US Landmarks and Monuments You Ought to Visit at Least Once in Your Lifetime

Of all of America’s various national monuments and landmarks, the Statue of Liberty stands in a league of its own. Its stoic form has guided countless thousands of human lives seeking out a new life into the safe harbors of this country, which was founded on the very principle that together, we are better. On October 28th, 1886, Lady Liberty was first dedicated, and today, on the 132nd anniversary, she still towers 152 feet above her pedestal in New York Bay.

In celebration of this occasion, we thought it appropriate to delve into an exploration of some of America’s most iconic landmarks and monuments. Each of these famous places contributes to the underlying mosaic of cultures and individuals that have helped shape and guide this nation since the very beginning.

Independence Hall

No single document was as pivotal in the creation of this nation as the Declaration of Independence. The signing of this bold declaration began the American Revolution in earnest, leading to one of the fiercest campaigns for freedom the world had yet seen up to that point. Not only was it penned initially within this grand hall, but the final drafts that would become the US Constitution itself were also debated upon here, in the middle of Philadelphia.

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View of Independence Hall where the US Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776 and the US Constitution was debated and signed in the city center of Philadelphia on December 2, 2017. (Photo credit ERIC BARADAT/AFP/Getty Images)

First built in 1753, Independence Hall served as the capital for the Province of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until 1799, when it was moved to Lancaster. Fascinatingly, in 1915 US president William Howard Taft announced at a convention here the creation of the League to Enforce Peace, which would soon grow into the League of Nations, itself slowly forming into the modern United Nations we know today.

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