Hope

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

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“We have faith that future generations will know here, in the middle of the twentieth century,
there came a time when men of good will found a way to unite, and produce,
and fight to destroy the forces of ignorance, and intolerance, and slavery, and war.”

FDR in 1943

Wander through the FDR memorial amid the waterfalls and trees, reading his words and reflecting on his extraordinary life, and feel the impact his leadership had upon the world. He struggled against being defined by polio, against the Great Depression, to bring a new deal to Americans, through WWII and for peace, until his wife Eleanor took up his torch at the UN. In speaking plainly with people FDR became the lightning rod that harnessed the energy of everyone’s dashed dreams and fearful hopes to make the world better. The desperation of the times brought Americans “a rendezvous with destiny” and required more of FDR than any other President: putting 1/4 of the country back to work, creating a new social contract with a safety net, becoming “the great arsenal of Democracy”, and fighting for a dream of world peace.

“Unless the peace that follows recognizes that the whole world is one neighborhood
and does justice to the whole human race,
the germs of another world war will remain as a constant threat to mankind.”

FDR in 1943

National Mall

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Yeah, I don’t make the rules. This is an official park unit like Constitution Gardens within the National Mall and Memorials, and don’t ask me where the boundaries of each are, it’s very confusing. But I’ve walked all the way up and down the mall a few times, which counts as zero carbon travel. I’ve also seen the fireworks here on the 4th of July, visited the Smithsonian museums and been here during political demonstrations. The photo is from the edge of some side edifice of the Lincoln Memorial, which I took from this angle, so that you can see the Capitol behind the Washington Monument. There’s actually another smaller reflecting pool at that far end, but it’s not easy to approach.

Anyways, the Mall is moving, no matter how many times I visit. Here, people from all over the country (and world) come to see DC, the most important city on earth. Some may be here for work, to study, to visit a memorial, to see art, learn about science, for history, to protest or to celebrate. The Mall reminds us of our ideals, teaches us something new and gives us space to be free. It’s ours, but it’s also bigger than us. It symbolizes the past, the present and future. It’s what we argue about, what we make of it, and what we love or hope it will be. As frustrating as it can be sometimes, it’s a great country, and I encourage you to get out, explore and enjoy. And dream of a better world.

President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site

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The ranger blamed Clinton for choosing the overly long name of the site, and he also explained why some Presidents get public sites and some stay private. Mostly it depends on what the family and community decide. Truman’s family donated their home, and the community here in Hope started trying to turn this house into a national park site as soon as Clinton was elected. The park is still developing as the Clintons are very much still living. One tip, unless you’re interested in the history of a particular brand of cone-shaped speakers, ignore the “open” sign at the large yellow house next to the parking lot and head through the black iron gate in the corner.

Since it is open to tours, including the upstairs which was closed during Covid, you can stand in the living room, amid mementos arranged by Clinton’s mother, and listen to the poignant story of Clinton’s early childhood. His father, a WWII veteran, traveled to Chicago for work and died in a car accident driving back here, never meeting his son. His step-father was an abusive louse, who Bill kicked out of the house when he grew large enough. To spare his younger half-brother Roger from any embarrassing questions about their mixed family, Bill changed his last name to Clinton, despite how he felt about his step-father. There’s not much evidence of Clinton’s life there, beyond a book, a letter from Georgetown and the neighborhood itself, which still has the low railroad crossing nearby where young Bill used to listen to the trains go by and wonder if he was ever going anywhere.