James Monroe was the first president to take the oath of office outdoors after the government moved to Washington. Previous inaugurations were held indoors, which limited the number of people who could attend. The inauguration was originally going to…

In this passage, Margaret Bayard Smith describes the Mall as it was when she first arrived in Washington in 1800, a plain covered in trees, shrubs, and flowers. By the time she wrote this passage in 1837, the banks of the Tiber had been transformed…

On May 2, 1810, Washington officials and citizens flocked to the groundbreaking for the Washington Canal, which would connect the Potomac River to the Eastern Branch, also called the Anacostia River. Although the canal had been part of the original…

The Treasury Department is one of the oldest government departments. It was among those established when the federal government moved to Washington in 1800. The first Treasury Department building was damaged by fire in 1801 and completely destroyed…

Andrew Jackson campaigned for President as a "man of the people." In keeping with this image, he opened the White House to the public following his inauguration in March 1829. The public reception unfortunately turned into a rowdy mob, breaking…

In August 1814, British troops invaded Washington and set fire to many federal buildings. Congress reconvened on September 19, meeting in cramped rooms at Blodgett's Hotel because the Capitol had been heavily damaged. The House of Representatives…

British troops invaded Washington during the War of 1812. On August 24, 1814, British soldiers marched into the city and set fire to federal buildings, including the U.S. Capitol. At the time, the Capitol only consisted of two wings; the connecting…

The Tripoli Monument was commissioned by members of the US Navy's Mediterranean fleet in memory of 6 officers who died during the Barbary Wars of the early 1800s. Built in Italy in 1806, the monument came to the US on board the USS Constitution and…

In May of 1810 President James Madison broke ground for the Washington Canal amidst city officials and citizens crowded at New Jersey Avenue SE. The Canal was part of the original city plan from 1791, but work stalled until 1809 when Congress…

First known as the Old Brick Capitol, this building served as a a temporary meeting place for Congress after the burning of the US Capitol during the War of 1812. At the outbreak of the Civil War, the building became a prison. Confederate soldiers…