UPDATE: Mr. President, as America Nears Our 250th Anniversary, the National Mall Needs You

 

National Mall fireworks (Courtesy National Park Service)

UPDATE

July 23, 2024

Mr. President, as you ponder your legacy, you have an opportunity to give a special gift to the American people: the creation of a Presidential Commission charged with planning the needed expansion of the National Mall.

Mr. President:

Your Presidency will be remembered for your heroic efforts to protect and promote democracy, and to put America on an irreversible course to combat climate change. There’s an opportunity right in your own front yard to demonstrate these commitments – the National Mall. The Mall — for many the epicenter and stage for our democracy — is now facing many fierce challenges like increased flooding and over-building. These threats will only get worse while too many competing federal and local agencies can’t agree about what to do.  It’s time to summon a Presidential commission of prominent, strategic, and visionary leaders from across the nation — last done over 120 years ago — to devise a plan for the 3rd Century Mall.

A 3rd Century plan will provide new generations of Americans a resilient and expanded landscape that honors our nation’s evolving history and its many cultures, and advances civic engagement in American democracy as we continue striving to become a more perfect union. Great efforts require leadership and a grand plan!

We can do this! And you, Mr. President, can make it happen – a special gift to the American people.

Imagine, Mr. President, a grand celebration on the Mall July 4th, 2026, inviting the 50 states and territories, all Americans, to join in a unifying Semiquincentennial on our Stage for American Democracy and completion of a 3rd Century Mall Plan.


  • Fireworks lighting up the night sky near the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress)
    Fireworks lighting up the night sky near the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress)
  • Fireworks are seen from the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial area, in Arlington, Va. on July 4, 2013. (USDA photo by Lance Cheung)
    Fireworks are seen from the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial area, in Arlington, Va. on July 4, 2013. (USDA photo by Lance Cheung)
  • President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, left, and Malia Obama, center, watch the Fourth of July fireworks from the roof of the White House, July 4, 2014. (White House Photographer)
    President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, left, and Malia Obama, center, watch the Fourth of July fireworks from the roof of the White House, July 4, 2014. (White House Photographer)
  • Fireworks by the MLK Memorial (Courtesyy National Park Service)
    Fireworks by the MLK Memorial (Courtesyy National Park Service)
  • Fireworks light the night sky above the National Mall's World War II Memorial and Washington Monument at the conclusion of the U.S. Air Force Band Performance on July 4. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Staff Sgt. Nichelle Anderson)
    Fireworks light the night sky above the National Mall's World War II Memorial and Washington Monument at the conclusion of the U.S. Air Force Band Performance on July 4. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Staff Sgt. Nichelle Anderson)
  • National Mall fireworks (Courtesy Smithsonian Institution Archives)
    National Mall fireworks (Courtesy Smithsonian Institution Archives)
  • Fireworks light the Washington, D.C. skyline, July 4th, 2013, in honor of America’s Independence Day. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Nesha Humes)
    Fireworks light the Washington, D.C. skyline, July 4th, 2013, in honor of America’s Independence Day. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Nesha Humes)
  • Fireworks light the night sky above the National Mall's World War II Memorial and Washington Monument at the conclusion of the U.S. Air Force Band Performance. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Staff Sgt. Nichelle Anderson)
    Fireworks light the night sky above the National Mall's World War II Memorial and Washington Monument at the conclusion of the U.S. Air Force Band Performance. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Staff Sgt. Nichelle Anderson)
  • Washington DC is a spectacular place to celebrate July 4th! The National Mall, with Washington DC’s monuments and the U. S. Capitol in the background. (Courtesy Library of Congress)
    Washington DC is a spectacular place to celebrate July 4th! The National Mall, with Washington DC’s monuments and the U. S. Capitol in the background. (Courtesy Library of Congress)
  • Fireworks burst above the Washington Monument in celebration of America's 229th birthday. (Courtesy U.S. Navy)
    Fireworks burst above the Washington Monument in celebration of America's 229th birthday. (Courtesy U.S. Navy)
  • National Mall fireworks (National Park Service)
    National Mall fireworks (National Park Service)
  • A large audience of White House Staff members watch Fourth of July fireworks from the grounds at the White House. (Courtesy White Houe Press Photographer)
    A large audience of White House Staff members watch Fourth of July fireworks from the grounds at the White House. (Courtesy White Houe Press Photographer)
  • Fireworks begin as the Killers play on the South Lawn of the White House during the Fourth of July celebration. (Official White House photo)
    Fireworks begin as the Killers play on the South Lawn of the White House during the Fourth of July celebration. (Official White House photo)
  • Washington, D.C. July 4th fireworks (Carol M. Highsmith)
    Washington, D.C. July 4th fireworks (Carol M. Highsmith)
  • Fourth of July on the National Mall (Courtesy United States Park Police)
    Fourth of July on the National Mall (Courtesy United States Park Police)
  • A crowd watches the end of Brad Paisley performance on the South Lawn of the White House as fireworks erupt over the National Mall, July 4, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
    A crowd watches the end of Brad Paisley performance on the South Lawn of the White House as fireworks erupt over the National Mall, July 4, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
  • July 4th fireworks highlight the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival's Philippines Chapel in 1998.
    July 4th fireworks highlight the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival's Philippines Chapel in 1998.
  • National Mall fireworks (National Park Service)
    National Mall fireworks (National Park Service)
  • National Mall fireworks (National Park Service)
    National Mall fireworks (National Park Service)
  • Fourth of July at the White House in 2018 (Courtesy White House Photo)
    Fourth of July at the White House in 2018 (Courtesy White House Photo)
 

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