Chapter 3: The Capital of the USA

Chapter 3: The Capital of the USA

The City

Today, Washington, D.C. is the capital of the USA, but before this, the capital was Philadelphia, the home of the Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia wasn’t a good location for the government because it wasn’t in the centre of the country. So in 1791, George Washington, the first president, marked a 260-square-kilometre area near the Potomac River and asked architects to design a city there. Later, this area became “Washington”. The government moved there in 1800, and then people started to live there.

The White House

Architect James Hoban started to construct the White House in 1792 and finished it in 1800. John Adams was the first president to live there. Many presidents made changes to the White House. In 1902, President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt added the West Wing as a working area because his big family needed the original office space as a living area.

There are 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms in the White House. It is 21 metres high and 51 metres wide. One of the most famous rooms is the Oval Office. This is the president’s official office. The Red Room and the East Room are special staterooms on the first floor. The president entertains important people there. But it’s not all work and no play. The president’s family have got a bowling alley, a tennis court, a swimming pool, a cinema and a jogging track. The White House is an official residence, but also a very comfortable home for the president and his family.