Benjamin Henry Latrobe: The Man Who Built America, Above & Below Most know Benjamin Henry Latrobe as America’s first professional architect, and the designer of the US Capitol. What many do not know is that among his several architectural achievements, this man also developed a fresh water system in early urban areas from Philadelphia to New Orleans. Biography/Background: Latrobe was born May 1, 1764, near Leeds, England. He attended Moravian schools as a child and later went on to be educated in England and Germany. In school he became fluent in many languages and familiarized himself with the classical arts. In 1783, Latrobe traveled around France and Germany, where he found himself fascinated by the use of classical architecture. Latrobe studied engineering under the well-known English civil engineer, John Smeaton in 1787. Pursuing his interest in architecture, he …show more content…
For a short period of time Latrobe worked for Fulton’s steamship company in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Fulton commented on Latrobe’s success, “his genius is for works of a higher order, but he has the happy faculty of accommodating it to anything useful.” (Asme.org “Benjamin Henry Latrobe: Biography”) The Capitol was burned down by the British on August 24, 1814, a tragedy that called for Latrobe to reconstruct the North Wing, he returned to Washington in 1815 to do so. Latrobe made repairs to the damaged capitol as well as introduced new interior designs, but as cost issues arose and construction delays grew, Latrobe was forced to resign from this position in November of 1817. (“Explore Capitol Hill”) His designs regarding the Capitol weren’t Latrobe’s only contribution to Washington D.C. During his time in Washington, Latrobe contributed to multiple other monumental landmarks, which includes, but is not limited to, the White House and the Navy
George Clymer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 16, 1739. At an early age Clymer was an orphan. George 's uncle then took him and gave him a good education. Clymer was a patriot partisan and leader in the disturbances in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from the Tea and Stamp Act. He was also a member of the Philadelphia Council of Safety in 1773.
The Capitol in Williamsburg was a very important building in Colonial times. It was used as a, law school, a hospital, a court, a meeting place, and an academy. Patrick Henry gave his Caesar-Brutus speech there as well. The Capitol was the place where Virginia spoke for American Independence. A vote to speak for independence also took place here.
Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of Treasury of the United States, had a lot going for himself being a man that came from poverty to success, and he was a man “all powerful and fails at nothing which he attempts” admitted a congressman in 1791 (Tindall and Shi). Born in the Caribbean in the West Indies, abandoned by his father and orphaned at the age of 13 by his late mother who had died. Later moved to New York, became a lawyer and transitioned to nationalism thus giving him the important role of handling the weight of the debt America had accumulated $54 million deep after the Revolutionary War (Digital History). Hamilton saw the need for some financial credit to be given to America and he had the right idea by proposing a National Bank to his first president George Washington. Word dispersed of that proposal leading a
One of which was Alexander Hamilton, with his ideas along with the six other founding fathers, The United States became solid and strong. Alexander Hamilton played an important role in the founding of the federal government,
President George Washington appointed Alexander Hamilton as the Treasury Secretary and Hamilton took it upon himself to develop an economic structure for the United States. Hamilton used a strategy of loose construction for the interpretation of the constitution.
Thomas Jefferson is widely idealized as a great American hero. The truth is that Thomas Jefferson was both revered and reviled with equal measure. This progressive man is commonly remembered as the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Although he called slavery an abomination, Jefferson was a slave owner. He also fathered children through an affair with one of his slaves.
Luis Sevilla For: Dr. Stephens History 1301 42T 12 October 2015 Review #2 Does Thomas Jefferson come across as a great man, or a petty one? That is all based on opinion. From the little that is taught about Thomas Jefferson he comes across as a great man. Jefferson is not only known as a founding father he is also a big symbol in American History
“The Men Who Built America DVD” begins immediately after the American Civil War. The United States was in a rebuilding stage and the future of the country seemed uncertain. During the next 35 years, there would be a group of men who would change the country and the world forever. These men would have power and wealth never before seen in the world and would direct the United States into the 20th century. The first man is Cornelius Vanderbilt who was a successful business man his entire life.
Hamilton nearly killed himself fulfilling these requests, but he did so brilliantly and completely, in turn exhausting congress going through them meticulously. He dazzled them with his brilliance and many were simply intellectually incapable of comprehending his plans. Not content to establish the customs service and the coast guard, and create a stable monetary system for the new government, Hamilton also dabbled in the affairs of state, much to the chagrin of Thomas Jefferson. He was once again an indefatigable assistant to Washington. Hamilton left the cabinet after Washington’s first term, returning to his New York law practice to repair his family finances, but Washington continued to rely upon him, as did many other cabinet members.
Benjamin Franklin is known to be an “Archetypal American,” because of his beliefs on religion, self-improvement, hard work, and determination; but also his somewhat prideful spirit. Much of modern America is quite similar to Franklin in his actions throughout his lifetime. In his early years, Franklin’s father, Josiah, had a set plan for what he was supposed to do with his life, as a minister. Soon into his education, he found an interest in reading and writing, so he began pursuing a career in printing.
Nicholas Tan Mrs. Frazee 8B History 11 Feb. 16 A Timeline of the White House: From Sandstone White to Fiery Red.
The opposing party was led by James Madison of Virginia. Jefferson offered to host a dinner for Hamilton and Madison to help resolve their disagreements. He convinced Madison not to dissuade his party members from supporting the financial plan, in return, Hamilton agreed to use his influence to locate the new national capital on the Potomac River. Both the Assumption Bill and the Residence Bill passed the House of Representatives right after. Newspaper reporters were convinced that a secret deal had taken place at Jefferson’s house.
Viewing Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware painting evoked a great deal of emotion. Upon walking into the room filled with American landscape paintings, the enormous size demanded all my attention temporarily making me forget about the rest of the paintings. The longer I gazed at the artist’s magnificent triumph, the more I felt a part of this historic venture. The painting is oil-on-canvas, and it’s not the only painting Leutze made. The first version of this painting was damaged by a fire, and the second painting, which is a full-sized replica of the first, was begun shortly after the first version was damaged.
Benjamin Franklin evokes sincerity and light heartedness throughout his literary pieces, creating a connection with his readers. When reading a short piece from “The Autobiography”, his confidence, derived from experience, shines through the words written on every page. In his autobiography, written in the format of a letter to his son, he writes of the days of his youth and how he and, “another bookish Lad in town, John Collins by Name [.... were] very fond of Argument” (835). This line resonates with me because Franklin doesn't take himself too seriously; he was always on the path towards discovery, economic, technological, the discovery of himself, his likes and dislikes, and most importantly the discovery of knowledge. He took advantage
One very popular figure was Frank Lloyd Wright. He changed the view of architecture and brought innovative ideas to the table. The steel-frame skeleton structure had been in use for for the last five decades, yet it was popular with modern architecture and its progression in the forties. Also reinforced concrete was brought back, its misuse was fixed during this time and had a big impact on modern architecture that helped it achieve its new designs. The curved line became popular due to the new types of metals and alloys that were light then later incorporated with glass that was coming more into use.