These great presidents had an important influence on the country and its capital city. Each book deals with their significant actions in Washington and their legacies that can still be explored today.
George Washington created the city that is his namesake but never lived here as president. His image remains in his monument and in his shrine in the Capitol Rotunda. Thomas Jefferson insured that the public buildings would be the neo-classical “museum of antiquity” to make the new country rooted in the best architecture of the ancient past. Abraham Lincoln led the nation when the city became truly a national capital and the United States a singular noun. His legacy, expressed in an ancient Greek temple originally reflecting reunion and reconciliation, has now come to include his role as emancipator.
During the city’s second century, Theodore Roosevelt led the U.S. into world politics while also insuring the national capital would reflect imperial grandeur. Franklin Roosevelt led the country through its most difficult time of Depression and war. His legacy lives on in the increased role of government to redress economic wrongs. He brought the new men and women to Washington that permanently changed it. John Kennedy brought new life and spirit to the city that finally made it worthy of being the international world capital.
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