The Top Things to Do in Washington, D.C. If You’re a Politics Buff

Arrested more than 30 times for leading the 1950s and ‘60s nonviolent civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for desegregation, equality, and voting rights for black Americans and made the ultimate sacrifice when he was gunned down on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, located in West Potomac Park, celebrates his legacy and the changes he helped bring about.

The design, location, and dedication of the memorial are evocative of Dr. King’s struggles and the milestones achieved by the civil rights movement he led. It is also a powerful physical symbol of the civil rights leader’s life and work and is a reminder of Dr. King’s message of peace, hope, and justice.

The memorial is the first ever on the National Mall to honor an African American, and its address, 1964 Independence Avenue, commemorates the year he won the Nobel Peace Prize and the Civil Rights Act became law. The memorial, inspired by Dr. King’s words, is the physical symbol of the “Stone of Hope,” which references a line from his historic “I Have a Dream” speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. That speech was the culmination of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and in it, King said: “With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”

Throughout the memorial’s grounds, excerpts from his speeches are carved in blocks of stone and at the foot of his statue. The speech, the date, and the location were memorialized 48 years later, (albeit delayed by two months due to Hurricane Irene), in a 30-foot granite statue designed by Chinese artist Master Lei Yixin and dedicated by President Barack Obama.

Before you go, visit the National Park Service website to get details on public transportation, ranger tours of the site, discover upcoming events, and more.

If you are a Baby Boomer, the Watergate Scandal, the scoop of the Nixon White House’s “dirty tricks” by The Washington Post, and other media-driven events in American politics are still relevant given the state of truth in media and “alternative facts.” The proliferation of instant news without the time for reflection or fact-checking makes The Newseum a vital compass of accountability in today’s social media-obsessed society. The Newseum plays a role in “promoting, explaining and defending free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment.”

Its programs and exhibits articulate the importance of a free press in a world where it can be difficult to trace the source of a story, a statistic, or claim of truth, especially in American politics. More than six million people have visited the museum since it opened in 2008, and its cutting-edge approach to education and public outreach make it one of the most interactive museums in the world. Seven levels of exhibits, 15 galleries, and 15 theaters graphically demonstrate why “a free press is the cornerstone of Democracy” and each artifact, installation, and exhibit examines a different aspect of the press and free expression and their role in politics and history.

On any given day, you can see large sections of the Berlin Wall and learn about the news coverage of its construction and its demolition; listen to radio broadcasts by Edward R. Murrow; and watch films about a range of topics related to free speech, threats to free press, and the role of journalism in politics. The museum also traces the genesis of electronic communication and radio, looks at current technological advances, and examines the technology of the future.