Реферат: Washington is the capital of the USA

The theater is represented at the ground-breaking ceremony by (among others) Mell Ferrer, Audrey Hepburn, and Frederick Brisson.

The Kennedy Center, located on the banks of the Potomac River near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, opened to the public in September 1971. But its roots date back to 1958, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed bipartisan legislation creating a National Cultural Center. In honor of Eisenhower's vision for such a facility, one of the Kennedy Center's theaters was named for him.

The National Cultural Center Act included four basic components: it authorized the Center's construction, spelled out an artistic mandate to present a wide variety of both classical and contemporary performances, specified an educational mission for the Center, and stated that the Center was to be an independent facility, self-sustaining and privately funded. As a result of this last stipulation, a mammoth fundraising campaign began immediately following the Act's passage into law.

President John F. Kennedy was a lifelong supporter and advocate of the arts, and frequently steered the public discourse toward what he called "our contribution to the human spirit." Kennedy took the lead in raising funds for the new National Cultural Center, holding special White House luncheons and receptions, appointing his wife and Mrs. Eisenhower as honorary co-chairwomen, and in other ways placing the prestige of his office firmly behind the endeavor. [The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library and Museum, Boston, Massachusetts]

President Kennedy also attracted to the project the man who would become the Center's guiding light for nearly three decades. By the time Kennedy appointed him as chairman of the Center in 1961, Roger L. Stevens had already achieved spectacular success in real estate (negotiating the sale of the Empire State Building in 1951), politics, fundraising, and the arts; as a theatrical producer, he had brought West Side Story, A Man for All Seasons, and Bus Stop to the stage. Over the next 30 years, Stevens would oversee the Center's construction, then would shepherd it to prominence as a crucible for the best in music, dance, and theater.

Signing of the John F. Kennedy Center Act by President Johnson on January 23, 1964

Two months after President Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, Congress designated the National Cultural Center as a "living memorial" to Kennedy, and authorized $23 million to help build what was now known as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Fundraising continued at a swift pace--with much help coming from the Friends of the Kennedy Center volunteers, who fanned out across the nation to attract private support [View profiles of Friends/Volunteers Founding members]--and nations around the world began donating funds, building materials, and artworks to assist in the project's completion. In December 1965, President Lyndon Johnson turned the first shovelful of earth at the Center's construction site, using the same gold-plated spade that had been used in the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Lincoln Memorial in 1914 and the Jefferson Memorial in 1938.

From its very beginnings, the Kennedy Center has represented a unique public/private partnership. Because the Center is the nation's living memorial to President Kennedy, it receives federal funding each year to pay for maintenance and operation of the building, a federal facility. However, the Center's artistic programs and education and outreach initiatives are paid for almost entirely through ticket sales and gifts from individuals, corporations, and private foundations.

The Center made its public debut September 8, 1971, with a gala opening performance featuring the world premiere of a Requiem mass honoring President Kennedy, commissioned from legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. [View the opening night's program for Mass.] The occasion enabled Washington to begin earning a reputation as a cultural hub as well as a political one; as The New York Times wrote in a front-page article the next morning, "The capital of this nation finally strode into the cultural age tonight with the spectacular opening of the $70 million [Kennedy Center]...a gigantic marble temple to music, dance, and drama on the Potomac's edge." [Read the dedication statements by the original honorary chairmen.]

Under Roger Stevens' continued direction, the Kennedy Center presented season after season of the finest and most exciting in the performing arts: new plays by Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Tom Stoppard; new ballets by Antony Tudor, Agnes DeMille, and Jerome Robbins; new scores by Aaron Copland, Dmitri Shostakovich, and John Cage. The Center co-produced musicals including Annie and Pippin in its early years, and later co-produced the American premiere of Les Miserables and co-commissioned the preeminent American opera of recent times, John Adams' Nixon in China. Stevens also initiated the American National Theater (ANT) company, which pushed the boundaries of traditional drama during a brief and controversial, but influential reign during the mid-1980s.

The Center also enabled Washington to become an international stage, hosting the American debuts of the Bolshoi Opera and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, as well as the first-ever U.S. performances by Italy's legendary La Scala opera company. [See our Performance Highlights for a more thorough review of the Center's artistic achievements.]

Ralph P. Davidson replaced Stevens as Kennedy Center Chairman in 1988, and helped secure the ongoing Japanese endowment that brings that nation's arts to Washington each year. (Another of Japan's gifts to the Center, the Terrace Theater, had opened in 1979.) James D. Wolfensohn was elected the Center's third Chairman in 1990; under the leadership of Wolfensohn and President Lawrence J. Wilker, the Center solidified its fundraising, strengthened its relations with Congress, and extended the nationwide reach of its education programs to serve millions of young people in every state. The Center renewed its commitment to the creation of new works, and became a national leader in arts education and community outreach as well as a friendlier and more accessible home for the arts in Washington. [The Kennedy Center 25th Anniversary Gala, April 1996]

James A. Johnson, chairman of the board and chief executive officer at Fannie Mae, began his tenure as the Kennedy Center's fourth Chairman in May 1996. He inherits a thriving national treasure, one that is guided and inspired by the vision of its namesake. "I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities," President Kennedy once said, "we, too, will be remembered not for our victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit." [Concert Hall Renovation, November 1997]

If you are already tired of all that presidents and chairmen let we now explore some wild places of American capital. What will you say about Harpers Ferry National Historical Park?

Throughout its history, Harpers Ferry has been the backdrop for remarkable and unparalleled events. Here, in one setting, several themes in the American story converge: Native Americans, industry and transportation, African-Americans, John Brown, the Civil War, and the natural environment. Harpers Ferry became part of the National Park System in 1944. The park covers over 2,300 acres.

Or National Park Trust. The private land conservancy dedicated exclusively to America's Parklands, saving nationally significant wildlife, scenic wonders, and historic monuments.

So now it is time to speak a little bit about politics. About the man who maintain all the businesses and links in this capital. We should say some words about the Mayor.

Mayor Anthony A. Williams took office on January 2, 1999, and identified his vision and a plan of action for Washington, DC. Mayor Williams asks the people of DC to come together and work together to improve the quality of life in the District for both its citizens and the local business community.

His political strategy and vision for life at the Washington can be assumed as following:

The vision for the District is a simple vision, but one that is shared by citizens from Anacostia to Adams Morgan: our citizens deserve the best city in America. That means:

Strong schools, safe streets, clean communities, affordable housing, and reliable transportation;

Access for all people to health care where our senior citizens and children at risk receive quality services;

A wealth of social and cultural growth opportunities;

Vibrant economies downtown and in the neighborhoods;

True inclusion, a seat at the table for all;

Taking advantage of the District's truly unique assets — tourism that is second to none, unique partnerships with federal agencies, a strong regional economy that lacks only a vital urban center; and

Empowering men, women, and children of all communities to solve problems together. Coming together, working together, succeeding together.

Everybody agree that this is a very strong program and you can bet that Washington life will flourish and blossom.

So we make a little trip now through the capital of the USA and we really see that this city is absolutely deserves the name of one of the world’s powerful capitals. Because the power of any capital isn’t tanks and weapons and not also the quantity of millionaires for one square kilometer. The power is the pride of the city of the citizens of the principles and culture. Washington is a big example of this theory.