Final Remarks

The morning of the 21st began at Arlington National Cemetery. We were all still a little tired after Inauguration Day, but the sleep shook off of us as we began to walk around the cemetery.
I was struck by the sheer number of soldiers laid to rest here. It was even more proof that freedom does not come freely; a price must be paid. These soldiers gave their lives for our country, and it was humbling to see the place they were laid to rest.

We watched the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and I was very impressed at the precision and honor displayed during the ceremony.


This is the grave of John F. Kennedy which also has the eternal flame burning ahead.
The Lincoln Memorial from the back.
Colorado--the 38th state in the union.
Along the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired a nation for generations to come. 
With Abraham Lincoln looking over his shoulder, MLK delivered his speech looking out to the crowd. Just a couple miles down the road, Obama gave his speech accepting the oath of the President of the United States.

Washington Monument
The city from 500 ft. atop the Washington Monument.
The White House
The grass was thrashed after the previous day's event. However, the clean-up crew did very well at picking up the trash and taking down the fences.
The Colorado Group:  top (left to right):  Mariah, Joe, Mitchell, Jenna, Brianna, Janet, Betsy; bottom:  Sarah, the great, Yuri, Nikki, Dominik, Louis, Rashida, Alicia; front: Nick, Joy
Abe Lincoln's Top Hat

It was such a privilege to go on this trip with The Academy's Wildcats. We saw many sights (many of which have changed my life). Washington, D.C. is an amazing city filled with the traditions of our nation. I can't wait to return in the future!

Why was this Inauguration Historic? After over 400 years of residency, contributions and appeals for equality before the law, an American of African descent becomes President of the United States.

1607 The first permanent settlement in America. The first Africans were brought to Jamestown, VA in 1607…..as slaves.

1865-1870 Slavery is abolished, black people are granted citizenship & black men are given the right to vote. (Constitutional amendments 13,14,15)

1870 – 1963 Many of these changes in the constitution are ignored: Black citizens in the South are discouraged from voting with poll taxes & literacy tests. Jim Crow Laws separate blacks from whites in schools and in public places.

1955 Supreme Court (Brown V. Board of Education) decides that separate education facilities for black & white students are not equal and requires that public schools to integrate students.
1958 Arkansas ignores this SC decision: President Eisenhower challenges the Arkansas Governor by sending in the National Guard, when he refuses to allow 9 black students to enter Central High.

1963 Martin Luther King has a Dream

1964 The Civil Rights Act and the Voting rights Act – Federal Laws that say again that Americans can not be discriminated against when they vote and when they use public facilities.

1965 Barack Obama is born..

2009 An African American is inaugurated as 44th President of the United States, 402 years after the first Africans arrives in America.

-Janet

I had a lot of fun on this trip, our tour guide was like an American History encyclopedia and I thought that was pretty cool because she could basically answer any question we had about any event and she answered without any doubt.

Man I thought I was excited that Obama had won this election but when I actually got to the National Mall I was just speechless (maybe from the cold, or just in awe) that I had the chance to be part of such an significant time in world history so right there and then I looked up an thanked my mum for the trip ☺. The most excited part was when he got sworn in because it was made official then; he was going to be our first African American president (100 steps forward) and I was standing in the same city as he was while others were watching it on TV. His family looked really nice and it was great that people showed them support, twas a good way to start off our way to change…Today we went to the Lincoln memorial and stood on the same exact spot that Martin Luther King Jr stood in when he gave his “I have a dream” speech, that was just as amazing because it seemed like it was lifetime ago and it is definitely going to be engraved into my brain for the next 6000 years and im glad our country got some sense knocked into it. And the tourists who flew over from every continent just made it even better. It is definitely gonnabe something I will brag about to my children and grandchildren someday when they get ornery..…..Rashida

Overall the best and worst part about the trip was inauguration day. I have never been so cold in my life and after standing in one position for 5 hours I couldn’t move my legs much. However it was a small price to pay for experiencing one of the most historical events. I will probably look back at it in twenty years and be amazed that I was actually there. I was at the one event that everyone would be watching on television and talking about eternally. People from all over the world were there to see America’s first African American president.
…Alicia

Inauguration Day

Inauguration Tuesday was very historic no matter how far back you were. Our group was about halfway between the National Monument and the Capitol. We watched the whole thing on a Jumbotron screen. One of the coolest things to see was when the former presidents back to Jimmy Carter came and sat down. I didn't know Carter was still alive. 

The actual swearing in was short. I almost missed Joe Biden's, and Obama forgot the words on his. No matter though, the crowd was screaming none the less. Another thing I found out was that the Supreme Court Justice did the swearing in. I also thought that his speech was pretty good and inspirational. The crowd cheered through the whole thing. Even if you weren't an Obama fan, the day was very historic, and I was glad to be a part of it. 

Too bad Martin Luther King couldn't be a part of it.

--Mitchell

A Day to Remember

This elderly woman was walking to the Inauguration before sunrise--all by herself with her walker. The air was brisk--but everyone could feel an important momentous event in history was about to pass. Young and old gathered under one distinction--American.

Although we were far from the podium of the swearing in ceremony, we had a perfect view of the Capitol Building, the Smithsonian Castle, and the Washington Monument.
Waiting in the cold, everyone had a wonderful attitude! 
Looking down, I saw I was standing on a newspaper that had shots of the Lincoln Memorial on the day of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech. Chills rushed down my spine thinking about the history associated with this event and the present.
Some haters...our students were not appreciative of the boo-ing and hissing that arose when President Bush was announced.

I didn't know it at the time, but turns out this was former President Bush and family leaving to a nearby Air Force Base on Executive One Helicopter. They were leaving to return to their ranch in Texas.
World War II Memorial
Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Washington Monument with a frozen Reflecting Pool


Jefferson Monument at sunset
A flag draped in the Pentagon Mall

IT'S WASHINGTON D.C. BABY!!!

Yo!

Washington is crazy. One second we're in Virginia, next Maryland, then we're in Washington D.C. again. I noticed that D.C. was very pro-Obama, DUH!! GO OBAMA!!!! Today, at 12:07 p.m., Mr. Barack Obama turned into Mr. President Barack Obama. He said "The earth has changed, we have to change with it." I wore 3 pairs of socks, 3 pants, 1 turtleneck, and 3 jackets, and still I felt the cold. My toes were numb and I thought I was going to freeze to death. We stood there for almost 6 hours. I was disappointed that we saw Obama through a screen than in person and also people booing Mr. George W. Bush. There was one lady in the crowd, "There will be no booing here, we're making history and we don't need any booing here." I agreed with this lady because even though I'm not a huge fan of G.W.B., we must respect our leaders. Even though he says really weird stuff (a.k.a. "A zebra doesn't change his spots") but still, give that dude a break! He got a shoe thrown at him!

We met some really awesome people and we met some really rude people in the crowd, but when I heard the cheering "Obama, Obama" I felt like we were really all one.

We walked 5 miles basically today. We were tired, our feet hurt, we were cold, but those sacrifices were made to see some great monuments. The Korean War Monument affected me. My aunt was born during the Korean War and parents went through the time after the war, where Korea was going through reconstruction. I never knew anything about the Korean War but today I kind of got the idea and I know how my grandmother felt bearing a child, taking her kids around.

But overall, this experience was awesome, I'm never going to forget it. I wuv D.C.

--yuri--

The VERY interesting trip that I have had!!!

DEAR PEOPLE THAT WANT TO READ THIS,

Yesterday was very interesting for me. We went and saw Mount Vernon. We did a lot of CRAZY stuff. We saw George Washington's house, went to see his tomb, and a bunch of other stuff. It was so fun. 

Then today was also SO very interesting. We were on our feet and walking for ten hours straight. EVERYONE is going to be very sore tomorrow. There was so many people everywhere we went, we had to wait in line forever for everything. We lost some of our group every once and a while but we did find them eventually. The actual inauguration was fun and interesting. Along with the millions of people we had freezing temperatures and no one was prepared for it, so we all froze. IT WAS SO COLD!!!!!

--Nikki! 

It's amazing here!

There are so many people here, but spirits are high. We are staying
close to each other for warmth. Lines for the potties are gi-normous!
-- Joy

Long Day, Filled with Amazing Sites!

Although today was quite long, I have to admit, I loved every minute of it. The excitement that is building in the city is incredible, and everyone seems to be flexible with all of the congestion, lines, and traffic.

D.C. is very different from good ol' Colorado--that is, it's very diverse and filled with lots of visitors from all over the world. It's been cool to think that every time we see a limo someone "famous" is driving by (and we see one every hour or so).

There were many breath-taking moments today:

1. Visiting the cemetery of the un-marked graves of the Washington estate on MLK, Jr. Day on the eve of Obama's first day as president.

2. Seeing the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights for the very first time in person. It made me understand even more the amazing country we live in. Seeing these documents made the term FREEDOM so very real--in a way I didn't know was possible.

3. As our tour guide, Sarah, so perfectly stated, "Tomorrow we will be apart of current news and history in the making."

It's been great to see the student's reactions to all of the sites along the way. Of my 190 pictures of the day, here are a few of my favorites:

The fellas posing just outside of Mt. Vernon, the home and estate of George Washington. We had to wait a while to get in, but they didn't mind!

This tree was planted by George Washington himself. I started getting metaphorical and said, just as this tree was planted and grew deep roots, so has our country--and all by the hands of GW. Brianna was smiling nearly all day. I don't think I caught her without a huge grin on her face!

The site where the very first African-American man will be sworn into the position of President of the United States of America (nearly on the 80th birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.).

--Joy

Mon 1-19-09

George invited us to tour his digs on the Potomoc. MAHHH     VA LUS!!  The decorator must be commended. There was an imposing portrait of King Louis XVI, a great ally and financier of the Revolutionary War prominently placed in the formal dining room.  In the front vestibule was, to my delight and amazement, a key to the Bastille ( displayed in a protective shadow box) which had been presented to President Washington by Marquis de Lafayette as a momento of the common bond of liberty that the French and the Americans share.  The French influences were everywhere!

The Kitchen was noteworthy for its spacious root cellar and game drying hooks. the cooking fireplace was large enough to host a family of loyalists ( which of course would never be done!)  

Patrick Henry rode through the property and stopped briefly in greeting. 

Overall it was a splendid morning: brisk, refreshing and the company was grand.

  

National Archives

A new addition to the National Archives "Charters of Freedom" display was a 1287 version of the famed Magna Carta, the agreement between King and Subject that started the ball of liberty rolling.  This particular document had been purchased from a collector by Ross Perot (of 1992 Presidential campaign fame) for $2M.  Ross 'golden touch' Perot then resold the document to its current owner for $22M. It is on loan to the National Archives for all to ogle over. 

At least one member of our troupe was speechless in his awe of the history before us, when we viewed the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights.  If that were not enough, the Supreme Court's Marbury v. Madison decision was also on view. such a far reaching decision handwritten on such a small piece of paper. I just teared up at the power of the written word. 

--Janet

Military Preparations

A convoy of tanks and other military vehicles were seen as we drove to
Mt. Vernon. They are definitely getting ready for tomorrow!

Dance Pics