The Revolution Of The United States - 1858 Words

Following the Revolutionary War in the late 1700’s, the United States of America was looking to create a democracy. The people voted Revolutionary War hero George Washington, as the first President to lead the newly born country. President Washington decided to turn ten square miles that were given to him into the capital of his country. It would be called Washington, District of Columbia, or Washington D.C. President Washington decided to place the most important building in the country, the Capitol Building, in the center of the city. Washington knew the process would take years to finish and that he was never going to see it finished, but he wanted the best for his country. Today, we see the full effect of the thousands of men and†¦show more content†¦L’Enfant refused for unknown reasons, and therefore, an architect was needed to be found. The Secretary of State at the time, Thomas Jefferson, and President George Washington realized that they were in n eed of an architect for the capitol quickly. Jefferson suggested that a contest should be issued to see who could produce the best design for the capitol. The winner would receive 500 dollars and a city lot (Silate 7). None of the seventeen submitted designs were satisfactory. However, a few weeks after the deadline, a design was sent in from a man that was born in the British West Indies who was an amateur architect by the name of Dr. William Thornton. Thornton sent in a design that was just what the President and Secretary of State were looking for. Dr. William Thornton received a medical degree from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and had never been hired as an architect. Thornton was considered an â€Å"amateur architect† prior to his work on the capitol. However, he was soon known as the â€Å"First Architect† because of his great work on the capitol (Silate 9). Dr. William Thornton was born on May 20, 1759 in the British West Indies where stayed until he graduated from the University of Aberdeen. After college, Thornton moved to the United States of America, where