TheNational Mall, often just calledthe Mall, is an openpark in the city centerWashington, D.C. It has many museums, like theSmithsonian and theNational Gallery of Art. It is found between theUnited States Capitol and theWashington Monument, which are about one mile apart. It is a popular place, and is used forexercise,recreation, musicconcerts,festivals, andprotests. It is also visited by manytourists - over 25 million people come to the Mall each year.[1]
Officially, the Mall is the area between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument. However, there is another park that is right next to the Mall, which is from the Washington Monument to theLincoln Memorial. TheReflecting Pool is in this park, as well as many monuments and museums. Many people say that this park is also part of the National Mall.
The National Mall has many trees. Most of them areelm andcherry trees. The cherry blossom trees were given to the United States by Japan in 1912.[2]
Pierre L'Enfant, the man who planned Washington D.C., wanted to have a park in the middle of the city. However, the National Mall was not always a park. In the19th century, there was arailroad that ran through the Mall.Cows also grazed (ate grass) on the Mall.[3] There was a largemarket on one side of the Mall. During theAmerican Civil War, there were many buildings on the Mall. There were evenslaughterhouses on the Mall - places where animals are killed and turned intomeat.[4] In 1901, theSenate passed theMcMillan Plan. This cleaned up the National Mall and moved the railroad toUnion Station.
Many events happen at the National Mall. TheNational Park Service says that over 3,000 events happen each year, but most of these are tours.[1] Some of the biggest events that happen each year are theCherry Blossom Festival, the National Book Festival, anEarth Day festival, andparades onVeteran's Day andIndependence Day.
Protests and rallies also happen at the National Mall. One of the most famous was theMarch on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, whereMartin Luther King, Jr. gave hisI Have a Dream speech. A rally in 1969 to end theVietnam War was the biggest protest on the Mall. Over 2 million people came and marched to the White House.[5] In 1995, theMillion Man March was held on the Mall.
There are many places very close to the Mall. TheLibrary of Congress and theUnited States Supreme Court building are just east of the Capitol. TheWhite House, theNational Archives, theOld Post Office, and,Ford's Theater (whereAbraham Lincoln was killed) are just north. TheNational Postal Museum, andUnion Station are northeast. TheJefferson Memorial, theFranklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and theBureau of Engraving and Printing are to the south.
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