21st-Century Skills: The Federalist Era – The First President

Then Major Pierre-Charles L’Enfant was a well-known French engineer and architect when President George Washington appointed him to design the U.S. capital in 1791. L’Enfant surged ahead with an ambitious plan that included grand plazas, public squares, and parks connected by wide boulevards. L’Enfant, aided by African American Benjamin Banneker and others, did much of this work without authorization from his superiors. By 1792, President Washington dismissed him. L’Enfant’s plans were set aside.

In 1901 the McMillan Park Commission revived L’Enfant’s plans. Washington’s streets are laid out like the spokes of wheels. The White House is at the center of one wheel; the Capitol is at the center of the other.

Now Much has changed since L’Enfant designed a city in the wilderness more than 200 years ago. In 1800 about 3,000 people lived in Washington, D.C.; today it is home to nearly 600,000 people. In addition to being the seat of the federal government, Washington, D.C., attracts many tourists. Every year thousands of people visit the capital. To many, the city is a monument to the ability of Americans to govern themselves.

With the development of the automobile, highways and expressways were built to handle the massive amount of traffic to, from, and through the nation’s capital. In 1976 the capital’s subway system, called the Metro, began service. One of the Metro stations is L’Enfant Plaza.