 years, when the Eiffel Tower took the title in 1889. Lastly, Washington DC is not the only place with a Washington Monument. There's actually a few others, and the one in Baltimore was actually designed by the same guy who designed this one. The more, you know. And just like that you guys, we make it to the end of today's video. Hopefully you guys enjoyed. If you liked the video as much as I did, I'm going to ask you to please click on the like button and subscribe to the channel if you want to check out more cool and interesting travel videos just like this one. And always remember to be kind, have an open mind, I'll see you next time.