Trip to Washington DC

Isabella Robson, Lower Sixth, writes:

Over the half term 46 Sixth Form History and Politics students were able to go on a trip to Washington DC. This was the first trip since the pandemic so it was very exciting to be able to be a part of it. The trip began with a visit to the White House Visitor Centre – it was fascinating looking at the scale models and to see the building as a home as well as a place of government. We walked around the perimeter of the White House grounds and visited statues of influential individuals in American history in Lafayette Park before heading onto the Smithsonian Museums. The Smithsonian as a collective were a highlight of the trip for me and, in particular, I was fascinated by the National Museum of African American History and their exhibition detailing the history of African Americans from the slave trade up until the civil rights movements and today.

On the second day of our visit we went on a walking tour of American monuments around the National Mall. We started with the Washington monument and then visited the Martin Luther King, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Korean War and Vietnam War monuments, before ending with the memorial dedicated to Abraham Lincoln (the location of King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech). Our day of memorial continued with a trip to Arlington cemetery where we visited the graves of the Kennedys and watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and then we paid a visit to the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon.

Another highlight of the trip for me personally was the visit to the US Capitol – we had a guided tour around the statue-filled visitors’ rooms (including that of the famous domed rotunda) and we also got the opportunity to see the room that the Senate congregates in. Although they were not in session when we were there it was still very interesting to see how it was all set up. In the afternoon some students choose to visit Georgetown where they got to explore the university grounds and get a real feeling for the experience of American college life, whereas others visited the National Gallery of America and the National Museum of the Native American. A trip to the National Archives on the final day concluded our trip and we saw an original Declaration of Independence and Constitution as well as an original copy of the Magna Carta which Great Britain gifted America. The original hand-written texts were impressive, as were the many interactive features of the Archives which helped the everything really come to life.

Along with many important historical aspects of the trips we got to experience some pure American culture during our stay. We watched a Washington Capitals vs LA Kings ice hockey match (the Capitals triumphed 4-3) and we really got a feel of the scale of live sport in the States, the breaks and interval shows created a super immersive experience that the crowd could get stuck into. We also visited the Hard Rock Cafe along with frequenting our own choices of American chain eateries for lunch during our stay (my personal favourite was Chipotle) and enjoyed many a sugary coffee. On Sunday afternoon we got some time to roam free in a very large shopping mall which had most shops imaginable and something for almost everyone. Many of us also enjoyed the numerous gift shops and lots of t-shirts (some tackier than others) were purchased.

Overall we were treated to a fantastic trip and would love to thank the History and Politics Department for helping us to have such fun few days in the USA that really allowed us to broaden our knowledge of American history and culture.