Neoclassical Style of Architecture in USA Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Ever since the United States got its independence in the 18th century it has been operating under a federal government. Despite its effectiveness in operation, the federal government of the United States is not a democracy. The government operates under three branches, the legislature, the judiciary and the executive. Ever since the Civil War, the power of the federal government have been growing despite the few instances where the state rights have succeeded in limiting the federal power. Due to this fact, the federal government has influenced a lot of things which have been happening in the United States. It is the federal government which makes the laws that govern the country, control the education system, the military, health, and banks and so on.

North America had a very beautiful landscape prior to the invasion of the Europeans in the 16th century. With time, industrial revolution was experienced in the region which led to increased use of science and technology to make work easier. Although there was a lot of development due to the industrial revolution, the beautiful landscape of the United States was being destroyed with time.

Ever since its incorporation by the founding fathers of the United States of America, the federal government has influenced the architecture of the country. Most of the early buildings were constructed in the neo-classical style. This has been the trade mark of most buildings which are owned by the government up to the present day. This architectural design was produced by members of the neoclassical movement in Greece and Italy during the 18th century. This architectural design was a retaliation to the Rococo naturalistic style. The neoclassical architectural blueprint ponders more on the structural walls instead of the chiaroscuro retaining a unique identity of every single part.

This architectural design was mainly used in the construction of buildings in the United States during the late 18th century and early 19th century. This architectural design was referred to as the federal architecture. It is during this time that that neoclassicism was viewed as a form of the American renaissance movements. Many buildings portray this architectural blueprint such as the National Gallery, Lincoln Memorial, and Baltimore Basilica not forgetting the famous Roosevelt Memorial. At the present moment there is a growing movement towards the revival of the classical architecture and the protection of such buildings in the Unites States.

The civil war of the United States lasted from 1861 to 1865. It a war between 11 southern slave states and the northern states which had. The southern states were referred to as the confederacy while the northern states that were more powerful were referred to as the union. War broke out because Abraham Lincoln who was the president had abolished slave trade in all the states an idea which the southern states did not like. They therefore wanted to separate from the United States something which the government saw as a rebellion. After four years of bloody war, the confederacy surrendered and the reconstruction era begun.

After the civil war the reconstruction era begun in the United States. Reconstruction was conducted in two phases; the first involved the reconstruction of the whole country while the other was concentrated in reconstructing the confederacy states. Reconstruction involved constitutional amendments which aimed at ensuring that the southern states are self governed. It also ensured that the freed men had equal rights as other Americans. The reconstruction also ensured that new cities and states were built. Most of the government buildings that were constructed during this era followed the neoclassical designs.

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the Unites States of America. Before becoming president, he served several positions in the government. At one time he was the U.S minister to France where he saw the difference in architecture, a concept which he brought back to the United States. His ideas were highly accepted and were mainly used during the reconstruction period after the civil war of the United States.

In 1893 there was a world fair held at Chicago to commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus in north America 400 years ago I the year 1492. The fair had an extraordinary of art and architecture which were used to show how the city should look like. The architectural design was exclusively neoclassical and laid a lot of emphasis on symmetry, balance and splendor. The fair was designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick Olmsted which followed the beaux architectural principles of neoclassical designs of France. The fair covered an area of around 600 acres containing around 200 building of neoclassical architecture which ran for six months. It was attended by around 27 million people who were about half of the U.S population at that time. The main aim of the fair was to portray how the cities and buildings of the United States should be constructed using the neoclassical design.

In 1893, Fredrick Jackson Tuner put forward the frontier thesis. The thesis argued that the American people and their government were different from the Europeans in that they are democratic, innovative, egalitarian and aggressive in character. This brought about the American frontier experience. In his theory turner felt that the united states need to expand overseas so as to spread republicanism instead of embracing territorial conquest and subordination of the native Americans.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2020, June 2). Neoclassical Style of Architecture in USA. https://ivypanda.com/essays/neoclassical-style-of-architecture-in-usa/

Work Cited

"Neoclassical Style of Architecture in USA." IvyPanda, 2 June 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/neoclassical-style-of-architecture-in-usa/.

References

IvyPanda. (2020) 'Neoclassical Style of Architecture in USA'. 2 June.

References

IvyPanda. 2020. "Neoclassical Style of Architecture in USA." June 2, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/neoclassical-style-of-architecture-in-usa/.

1. IvyPanda. "Neoclassical Style of Architecture in USA." June 2, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/neoclassical-style-of-architecture-in-usa/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Neoclassical Style of Architecture in USA." June 2, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/neoclassical-style-of-architecture-in-usa/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1