Just outside the capital

The Pentagon, headquarters of the Department of Defense is often used as a symbolic reference for the armed forces. Its shape is five – sided – hence the name Pentagon. It has become the most important department in the U.S. federal government both in the number of employees and the amount of money spent. The Pentagon is the heart of the U.S. military – industrial complex.

The library of Congress is one of 4 official national libraries of the U.S. (together with the National library of Medicine, National Agricultural Library, and the National Archives and Records Administration). Originally founded as a research library, for the U.S. Congress in 1800, its original collection was composed of the books of former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. Later, the Library assumed a role as a legal repository to guarantee copyright protection. All authors seeking Amer. copyright had to submit two copies of the work to the library. This requirement is no longer enforced, but copies of many books published in the U.S. still arrive at the Library regularly. It contains many important books such as a copy of the Gutenberg Bible.

The Library itself is spread over 3 buildings in W.D.C., each named after an early president, being James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

Different washingtons

There are different Washingtons (at least 5) and each has its supporters who earnestly believe that theirs is the only true W.

The first is W. – the – Capital, an official city of great monuments and memorials, of vast bureaucracies housed in buildings of neoclassical or modern Congressional Grotesque design. Over 45 per cent of the land of the District is occupied by the Federal Government. This is the Washington of the Federal reservation.

Some visitors realize after some hours of exploration, that they have hardly encountered a single dwelling. Monuments, yes, spectacles and sights, to be sure, public buildings about, but homes – where are they? Does anyone live in W.? The answer is: Yes, poor people live in W., somewhere. Prosperous people live in Maryland, Virginia, Georgetown.

Tourists usually see only one a smaller city – W. North West a its suburbs in Maryland or Virginia where prosperous people live.

The second is Washington – the Town – of Terror. “The Crime Capital of the World”, “The murder capital”, a horror of racial mixing producing violence. The number of homicides peaked in 1991 with 482 in that year Violence was not evenly distributed across the city, but rather was primarily concentrated in specific neighborhoods (districts).

As of 2005, violent crime in DC is primarily concentrated in areas west of the Anacostia River, and tourist advice generally recommends that visitors do not venture east of the U.S. Capitol building.

The third W. is Negro W., largely low – income a low- education, though the city has a relatively large number of professional and middle – to – upper – income Negro families.

Few people realize that W. is predominantly Negro city (over 70 per cent of its population are Negroes).

The fourth Washington is University – W., the west section of pleasant homes on tree – lined streets, where almost everyone is white, well – educated and has a high income.

The 5^th is Old Washington, the sleepy southern town of ceiling fans, sleeping porches devoted Negro servants and old families who were actually born here. Old W. is dying of now.

There is a Washington of governmental girls, of politics and lobbyists, the newspaperman’s Washington.