United States History


Historical Landmarks

Washington D.C. Monument
Whether you have a family or just live on your own because you never fell in love, historical landmarks are always a great option when planning a vacation.  If you live in America, there are plenty of historical landmarks to choose from - you just have to know where to start.  East Coast?  West Coast?  Texas?  The Northeast?  It can be confusing!  But by laying out a general framework for the historical landmark landscape of the United States, perhaps we can make this decision a little less daunting.  Below, the historical landmark map of the United States has been broken down into 7 components: Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, Virginia, The Midwest, The South, and The West Coast.

Does the Liberty Bell ring a bell?  Jokes aside, there are plenty of things to see in The City Of Brotherly Love, no homo.  Independence Hall, Ben Franklin imitators, Valley Forge is within driving distance, and much more.

Boston is not just the city of the Red Sox and Patriots and Celtics and maybe Bruins if you watch hockey.  Before these teams, much U.S. History existed.  The Boston Tea Party, which was mentioned on the Wars page, took place in a harbor of Boston.  There are also the Boston Gardens and Boston Common.  Even visit Paul Revere's small  wooden house!  Paul Revere made U.S. History in 1775 by riding a horse at midnight from Boston to Lexington, Mass. to warn of the British.  "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!" Revere yelled, a reference to the sclera, which is the "white part" of the human eye.

New York City
Ellis Island, The Statue Of Liberty, The Empire State Building, Grand Central Terminal, American Stock Exchange, Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, Central Park, Battleships.

Virginia/Washington D.C.
The history of Virginia began being officially documented in 1607 when English colonists established Jamestown.  Thousands of years ago, Native Americans inhabited the land but English colonists and other Europeans felt that, "Since the natives do not wear powdered wigs, leggings, false teeth, and talk about kings, monarchies, and stuff like that, we won't record their history too much!" (Early American Europeans).  Since there are no immediate landmarks in Virginia that come to mind, we will move onto Washington D.C. where there are the following: White House, Capitol, Washington Monument, Potomac River (Potamos in Greek means "river", so it's the "River" River!), Georgetown University, Pentagon, Hard Rock Cafe Washington D.C., and so much  more.  The Holocaust Museum is there, too.

The Midwest
Sometimes referred to as "Tornado Alley", the Midwest is the home of the midwestern states of the United States.  Things like the Kansas-Nebraska Act happened in the Midwest.  Cities such as Chicago and St. Louis are there, where you can visit the Sears Tower or the famous Gateway Arch.  Covered wagons and buffaloes once roamed freely through the plains.  You can visit the plains, but many of the buffaloes have been killed and covered wagons are now very impractical, archaic, and a really slow way to travel. 

The South
The South is where people go if they want to see where slavery happened, The Alamo, or if they want to take an airboat ride on a Cajun marsh to see alligators. 

The West Coast
Finally, there is the West Coast, which is sometimes referred to as the "Left Coast" by people who come from there because it sounds sort of cooler.  The West Coast, which was the main inspiration for Manifest Destiny, was discovered by Lewis and Clark.  You can see the Oregon Trail, the Rose Garden (where the "Trail Blazers" play), San Francisco (home of America's first "gay" man), or even stop down to Los Angeles and see where Hollywood was invented.

These are the main historical landmarks of the United States and this section should hopefully have provided you with a clearer idea of the foundations of America.