i'm really pleased to have alison fortier with us. she has worked at the state department. she also served in the national security council at the white house, so she knows not only history but political history. we look forward to her remarks and welcome her to heritage. alison. [applause] >> thank you very much very kind introduction and obviously, if i do a revision of this book, i need to consult you because i just learned a few things. you are very knowledgeable about washington. for those of us who live in washington, we are often frustrated by what we see in the city. we see the discord. we see the government shutdowns. we see the inability to get his done. legislation is not passed. when legislation is passed, we do not like it. i think it is useful to step act for a moment and to think about the foundations of washington, d.c. the subtitle of my book is "designed for democracy," and that's what i will focus on today -- how the city of washington, d.c., is based on democratic and sybil's and how it has come to its greatest fulfillment in those moments when it sought

. >> next, alison fortier looks at historical sites throughout washington, d.c. the heritage foundation hosted this hour-long event. >> history is a particularly favorite subject of mine. i thought i would never live to see the day of a rock star historian. i am very grateful to have a special guest with us today who can tell us something about the city in which we live. most of us passed through the strict of columbia daily and get lost in our routines. many of us do not even take the time to perhaps look at the capitol zone and appreciate what it is as we have a chance to pass by it. some things, of course, are missing. the baltimore and potomac railroad station, for example. they must location. those who know the history of d.c. know that is where president garfield was shot. we know where ford the writer is, but you never see anything about the garfield assassination. that's because you have to go through the west building of the national gallery to be standing on the ground of that original location. progressivism and architecture in the district in the turn