Vacationing Through History

By ÉVA MILAN ENGEL | Junior Reporter

It was hot, it was humid, but it was worth it!

My family took a road trip down the East Coast and through American history.

We started in New York where we saw the Statue of Liberty. I learned about the importance of immigration to our family and to our country.

In Philadelphia, I got a glimpse of the center of our nation’s government during the Revolutionary era. We visited Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell. And I enjoyed a Philly cheesesteak of course!

We then traveled from our nation’s first capital to the present-day capital. In Washington, D.C., we saw the three branches of our government: the White House, the Capitol and the Supreme Court. Because I constantly see our country’s political debates in the news media, it was very surreal for me to actually be there. 

We continued down to Colonial Williamsburg where we got a realistic look at what life was like during colonial times. We watched actors remain in character as they went about their daily routines in their homes and businesses, and as they walked through the streets or rode in their carriages. I felt lucky to visit “the world’s largest living museum.”

As we traveled south through the Carolinas and spent time in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, our discussions shifted from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. We saw where black students staged sit-ins at white-only lunch counters, and organized a nearly complete boycott of city businesses in Savannah in the early 1960s.

Atlanta is the birthplace of civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. There, I learned about many of his accomplishments.

History has always been an interesting subject for me, but it was extra special to be able to walk where the people in my history books once walked and think about what they were living through at that time.

Finally, for those of you who might think that I had a boring summer filled with history lessons—don’t worry. I had a blast, and I enjoyed plenty of amusement parks and beaches along the way.