Beneath the surface of the ground at Fort McHenry National Monument lay known and unknown archeological treasures of the past history of thisunique site. Today over 600,000 visitors come to visit this national site, and many ask questions about how the Fort was constructed, why it was placed in thislocation, and how it was used by the military. The history of this fortification has a direct connection to the changes in military technology and the politicalclimate of the times.
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Short essays and primary documents on slavery, social conditions and land speculation in early Washington

Georgetown was officially formed in 1751 when the Maryland Assembly authorized the foundation of a town bordering the Potomac River. It was named George Town in honor of King George II, and very soon it prospered.

In all the festivity associated with the fourth, Americans sometimes forget the history surrounding the date. The fourth of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence this nation's official certificate of birth. Some would argue that this country was founded in 1492 when Christopher Columbus sailed the Ocean blue; however, the American spirit of freedom was not unleashed until the colonists officially won the war against British control of our land and government in 1776.

Sully is the 1794 home of Richard Bland Lee, Northern Virginia's first congressman and uncle to Robert E. Lee. Sully offers guided tours of the fully furnished original house and outbuildings. Special events, school programs and lectures are also offered continually throughout the year.

On 25 September 1789, Elias Boudinot of Burlington, New Jersey, introduced in the United States House of Representatives a resolution "That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States, to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness."