The capitol has a large dome in the center, above a rotunda—a large space that is shaped like a circle. There are two wings that are connected to the rotunda on opposite sides. The north wing is where the Senate meets and the south wing is where the House of Representatives meets. These wings are also called chambers. On the top floors of the chambers are galleries, or balconies where people can watch the Senate and House of Representatives from above.
The Continental Congress first met in Philadelphia at Carpenter's Hall in 1774 and then at Independence Hall in 1776.[1] Congress convened in various cities during the Revolutionary War, and the Treaty of Paris was ratified in Annapolis, Maryland, in early 1784. Congress later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and afterward to New York City.[1] There, Congress met in City Hall (Federal Hall) from 1785 to 1790.[2] When the capital was moved back to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1790 to 1800, the Philadelphia County Building (Congress Hall) became the capitol.[3] In 1800, the capital moved again to Washington, D.C., and a new capitol building was constructed.
Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1861, beneath the unfinished capitol dome.
The capitol was designed by William Thornton.[4] Construction started in 1793, but it was not completely finished until almost twenty years later. The Senate started to meet in the capitol in 1800, when the Senate wing was finished. The House started to meet in the capitol in 1807, even though the House wing was not finished until 1811.[5]
At that time, it was not as big as it is now. The dome in the center of the building was smaller and made of wood. In 1814, the capitol was set on fire by the British Army during the War of 1812.[6] In the 1850s and 1860s, the capitol was fully repaired, and the wooden dome was replaced with a larger iron dome.[7] The walls of the Senate wing were painted with many murals about events in American History. Inside the rotunda, a large fresco was also painted on the ceiling during the repair.
The Supreme Court also met in the Capitol until its own building was completed in 1935.[8]
The Capitol Dome is 8,909,200 pounds (4,009 tonnes) of cast-iron with 108 windows, and was constructed between 1855 and 1866.[9]
On January 6, 2021, supporters of US President Donald Trumpstormed into the capitol. This caused a lockdown in the building.[10]
↑"Capitol cornerstone is laid". History.com. A&E Television Networks. November 24, 2009. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
↑"Homes of the Court". Supreme Court History.org. Supreme Court Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
Allen, William Charles (2001). History of the United States Capitol: A Chronicle of Design, Construction, and Politics. Vol. 106 (illustrated ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN0160508304. OCLC46420177.
Aikman, Lonnelle; United States Capitol Historical Society; National Geographic Society (U.S.) (1963). We, the People: The Story of the United States Capitol, Its Past and Its Promise, Volume 62, Page 39 (2 ed.). United States Capitol Historical Society. ISBN0916200140.
