A Virtual Tour of the Capitol

Capitol Tour


Grab your camera and water bottle. We're going to tour the United States Capitol Building. Be sure to read the directions for zoom effects and hidden hot spots. Pay close attention, guys, there's a treasure hunt below.

Read the full description in each room before looking for hotspots. Words below in italics are clues.

In the Old Supreme Court Chamber, find a marble statue and say hello to Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney. Get him to explain his position on slavery and states rights in the very famous Dred Scott Decision.

Still here? O.K, now look for a clock on the wall in the same room. Why does it always run five minutes fast?

Before you go to the next room, what is so special about the desks near the red curtained windows?

Go now to the Old Senate Chamber. What was the function of the Franklin stoves on either side of the room's main entrance? Are these in use today? (Some artifacts have been restored, some have been reproduced.)

Next, move into the Senate Chamber. The Vice President's chair is very prominent in this room. What is the function of the Vice President in the Senate? What is suspended over his chair? What does it symbolize?

Some very important events in our nation's history have taken place in this room. Read carefully the section on the Civil War. Why did Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis walk out of the Senate in 1861? Why do think there was weeping in the Senate when he left? Over 100 years later, the Civil Rights Act was debated in this very room. Why was this a very important piece of legislation?

Did you find the Senate gavels? What is the history behind the older of the two?
Locate the entrance President's Room. What was the function of this room in the past? What political motive did President Reagan have for restoring this room to use?

The Three Branches of Government

Do you really know about how our Federal Government works?

If you want be in politics, first start out with some basic research.

Here's a site that gives you all you need to know about the Three Branches of Government without having to crack open a book. Hey, it's summer, who needs books, anyway?
Go ahead and get started!

Think- What lesson did the Founding Fathers learn from their experience with the British? How did this influence their decision to create the Three Branches of Government?

Explain- In your own words, what are separation of powers and checks and
balances? (Hey...Notice the glossary? Read it, don't copy it!)

Go Beyond -With the Great Compromise, our Founding Fathers created the Senate and the House of Representatives. What was the reasoning behind this historic decision? What could have been the outcome if this decision had not been reached? How would this affect state representation in a one house Congress?