Landmarks: The White House, Capitol, and Mount Rushmore: First Grade Social

National landmarks are monumental buildings, historic sites, and sculpted natural wonders that commemorate our leaders, government, and history.

What Makes a Landmark Special?

A landmark is a prominent building, sculpture, or physical location that has special historical, cultural, or architectural significance. Landmarks are protected by laws so that future generations can visit them, marvel at their design, and learn about the events that shaped our nation.

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
|                     FAMOUS AMERICAN LANDMARKS               |
+--------------------+----------------------------------------+
|  The White House   | Home and executive office of President |
|  The U.S. Capitol  | Building where Congress writes laws    |
|  Mount Rushmore    | Giant mountain carving of four leaders |
|  Washington Mon.   | Tall marble obelisk honoring 1st Pres. |
+--------------------+----------------------------------------+

The White House: Home of the President

Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the White House is the official home and workplace of the president of the United States.

                 THE WHITE HOUSE PROFILE

                     /                    /               +-----+====+-----+   Iconic White Portico
             |     | || |     |   Executive Mansion
             |     | || |     |   Home of U.S. Presidents
             +-----+----+-----+   Built of white-painted sandstone

Inside the People's House

The White House has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and six levels! It was built in the 1790s out of white-painted Aquia Creek sandstone.

Every American president except George Washington has lived in the White House (Washington oversaw its construction, but John Adams was the first president to move in). The president works in the Oval Office in the West Wing, meeting with advisors, foreign leaders, and cabinet members.

+---------------------+---------------------------------------+
| FAMOUS ROOM         | ITS PURPOSE                           |
+---------------------+---------------------------------------+
| Oval Office         | Official working office of President  |
| East Room           | Largest room for ceremonial events    |
| State Dining Room   | Feasts for visiting world leaders     |
| Rose Garden         | Outdoor garden for speeches & awards  |
+---------------------+---------------------------------------+

The United States Capitol: Where Laws Are Made

Also located in our nation's capital, perched atop Capitol Hill, stands the magnificent United States Capitol building.

The Dome and Congress

The Capitol is easily identified by its massive, gleaming white cast-iron dome topped by the bronze Statue of Freedom.

Inside the Capitol, the United States Congress meets. Congress is made up of two lawmaking bodies: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Men and women elected from all fifty states gather here to debate, draft, and vote on laws that govern our nation.

                    THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL

                            ( * )   Statue of Freedom
                            /                              ( === )  Great Cast-Iron Dome
                          /=======           +-------------+---------+-------------+
           | HOUSE OF    | ROTUNDA |   SENATE    |
           | REPRESENTS. | CENTER  |   CHAMBER   |
           +-------------+---------+-------------+

The Rotunda: Art and History

Underneath the soaring dome sits the Rotunda, a vast circular hall lined with monumental oil paintings depicting major moments in American history, such as the landing of Columbus and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Mount Rushmore: Four Giants in Granite

High in the Black Hills of Keystone, South Dakota, stands Mount Rushmore National Memorial, an enormous sculpture carved directly into the granite face of a mountain.

Sixty-Foot Stone Faces

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum and hundreds of brave workers used dynamite, jackhammers, and steel chisels between 1927 and 1941 to carve sixty-foot-tall faces of four revered American presidents into the mountain rock.

                    MOUNT RUSHMORE FACES

       /\      /\                 /\         /      /  \    /  \               /  \       /       (Geo.)  (Thos.)            (Theo.)    (Abe )
    Washington Jefferson       Roosevelt   Lincoln
     [Father] [Author]         [Trusts]  [Preserved]

Why These Four Presidents Were Chosen

Each of the four presidents on Mount Rushmore was selected to represent an important stage in American history.

George Washington represents the founding of our nation as our first president and Revolutionary War general. Thomas Jefferson represents the growth of our nation because he wrote the Declaration of Independence and acquired vast western territories in the Louisiana Purchase.

Theodore Roosevelt represents the development of our nation; he protected millions of acres of national parks and built the Panama Canal. Abraham Lincoln represents the preservation of our nation because he kept our states united during the Civil War and abolished slavery.

Exercises and Review

Exercise 1: What is the White House, where is it located, and who lives and works there?

Exercise 1 Solution: The White House is a historic national landmark located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. It is the official executive mansion and office where the president of the United States lives and works.

Exercise 2: Name the four presidents whose faces are carved into Mount Rushmore, and explain what George Washington represents on the monument.

Exercise 2 Solution: The four presidents on Mount Rushmore are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. George Washington represents the birth and founding of the United States because he served as our first president and led the country during the Revolutionary War.