United States Capitol

The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the U.S. Congress, the legislature of the U.S. federal government. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. Though it has never been the geographic center of the federal district, the Capitol is the origin by which the quadrants of the District are divided and the city was planned.

Literary comment

As many of Harry Turtledove's works involve the working of the U.S. government, the Capitol is a frequent setting. However, this fact is germane only to a few works.

United States Capitol in The Hot War

The Capitol's shattered dome lay on the Mall, in front of what remained of the ravaged, burnt-out building, following the detonation of Soviet atomic bombs in Washington, DC in May 1952. Most of the United States' congressmen and senators were killed in the blast.

United States Capitol in Southern Victory

The United States Capitol had been the center of the United States Government for many years. Even after the War of Secession ended in defeat for the Union, US Senators and Congressmen continued to meet within its halls.

During the Second Mexican War, the Capitol came under artillery bombardment from the many Confederate Forts that overlooked Washington. In the war's aftermath the damage was repaired, but Congress remained in Philadelphia, meeting at Liberty Hall, a less ornate building.

During the Great War, the Capitol was once again attacked and destroyed by the Confederates. It remained a ruin until the US Army liberated the city in 1917. After the war, the building was rebuilt, but the Congress had now permanently relocated to Philadelphia.

In the following years, the Capitol was mainly the site for the inauguration of a new US President. During the Second Great War, the Capitol was once again damaged, only this time, by Confederate warplanes.

United States Capitol in Worldwar

The United States Capitol was the center of the United States Government. When the Race landed in June 1942, most of the Congress escaped the city and was scattered all across the country. Later that year, the building was destroyed along with Washington D.C. with an explosive-metal bomb. At the time, a few Senators and Congressmen were still operating within the Capitol, and all those within the building were killed.